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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) · Baskets and Shopping Carts

Our products

What’s the difference between a hand basket and a wheeled shopping basket?

The main difference goes far beyond design — it’s about comfort and shopping behavior.

Hand baskets are made for quick trips or small purchases. Since they’re carried by hand, their capacity is limited, making them ideal for short store visits.

Wheeled baskets, on the other hand, offer a much more comfortable shopping experience when carrying several items. Thanks to their wheels and handles, customers can transport more products without having to lift the weight.

Today, there are models designed for every store type, with capacities ranging from 32 L to 91 L — allowing retailers to choose the most suitable option based on store size and customer habits.

Convenience stores should choose small- to medium-capacity baskets, designed for quick shopping and compact spaces. These formats must be lightweight, ergonomic, and easy to store in narrow aisles.

The FIT 26 L hand basket and Great 28 L are both compact and comfortable — perfect for customers who want speed and convenience.

Another highly versatile choice is the RB32, a 32 L rolling basket that can be used as both a hand basket and a pull basket.

For convenience stores with higher product rotation or larger average tickets, the Barcelona 54 L basket offers more capacity without compromising mobility — keeping the shopping experience fast and pleasant.

Yes. The UP80 compact cart (80 L) is a perfect solution for small retail environments where every inch counts. It’s lightweight yet sturdy and easy to maneuver, even in narrow aisles.

Its slim design allows two carts to pass side by side in a one-meter-wide aisle, optimizing in-store flow and customer comfort.

The Superbond is the largest plastic shopping basket on the market, offering an impressive 91 L capacity.

Made in one solid monobloc piece, it delivers outstanding strength and a modern, elegant look. With more capacity than some compact carts, the Superbond is ideal when you need a large-volume solution in a basket format — without losing maneuverability or design appeal.

 

What are the advantages of monobloc baskets compared to modular ones?

Monobloc baskets are molded in a single piece, unlike modular versions made from assembled parts. This construction provides:

  • Higher durability: No joints or screws means greater impact resistance.
  • Sleeker look: Smooth, continuous lines for a more refined display.
  • Easier maintenance: No loose or moving parts to replace.
  • Improved hygiene: Fewer gaps or joints where dirt can accumulate.
  • Lower breakage risk: Nothing can detach or wear out over time.

That’s why monobloc baskets are ideal for stores with heavy traffic or those that want a long-lasting, premium-looking solution.

The best size depends on your store layout, customer habits, and target average basket size:

  1. Store space – Narrow aisles → compact baskets. Wide aisles → larger carts.
  2. Shopping behavior – Quick visits → smaller baskets. Weekly stock-ups → larger ones.
  3. Average ticket goal – Basket capacity should match desired ticket value.
  4. Product type – Heavy or bulky goods need higher capacity.
  5. Customer profile – Urban shoppers prefer light options; families need roomier ones.
  6. Ergonomics & design – Comfort and silent wheels increase time spent in store.

There’s no one-size-fits-all — the right basket size is the one that fits your store’s space, customers, and business goals.

Please check this info to know more: https://sbshoppingbasket.com/en/how-to-choose-a-shopping-basket/

All Shopping Basket models are designed to be fully stackable, maximizing storage and floor space efficiency.

The standard capacity of a supermarket basket is usually around 54 liters, an average size that perfectly suits today’s shopping needs. An excellent example of this format is the Barcelona basket, one of the best-selling models in both supermarkets and other types of stores.

Its capacity is ideal for most retail environments: it allows customers to carry a wide variety of items without the basket becoming too heavy or difficult to handle. This balance makes it a versatile and highly functional solution.

Moreover, it aligns perfectly with the new urban shopping trend, where people make smaller, more frequent purchases instead of large, one-time shopping trips.

The Barcelona basket stands out not only for its size but also for its durability, ergonomic design, and ease of use — factors that significantly enhance the shopping experience and contribute to greater customer satisfaction.

The main difference between a 32-liter basket and a 70-liter basket lies in the shopping capacity they offer and the type of customer experience they create. Choosing the right size not only enhances consumer comfort but also has a direct impact on the profitability of the retail space.

 

32 L (RB32):

  • Roughly equals one large reusable shopping bag.
  • Ideal for quick or daily purchases.
  • Perfect for pharmacies, beauty stores, or small supermarkets.

70 L (Bond):

  • Great for full weekly shops for 2–3 people.
  • Common in medium-sized supermarkets and fashion stores.
  • Promotes higher average tickets and can even replace compact carts.

In summary

  • The 32 L basket is the perfect choice for quick, light, and frequent purchases.
  • The 70 L and 91 L baskets are designed for larger, planned shopping trips, offering greater comfort for customers and higher profitability for retailers.

At Shopping Basket, we help every retailer find the ideal format according to their store type and customer profile.

The load capacity of a basket doesn’t depend solely on its size. Several key factors come into play, such as its dimensions, the type of wheels it uses, and the quality of the plastic it’s made from.

