Unlock Your Walk with a Cart
by Tim Schaefer, Sunnyside Resident
Call them a trolley dolly, a rolling cart, or a shopping caddy, those personal rolling carriers that are used to carry your shopping items back home just have a certain persona to them. It’s a strange cultural phenomenon that I hit head-on one day when I bought one and had several family members say, “You’re a grown man, why did you buy a granny cart?”
It wasn’t exactly the warm enthusiastic welcome I was expecting to hear, but I was familiar with this sentiment, so I wasn’t entirely surprised. I too have often looked at these carts with a disparaging lens, but I have noticed many more people using them these days. So why did I buy it?
Well, it starts with my family’s habit of going for walks on a daily basis. Hillhurst Sunnyside is a great walkable neighbourhood, so walking is an easy thing to do here. Hillhurst and Sunnyside rank as the twelfth and thirteenth most walkable in Calgary, both with a score of 75. That’s impressive!
When I go for walks, I’ll often include a shopping trip for groceries or other items in Kensington at the same time. Accomplishing a recharge of the mind after a day’s work, connecting with a family member, and tending to some errands is really a win-win-win. But when there are more than a few items, it becomes a bit challenging to carry it all home. I have brought a backpack on some occasions and still do, but sometimes there’s just too many items or it’s just a bit too heavy to carry everything in a backpack. This is where your own mini shopping cart becomes a great option.
In the past, when I reached such a point, I would have simply chosen to unlock my vehicle and drive. When you own a vehicle, it can be too easy to cave in and drive. Like most people, my vehicle sits most of the time just waiting to be used. It’s an easy choice to make. The trouble is that when I drive to run an errand, it means I don’t get to integrate a walk into the task. With a busy schedule, it might also mean foregoing the opportunity to recharge and get some mild exercise on an otherwise busy weeknight. When we live in a walkable neighbourhood like Hillhurst Sunnyside, that’s a missed opportunity!
While I don’t use my cart every time I shop, it has proven to be a great option. Plus, the great thing with shopping trolleys is that they fold up nicely so you can store them away without requiring much space. There are also lots of styles and colours of carts to choose from these days. Carts are no longer just wire baskets on wheels, most come with an insulated compartment to keep things cool in the summer and keep things from freezing in the winter. You can even get stylish rollerblade type wheels. So, if you’ve been eyeing up a cart yourself, my advice: go for it! You’ll find yourself unlocking your walk instead of your car.
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