Walmart is rolling out new shopping carts to help parents who have children with disabilities.
The carts, which have a large seat in the back that can carry someone weighing up to 250 pounds, can also be used by caregivers of adults who cannot walk easily.
Bosses said they were thrown into a store. Facebook“This cart makes shopping accessible for all family members with different levels and types of disabilities. Visit us today and see the difference our new cart will make on your family trips.”
The retailer said it plans to equip all of its U.S. stores with Caroline’s Carts by early 2025, but some locations have already received them.
Each Walmart Supercenter will have two Caroline’s carts, while Neighborhood Markets will have at least one.
Caroline’s new carts will initially be rolled out to stores in eleven states
The strollers are named after Caroline Long, an 11-year-old girl with Rett syndrome, a nervous system disorder that only affects girls.
Long’s parents created the carts to make shopping more accessible for families like theirs.
“Equipping our stores with Caroline’s strollers provides some relief to parents and caregivers who need this tool and know it’s available at their Walmart,” said Cedric Clark, chief store operations officer at Walmart.
‘Whether they’re caring for someone with a disability or temporary injury, the carts support our customers when and how they need it every time they walk through our doors.’
While some customers were pleased with the introduction, others were concerned that the launch might not be enough to meet their families’ needs.
“I hope they have enough,” one shopper commented.
“If there are only two, there needs to be one on each side of the store and people who don’t have special needs children should stop using them,” another added.
Walmart has made other efforts to meet the needs of its disabled customers and their caregivers.
Last year, the company expanded its sensory hours from 8 to 10 a.m. every day.
These sensory-friendly hours, which were initially introduced only for back-to-school weeks, aim to provide a calmer environment by turning off the radio, television monitors and dimming some lights.
After an overwhelmingly positive response from the special needs community and other shoppers, the company opted to extend hours.
Walmart Supercenters will have two carts while Neighborhood Markets will have at least one
The new design has a large seat especially to assist caregivers of people with disabilities.
The food giant has made its carts taller and added a cup holder.
This comes after Walmart recently changed its standard carts across all 4,600 of its stores.
Updated shopping carts include additional features such as a cup holder, popular with Stanley Cup fans, and an area to place cell phones or a shopping list.
While the convenience of dedicated storage was welcomed, many consumers were bothered by the increased height of the carts.
The handlebars are now about 3.5 inches higher, at 43.3 inches, which for short people has been annoying.
But there is an even bigger problem for short people with children. The child seat is almost 20 cm higher than in older pushchairs, which means they cannot see where they are going.