Shopping Trolley or Shopping Cart? What Each Market Calls Them

A shopping cart and a shopping trolley are the same product. In the US and Canada the usual word is shopping cart. In the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa it is a shopping trolley or supermarket trolley. Parts of the southern US say buggy, and parts of New England say carriage. Cart Source makes shopping carts, hand baskets, and back of house carts. It serves retailers across the US, Canada, and internationally, whatever their shoppers call them.

Shopping cart and shopping trolley names by market

• United States: shopping cart or grocery cart; buggy in parts of the South; carriage in parts of New England.

• Canada: shopping cart in English and chariot in French.

• United Kingdom and Ireland: shopping trolley or supermarket trolley.

• Australia and New Zealand: shopping trolley.

• Spanish: carrito de compras in Latin America and carro de la compra in Spain.

• French: chariot or chariot de supermarché.

• German: Einkaufswagen.

• Italian: carrello della spesa.

Hand baskets, trolley baskets, and basket trolleys

A hand basket is carried; a rolling hand basket has wheels and a pull handle. In the UK, rolling hand baskets are often called trolley baskets. Cart Source makes plastic hand baskets (PHB series, 21 to 34 L), rolling hand baskets (RHB series, 30 to 52 L), and HBS hand basket stands.

Warehouse trolleys, picking trolleys, and stock trolleys

Back of house equipment follows the same split. US retailers and warehouses say stocking carts, order picking carts, and warehouse carts. UK and Australian operations usually say stock trolleys, picking trolleys, and warehouse trolleys. Cart Source makes these as its MHE line, including the MHEFB-1 flatbed and the MHE30 nesting stock cart.

What to specify, whatever you call it

• Capacity: payload in cubic inches for carts or liters for baskets.

• Nesting: how tightly carts stack in a corral or at the store entrance.

• Handle width: aisle and checkout fit.

• Casters and wheels: matched to your floors, ramps, and parking lot.

• Branding: color, handle color, and signage.

• Anti-theft hardware: such as the patented Anti-Tilt Bar (ATB), U.S. Patent 11,673,427.

Frequently asked questions

Is a shopping trolley the same as a shopping cart?

Yes. Shopping trolley is the usual term in the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand, and shopping cart is the usual term in the US and Canada. Both describe the same product.

What is a trolley basket?

A trolley basket is a rolling hand basket: a shopping basket with wheels and a pull handle. Cart Source makes rolling hand baskets from 30 to 52 L in its RHB series.

Does Cart Source supply shopping trolleys outside the US?

Yes. Cart Source serves retailers across the US, Canada, and internationally. Call 1-888-849-2994 or email info@cartsource.com to request a quote.

Need shopping carts, shopping trolleys, or hand baskets for your stores? Request a quote from Cart Source: call 1-888-849-2994 or email info@cartsource.com.