A Must‑Have Retailer Resource: Why Shopping Cart Safety Starts at the Store Level

Consider these sobering facts:

• Approximately 22,000 children are injured in shopping cart incidents each year—about 66 every day.
• The majority of these injuries result from falls, making shopping cart falls the leading cause of injury for children under the age of five.
• Head injuries account for the vast majority of shopping cart–related injuries in young children.

These incidents highlight why shopping cart safety is not just a maintenance issue—it’s a shared responsibility that involves managers, frontline employees, and store leadership alike.

Why Shopping Cart Safety Matters to Retailers

Supermarkets and retail stores have a legal and operational responsibility to maintain public-use equipment, including shopping carts, in a safe condition for both customers and employees. Beyond injury prevention, effective cart safety practices:

• Reduce exposure to liability and legal claims
• Create a more positive, confidence‑building shopping experience
• Extend the life of shopping cart fleets
• Strengthen brand perception and trust at the community level

While regular maintenance plays a critical role, safety doesn’t stop there. Knowledge, awareness, and consistent daily practices at the store level are just as essential.

Supporting Retailers Through Preventative Maintenance—and Beyond

For decades, The Peggs Company has partnered with grocery and retail operators to help reduce cart-related risks through comprehensive preventative maintenance services.

Our Preventative Maintenance Program ensures shopping cart fleets are inspected, serviced, and maintained to meet applicable ASTM Safety Standards—covering every component to confirm carts are clean, safe, and functioning as intended.
However, even with professional maintenance support, store teams remain directly involved in daily cart safety.

Managers and employees are often the first to spot unsafe conditions, respond to improper cart use, or handle incidents if they occur.

That’s where clear guidance becomes invaluable.

A High-Level Look at the Shopping Cart Safe Use Guide

To support store-level teams, The Peggs Company created a comprehensive Shopping Cart Safe Use and Maintenance Guide. This guide is designed as a practical workplace resource—one that helps managers and employees understand their role in shopping cart safety and reinforces consistent, best-practice behaviors across the store.

At a high level, the guide covers key areas such as:

• What to look for during cart inspections, from structural issues to missing or damaged safety warnings
• Daily inspection expectations, including how proper documentation supports both safety and due diligence
• Employee training and accountability, ensuring staff know how to identify unsafe conditions, address improper use, and respond appropriately to injuries or incidents

The guide complements retailers’ current inspection and safety protocols—helping stores build a culture of safety awareness that supports customers, protects employees, and reinforces operational excellence.

Why This Guide Matters at the Store Level

Shopping cart injuries are largely preventable when proper maintenance is paired with informed, consistent action and daily inspections by store teams. When employees know what to check, managers understand what to enforce, and everyone shares the same safety expectations, risks are reduced and responsibilities are clearly defined.

The Shopping Cart Safe Use & Maintenance Guide serves as a common reference point—one that empowers store teams with the knowledge they need to make safer decisions every day.