At Shopping Basket, we use premium wheels with ball bearings, ensuring smooth rolling even at full load — effortless for the customer. This attention to detail makes a big difference in both comfort and durability.

Example:

    • The Barcelona 54 L basket can safely hold up to 30 kg (66 lb).
      Higher-capacity models, such as the Bond 70 L or Superbond 91 L, are designed for even heavier loads while maintaining the ergonomics and structural strength required for intensive retail use.

In summary:

Each basket is engineered to support the right weight for its volume, guaranteeing a comfortable, safe, and long-lasting shopping experience for customers.

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You can find the technical specifications of every model in our catalog, and our team will be happy to advise you personally to help select the option that best suits your store’s needs.

Double-handle baskets are designed to offer both customers and store staff greater comfort and versatility. This smart system combines the best of hand baskets and rolling baskets, adapting to different stages of the shopping journey.

Long handle:

  • Allows customers to pull the basket easily while it glides on its wheels, reducing physical effort and improving mobility throughout the store.

Short handle:

  • Makes it easier to pick up or stack baskets in the self-service area.

  • Lets customers carry it like a regular hand basket or lift it easily when facing stairs, ramps, or other obstacles.

In summary:

Double-handle baskets provide better ergonomics, flexibility, and usability in a variety of shopping contexts. They’re an especially practical solution for stores that want to offer a more comfortable, intuitive, and adaptable experience for every customer.

 

In the fashion sector — where UPT (units per transaction) is typically high — it’s essential to have lightweight, ergonomic, and high-capacity solutions that adapt to both the pace of the shopper and the store layout.

Large-capacity baskets

Many fast-fashion retailers opt for the largest baskets on the market, such as:

These models offer plenty of room for multiple garments without the bulk of traditional carts. Their ergonomic design allows customers to move freely, even with several items inside.

One of the best choices for fashion stores seeking a spacious yet lightweight cart. The UP80 stands out for:

  • Its compact design, ideal for narrow aisles or busy areas.
  • High-quality wheels that provide smooth and silent maneuverability.
  • Generous capacity while remaining light — perfect for carrying everything from folded garments to accessories.

In short:
The XXL baskets and compact carts like the UP80 are ideal for fashion retailers. They combine capacity, ergonomics, and mobility, improving the shopping experience in environments where customers typically carry multiple items per visit.

In stores where aisles are around one meter wide, it’s crucial that baskets and carts allow two customers to pass side by side comfortably, without blocking the flow of movement.

At Shopping Basket, all our models are designed specifically with this environment in mind.

Compact and functional design

  • None of our models exceed 50 cm in width, ensuring smooth circulation even in the tightest spaces.
  • The slim shape promotes agile movement, keeping the shopping area organized and obstacle-free.

Effortless ergonomics and mobility

  • We use ergonomic handles that naturally fit the customer’s grip.
  • Silent, premium-quality wheels ensure easy maneuvering with no noise or friction — enhancing the shopping experience.

 

These models are ideal for urban supermarkets, convenience stores, pharmacies, and any retail space with narrow aisles, where optimizing space is key to customer comfort.

In summary:
All models in our catalog are optimized for tight spaces, ensuring comfort, fluidity, and ergonomic performance in small-format stores.

Sustainability & Materials

At Shopping Basket, all our baskets can be made from recycled plastic without losing quality or resistance. Over half of our production already uses recycled materials — a reflection of our commitment to sustainability and circular economy principles.

Yes. All Shopping Basket baskets are 100% recyclable. At the end of their life cycle, you only need to remove the metal parts (such as wheels); the rest can be fully recycled.

This ensures zero waste and a responsible, circular approach to product management.

As plastic injection manufacturers, we design our baskets considering their entire life cycle — from raw materials and molding process to logistics, in-store use, and end-of-life recycling.

In many retail environments, especially urban and high-traffic stores, monomaterial polypropylene (PP) baskets deliver a lower environmental footprint per use than metal alternatives — without compromising strength or aesthetics.

Environmental advantages of injected PP (in real retail use):

  • Lower weight, fewer emissions: PP is lighter than metal, reducing transport emissions and improving daily handling.

  • Monomaterial & recyclable: Fully recyclable and compatible with recycled content.

  • Durable design, low maintenance: Impact-resistant, rust-free monobloc bodies eliminate repainting or repairs.

  • Easy hygiene: Smooth, continuous surfaces that clean quickly with less water and detergent.

  • Optimized logistics: Stackable baskets reduce storage volume, trips, and emissions.

And what about metal?

Metal is highly recyclable and durable — but it’s heavier and more energy-intensive to produce, resulting in a higher carbon footprint per kilogram.

In modern urban retail, where ergonomics and agility matter, monomaterial PP generally offers a lower footprint per use and a more comfortable customer experience.

