A new shopping cart designed specifically for children with special needs is rolling into Target stores next month. Target has partnered with Caroline’s Carts to make shopping a bit easier for parents who find it tricky to maneuver a wheelchair and grocery cart at once.
The cart has a larger seat built into the basket so older children or adults can fit comfortably and safely inside.
Caroline’s Carts is named after the special-needs daughter of cart creators Drew Ann and David Long. Their mission: To make their daughter Caroline’s special shopping cart available for children and parents everywhere.
The shopping carts can now be found at supermarkets, hypermarkets, shopping centers and malls across the nation, Caroline’s Carts’ website says.
Target has been testing the carts in select stores since February 2015, a news release says. When word of the carts spread via social media, the store received an overwhelming response from shoppers asking when they would show up in more stores.
Beginning March 19, every Target store nationwide will have at least one Caroline’s Cart, the news release says. Some locations will have more, depending on customer needs.
This isn’t the first time Target has made headlines for going above and beyond to accommodate special-needs shoppers.
In October, Newsday reported on a Commack Target employee’s efforts to help a 10-year-old boy with autism learn to use the self-checkout machine. When the employee learned of Ben Blanchet’s fascination with checkout registers, the cashier stepped up and allowed him to use his register to scan his items himself.
“We love special-needs children,” the Target’s store manager said.
