Why Are Shopping Carts Huge Do You Know Do You Know Really

Economist Frances Woolley looks to studies and history to explain why shopping carts (“TROLLEYS”) have gotten bigger. Five possible explanations:

1. To get people to buy more. (“BEHAVIORAL ECONOMICS”)
2. Working women can shop less often so need to buy more at once.
3. People got richer and could afford to buy more stuff.
4. Early carts were badly designed and bigger cars are the One True Carts.
5. Larger supermarkets — result of barcodes, scanners — call for bigger carts.

The first one seems reasonable to me, but Woolley argues that “an economist should start with the premise that people aren’t stupid.” Which: hahha. Okay. Okay. Okay.

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