When Adam Standiford’s family got to Target recently, they found something that would make their shopping trip a whole lot easier. A shopping cart with a large seat on the front—the perfect size for their daughter, Savannah, a six-year-old with special needs. It was a Caroline’s Cart, specially designed to help parents and caregivers shop with older kids or adults with special needs, without having to maneuver a cart and a wheelchair through the store at the same time.
“This simple cart literally will change how we can shop, not having to worry as to how we are going to get [Savannah] into a store,” said Adam in this post on our Facebook page.
Target has been testing the award-winning carts in our stores since February of 2015, and many more of our guests (like Brianne Fuller and her son, pictured above) have discovered them and shared their appreciation throughout social media. So much love, in fact, that they’ve been asking when the carts will show up in more of our stores.
Good news—we’re rolling Caroline’s Cart out to Target stores nationwide! Beginning March 19, the vast majority of our stores (with the exception of a handful of our smallest stores where we don’t have full-size carts) will have at least one Caroline’s Cart, and many will have more, depending on their guests’ needs.
The cart has a fascinating history. It's named after Caroline, daughter of Drew Ann Long, an inventor and stay-at-home mom from Alabama. Drew Ann came up with the idea after realizing her daughter, a 7-year-old with Rett syndrome, would outgrow a standard shopping cart. So she and her husband David founded Parent Solution Group, LLC. in 2008, and partnered with Technibuilt to manufacture the carts for retailers to use worldwide.
“We’re thrilled that Target is our largest retail partner,” says Drew Ann. “We hear from so many families asking specifically for the carts at Target because they love shopping there, so it’s exciting to know thousands of families will now have an easier shopping experience."
The idea to bring Caroline’s Cart to the Bullseye? It came from our own Target family—a team member with a child who has special needs suggested it to our Store Operations team. It was the start of a beautiful partnership.
“Caroline’s Cart can be a game-changer for families, and we’re excited to offer this for our guests across the country,” says Juan Galarraga, senior vice president, Store Operations. “Target is always looking for new ways to make guests feel welcome in our stores and give them a more comfortable shopping experience. We’re always listening to both our guests and team members and making changes based their feedback.”
Check out more ways Target makes the shopping experience easy, convenient and enjoyable for our guests. Does your family love shopping at Target? Snap a photo and share it using the hashtag #TargetRun.