Best practices we apply as manufacturers:

  • Use of pre- and post-consumer recycled content when suitable.
  • Monomaterial designs (body + handle in PP) for true circularity.
  • Replaceable parts (e.g., ball-bearing wheels) to extend lifespan.
  • Optimized mold weight for material efficiency.
  • End-of-life take-back programs tailored to each client and country.

In summary:
Our monomaterial PP injection baskets not only enhance ergonomics and durability, but also provide a more sustainable and cost-effective solution for modern retail — especially in high-frequency, urban contexts where every use counts.

Baskets manufactured through the injection of recycled plastic (PCR/PIR) help close the material loop and reduce the footprint per use, while maintaining their resistance, ergonomics, and comfort.

Key benefits

  • Less virgin material and CO₂e: Replace virgin resin with recycled material, lowering the manufacturing footprint.
  • Return circuits: Enable take-back programs to recover waste and reinject it into new baskets.
  • Designed for recycling: Monomaterial PP construction and pigments compatible with NIR detection simplify end-of-life recycling.
  • Long lifespan and repairability: Critical parts like wheels or handles are replaceable, extending service life and minimizing waste generation.
  • Efficient hygiene and maintenance: Smooth, continuous surfaces require less water and fewer cleaning agents.
  • Cleaner logistics: Reduced weight and optimized stacking cut emissions in both transport and storage.
  • Guaranteed traceability: Material marking and documentation of the recycled content percentage in each production batch.

 

Thanks to the use of certified recycled PP, with controlled formulation and injection processes, our PCR baskets offer the same strength and performance as those made with virgin material.

  • They maintain the nominal load capacity and warranty of each model.
  • They exceed impact and fatigue tests, ensuring reliable performance in real retail conditions.
  • Example: The Barcelona 54 L basket safely supports up to 30 kg, both in its virgin and recycled versions.

Thus, using recycled plastic does not mean compromising on quality, durability, or ergonomics — it adds genuine environmental value.

At Shopping Basket, we ensure the traceability of all recycled material we use through the EUCertPlast certification, Europe’s reference standard for recycled plastics.

This certification:

  • Verifies the origin of recycled material, ensuring it comes from controlled sources.
  • Audits the entire recycling process, from collection to transformation, guaranteeing transparency and traceability.
  • Certifies the responsible management of plastic waste, promoting the circular economy.
  • Documents the actual recycled content included in each production batch.

Thanks to EUCertPlast, we can guarantee our clients that baskets made with recycled PP maintain the quality, safety, and traceability required by European regulations and retail industry standards.

It is equivalent to that of a virgin PP basket. In intensive retail use, the typical lifespan ranges from 4 to 7 years (and can be longer in low-rotation environments), provided proper loading, cleaning, and maintenance are observed.

Our baskets maintain the same nominal load and include replaceable components (wheels/handles) to extend their lifespan, as well as full recyclability at end of life.

 

Yes. All our baskets and carts are made of monomaterial polypropylene (PP), which is BPA-free.

Yes. Our baskets are made of monomaterial PP and are 100% recyclable.
At end of life, it is enough to separate the wheels, axles, or handle for proper recovery and recycling.

Use, Ergonomics & Shopping Experience

For elderly customers, the best option is carts with an elevated basket, as they allow products to be carried at a comfortable height, avoiding the need to bend down.

It is also very important that the wheels are of high quality, so that even when the cart or basket is fully loaded, it rolls easily.

Another excellent option is the Bond (70 L) and Superbond (91 L) baskets, which offer two modes of use: they can be pulled or pushed. The latter is especially comfortable, as it takes advantage of the body’s natural motion to move the basket forward effortlessly.

There are different solutions for these situations.

In the case of baskets, only the Bond and Superbond models from Shopping Basket feature a patented braking system that allows them to be used safely on escalators, ramps, and uneven surfaces.

For carts, it is essential that they are equipped with travelator wheels, which have grooves designed to fit into the tracks of escalators and moving ramps. However, they are not suitable for static inclined surfaces, as those lack the tracks needed for the wheels to lock.

The most suitable option for these services is the ReBasket 18 L, designed to optimize logistics for warehouses that handle home delivery and picking operations.

Three units can fit inside a Euro container, allowing safer transport, easier product sorting, and fewer breakages or losses.

A major French food retailer already uses them in more than 650 stores, offering the baskets to customers as a reusable alternative to disposable bags — in full compliance with French regulations — while strengthening customer loyalty.

You can find all our cleaning tips at the following link:

https://sbshoppingbasket.com/en/take-care-of-your-basket/

The ideal baskets for fashion stores are large-capacity models, such as:

They are slim, easy to handle, and can fit inside fitting rooms, meeting the specific needs of fashion retail spaces.

All Shopping Basket carts and baskets are equipped with high-quality wheels with double ball bearings.
This ensures effortless rolling even when fully loaded, reducing strain on the user and preventing wrist or back pain.