Sturdy and Steady.

August 6, 2012 2:43 PM

Please give me your suggestions for large, very sturdy grocery/laundry carts. Said cart will have to do duty carrying groceries from my parking space to my apartment (which is across and down the street) but more importantly, it must be able to handle 1-2 35 pound containers of cat litter on occasion, when I need to buy for the boys. Good wheels are a must for when the weather gets snowy, but I do have an elevator (after about 4 steps). Price is not a huge issue, but I would love to keep it under 75$.
posted by oflinkey to Home & Garden (10 answers total)

Trader Joe's (in DC anyway) sells a fantastic grocery cart that's also really quite cheap. $25, if I recall correctly? There's one in Rochester. Field trip!
posted by charmcityblues at 2:49 PM on August 6, 2012

re: kitty litter, i know a lot of people that just buy it off of amazon to avoid having to trek it home. (my local pet stores are also usually happy to deliver purchases over a certain amount, but i realize new york delivery culture is atypical.)
posted by lia at 2:56 PM on August 6, 2012

I own one of these, which I bought mailorder. I use it to carry my groceries about half a mile because I don't own a car. Last Friday I used it to haul home 100 pounds of ice, and it worked just fine.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 3:21 PM on August 6, 2012

What about a red wagon? That would be good and sturdy, especially in the winter. You could pile all sorts of heavy things on it.
posted by tamitang at 3:31 PM on August 6, 2012

Check out Carts on the Go. Mostly under $89.00, carrying up to 125 pounds. Folds down and weighs less than 15 pounds.
posted by halfbuckaroo at 4:05 PM on August 6, 2012

Get a cart that you can push or pull without leaning over. Try to find one with 4 wheels and the larger the wheels the better. 2 wheeled models can be a pain. A liner is nice but make sure it is washable.

I have a very large cart with a solid bottom and spinner wheels - I bought it last year at Costco for $40. I don't remember the manufacturer and it is not marked but it's sturdier than the Jumbo Folding Cart (from the link above) which I gave away.

You might be better off having a shopping cart and a hand truck for the larger bulk items.
posted by jaimystery at 4:20 PM on August 6, 2012

Rolsers are great, but uncheap.
posted by scruss at 4:49 PM on August 6, 2012

Garden cart? Like this--I've got one in my saved items that I've been meaning to order for precisely this purpose. $89.
posted by snuffleupagus at 9:13 PM on August 6, 2012

(I arrived at that solution after deciding metal office mail carts--wire or paneled--were too expensive.)
posted by snuffleupagus at 9:15 PM on August 6, 2012

I used one of these - "beach carts" to hork groceries from the first floor parking garage up to our fourth floor apartment. The item shown there has bigger back wheels than mine, but I seem to remember my model holding 100 pounds - but still, 75 is pretty good. It was really handy moving, too. it folds up to a reasonable size, though not small. I like it because I prefer to push not pull.
posted by lemniskate at 11:02 AM on August 8, 2012