To market, then home: how do you transport?
The other day, we meandered over to the supermarket. Being the proud recipient of a recent raise, I decided to indulge a bit and took advantage of the bulk wine discount at the store: 20% off of 12 bottles. My mother followed in suit. It didn't occur to us that we were on foot. The only way we could get our new bottled treasures home was to shove them in the cargo area and every crevice of the bike-trailer-turned-to-stroller, where my youngest was so soundly slumbering. How upset was she to be pressed up against the trailer wall, sharing the seat with a box of wine.
Seriously, there's got to be a better way! Don't you think? An urbanMama emails:
We recently moved within walking distance of a Trader Joe's and Safeway. Wanting to drive less, we have been walking to do our grocery shopping. However, with my 3-year-old in tow, and a small hill to climb, I find that what I can carry home is somewhat limited. We often make trips every other day, and as a part-time working mama, don't always have the time to do this.
Growing up in Brooklyn, NY, each week I would walk to the grocery store with my mom and her "granny cart". The shopping carts at grocery stores even had hooks at the end of them so you could hang your folded up granny cart. They were all the rage. I want a granny cart!
So the question is, how do you lug your groceries home? Wagon (not very easy, nor ergonomic, to lug up hill), stroller, biceps? Where can I find a high quality granny cart in Portland?
I bought my bigger sized granny cart at Fred Meyer.
Now I use my bakfiets. (Sold the cart to the tamale lady.)
it is weird to walk a bike when it's loaded down, but worth it to me, to make it home in one trip- under the bench seat, both panniers stuffed and kids holding onto groceries & bags on the floor in front of them too-instead of multiple trips each day or every day.
Good Luck!
PS the granny carts fold down and stash under the cart pretty well.
Posted by: Carie | September 30, 2008 at 07:27 AM
When my mom first moved to Portland she lived in an Apartment building with long interior corridors so we found her a nice folding/rolling car at Storables that she used to haul stuff back and forth to the car.
Posted by: pdxmomto2 | September 30, 2008 at 08:48 AM
We're the lucky owners of an Xtracycle, which has transported many, many groceries. But the Xtracycle is too long for the Max and recently I've been wanting a granny cart to schlep stuff around sans stroller. I know the Container Store (bridgeport and online) has several and I ran into one when purchasing reusable shopping bags recently:
http://www.reusablebags.com/store/reisenthel-foldable-trolley-p-731.html
but I'm not sure it's big enough for a standard weekly grocery run.
Posted by: Kristi | September 30, 2008 at 09:25 AM
I use a granny cart. Bought my first one at Target, but after two years of VERY thorough use it was zip tied together in several places, lost a wheel (once in the Fred Meyer parking lot at 10PM fully loaded, ah, convenient :)). So I got a slightly beefier, bigger one at Fred Meyer. The trick is to SHOP with your granny cart, not a regular cart. Walk around the store with it, load the heavy things at the bottom, light things at top. Bring one reusable bag for the little things that will fall through the cracks. Get in line behind someone with a bunch of stuff so you have time to unload your light stuff and sneak the heavy stuff up front. Then as they check it, load it back up. Simple.
Posted by: LizardMama | September 30, 2008 at 09:30 AM
My mom got her granny cart at her local hardware store--somewhere on Division in the 30s, but I bet most hardware stores carry them.
We do most of our grocery shopping on foot--the two older boys get light bags to carry home, heavy stuff goes in the bottom of the stroller, I carry some bags while pushing the stroller. Gotta love those reusable Fred's bags, they fit so nicely on my shoulder.
However, we do do a car trip a few times a month--load up on laundry detergent, giant jugs of vinegar (our cleaning product of choice), large amounts of canned products--basically our "pantry items," so that our walking trips are generally just for fruits/veggies, bread, etc. (the lighter stuff).
Posted by: KMat | September 30, 2008 at 09:38 AM
Here are two of my very favorite granny carts.
This one folds up like an umbrella stroller: http://www.versacart.us/
And this one has a retractable handle and a flap, to keep things perched on top inside the cart: http://bit.ly/3flLAN
Posted by: Marisa | September 30, 2008 at 09:39 AM
I found a fold-able "granny bag" with wheels at City Liquidators this weekend for about $7.50. It's a lightweight canvas-y fabric and folds down to about 12"x6". While I don't think it will hold up to the rigors of heavy duty shopping, I thought it would be good for small trips, and for my girls to be able to participate in bringing home the goods.
Posted by: Carolyn | September 30, 2008 at 10:20 AM
I found a fold-able "granny bag" with wheels at City Liquidators this weekend for about $7.50. It's a lightweight canvas-y fabric and folds down to about 12"x6". While I don't think it will hold up to the rigors of heavy duty shopping, I thought it would be good for small trips, and for my girls to be able to participate in bringing home the goods.
Posted by: Carolyn | September 30, 2008 at 10:25 AM
I use our old Graco car seat stroller frame (the kind a infant car seat snaps into, similar to the Snap N Go). Without the car seat I am able to put 2-3 bags of heavy stuff on the bottom with another 2-3 bags of lighter stuff on top of those. I use this method when I am going "big" shopping and it works great! My son is old enough and active enough that he walks along with me, but I used to carry him in the Ergo on my back while I pushed the stroller. The best thing about this is that I didn't have to buy a new gadget, but rather used something we already had!
