Are shopping carts an important part of life? Not really. Not at all, actually. But at Kaust they do an excellent job of representing how things are done. That is to say, they are a hassle and barely functional. They are a foolishly designed, terrible product and yet they have been purchased in large numbers. If anyone had tested them beforehand or studied successful pre-existing models at one of the millions of logical grocery stores all around the world, then this problem would have been avoided entirely.
There is only one problem with the shopping carts at Tamimi, Kaust's only grocery store. Unfortunately that problem is pretty big, especially considering that you can't really do much wrong when designing a shopping cart. On a normal cart only the front wheels are on swivels and rotate when a driver turns the cart. The back wheels, on the other hand, are fixed in position to face forward, much like the wheels of a car. At Tamimi, all four wheels are on swivels and the wheels all turn freely. Why is this a problem?
When the two rear wheels are fixed, the cart driver simply has to apply more force to one side in order to cause the cart to pivot and continue on in the new direction. The driver walks behind the cart and the two move in a smooth arc. The process is so simple that most people don't even think about it. In contrast, when all four wheels are on swivels it's like trying to drive on ice. You apply the same force to the cart and it doesn't move in an arc. It just spins in front of you. It rotates but it doesn't progress at all in the new direction that you want to go. In order to turn such a cart you have to either drag it forcefully sideways or move your body around it until you are facing in the new direction. It's difficult and silly. I don't recommend it.
There is a reason that every shopping cart you've ever pushed is the way that it is, Tamimi just hasn't figured it out yet.
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