Posted by: NE Mama | September 30, 2008 at 01:14 PM
My MIL got my 2-year-old an old school Radio Flyer red wagon for his birthday and the other day I wanted to walk to Fred Myer for some bulky shopping so brought the wagon with me. Worked like a charm!
Posted by: christinadw | September 30, 2008 at 01:43 PM
NE Mama, I thought I invented that trick! :) Our snap n go (without the bucket infant seat) is great for this purpose, as I generally just wear my infant in a carrier. We've also taken toddler, infant and bags of food and blankets to the park many a time for a picnics, using the stroller frame as our transport basket. This way I can actually have a hand free to grab an energetic toddler's arm before he takes off running!
Posted by: Anjani | September 30, 2008 at 02:12 PM
Okay, I digress a bit, but I want to know if this was a 20% discount on a mixed case? If so, where were you shopping?
Posted by: SJ | September 30, 2008 at 02:20 PM
I, too, pack the Xtracycle panniers full full full, and even use the back of the snapdeck to haul boxes (a flat of berries? a couple dozen canning jars?) -- it's hooked up with old innertubes which act as giant rubber bands (http://www.flickr.com/photos/cafemama/2863320788/). it's great for when you're buying dozens of bagels and watermelons and huge heads of cauliflower. or the quarts of maple syrup and honey my family goes through. or the three gallons of milk i pick up every week.
my husband also rocks the trailer on his bike, often pulling it without children while I do all the kid transport. sometimes we walk to the store and he bikes, so he can haul groceries home for me.
before it got stolen out of our front yard (!!) we had one of those instep jogging strollers, the 5k, I have packed *so* many groceries in the basket under the seat. it's one of the best for grocery hauling, I think, sturdy and high enough off the ground so you don't bottom out when you go up curbs.
Posted by: sarah gilbert | September 30, 2008 at 02:23 PM
My least favorite way to get home from the market is with a wagon. The handle may be too short, and it ends up hurting my back. That or my girls are way too attracted to riding in the wagon, making my load mostly kid and just a little bit of grocery.
We have most success with an empty bike trailer converted to stroller. That or the Xtracycle.
We used to live in NY, too, and had three granny carts of different sizes. I have seen the carts sold here in Portland at my local hardware store (Hankins on NE MLK). I have also seen the carts sold at the Ace Hardware on NW Glisan.
SJ - Yes, it was 20% off a mixed case at New Seasons.
Posted by: olivia | September 30, 2008 at 04:11 PM
In our houseloads for the big loads the food fills the bike trailer/stroller while the kid rides home in the ergo, which is no longer our main form of transport now that she's 2.
Posted by: Allison | September 30, 2008 at 04:59 PM
my first reaction was the same as sj's! thanks for the tip!
Posted by: leslie | September 30, 2008 at 05:57 PM
I have a double stroller that I usually only have one kiddo in and the other on his bike. I can fit a bag in the seat, two on the foot rest areas, and milk in the bottom. Works like a charm. Or the bike trailer. Three bags in the back and milk in each boy's lap. That, and a once a month car trip for the big stuff, as already mentioned.
Posted by: mom22 | September 30, 2008 at 08:08 PM
hum...I drive...leave kid at home with spouse during nap.
Posted by: courtney | October 01, 2008 at 08:45 PM
Wow, I love how many moms are trying this! The double bike trailer works well for bigger trips, though my 3 year old may not like that he is squished between so many bags of food for the ride home!). We also use a granny cart. One thing we avoid is getting a lot of drinks. The occasional wine or beer, otherwise its just the weekly rice milk. That way we don't have heavy, bulky things to carry around. If I really wanted a case of wine, I suppose I'd find a friend who was making a trip there later in the week or something and give them gas money, or just take the bus. Though a case of wine might fit well in the back of the bike trailer too.
Anyway, just total kudos to the rest of the moms shleppin' groceries around and letting the little tykes use their leg muscles! It's encouraging to know there are so many people doing it, and I think that is half the battle for moms - just knowing that they aren't freaks for walking a mile with a full granny cart, lol.
Posted by: Vivian | December 01, 2008 at 10:50 AM
we have a Christiania trike (a danish threewheeled bakfiets) and usually on a big grocery run, one of us takes that to the store while the other stays home with the baby. (Smaller grocery runs, we can fit the goods and the passenger both.)
But during Snowpocalypse we wanted to get out of the house, so we all went to the grocer: dad and baby on bakfiets, mom on bike with the kid trailer. we used the kid trailer for cargo (as well as the space in the bakfiets not occupied by the little one). But we had to spread the case of wine around all over the place, along with the rest of the goods. There was no place big enough to hold the box.
Ironically, I've never been asked so many times in the store if I would like a box for my case of wine! Usually I have to hunt down a box myself.
Posted by: patrick | December 31, 2008 at 08:35 PM
I have an online shop that sells some cool looking shopping carts. We now have the cool new carts made by the Germany company Reisenthel. I've been waiting a year to be able to sell these. http://www.citymouseshop.com/carts--grocery-trolleys.html
Posted by: Denise Arguijo | May 07, 2009 at 06:09 PM