Target, still reeling from years of self-inflicted controversy and customer backlash, has managed to spark yet another wave of frustration this time over something as basic as its shopping carts.
According to Western Journal, the big-box retailer is rolling out a redesigned fleet of carts that executives insist will better serve the customer through increased size, improved maneuverability and added conveniences such as cup holders. The new models are described by Fast Company as beefier, with an all-plastic design intended to carry more merchandise while accommodating shoppers who sip coffee and scroll their phones as they move through the aisles.
Target leadership is pitching the redesign as a crucial part of the in-store experience, framing the cart as a kind of rolling ambassador for the brand. The cart for us is the first touchpoint that the guest meets right when they walk in the store, a Target executive said. Its the most used item in our store, and then also its that item that carries you throughout the store.
The company claims the all-plastic construction is meant to maximize usability and comfort over the next several years as the carts are phased in nationwide. Executives say the design reflects how modern shoppers actually behave, juggling phones, drinks and children while navigating crowded aisles.
Youll see guests, theyll have their phone in one hand, beverage [in the other], and theyre pushing it with their elbows. Or theyre pushing it with one hand, the executive explained, underscoring the desire to make carts easier to steer with minimal effort. We are doing a million things while were shopping, so maneuverability and what they called ease, smooth ride, and a cart going straight was more important than anything.
Yet early feedback suggests the redesign may be another misstep from a corporation that has repeatedly misread its core customer base. According to the New York Post, shoppers and employees alike are already blasting the new carts as flimsy, impractical and poorly engineered for real-world use.
Any others stores get new shopping carts recently? The ones my store just got are pieces of garbage that are falling apart, one review complained, describing a rollout marred by immediate quality issues. Day one we were finding pieces of them on the floor and in the parking lot. All the same piece thats kind of integral to the cart.
Another critic focused on the trade-off between added storage space and the comfort and safety of children riding in the cart. Every cart attendant says they are harder to push, the review claimed. And the little child seat in them is L.I.T.T.L.E. Like a chunky 3 year old probably wouldnt fit.
Employees, speaking anonymously, are also voicing concerns that go beyond mere inconvenience. The redesigned carts reportedly do not fit properly into the mechanical cart pushers used to collect long rows of carts from the parking lot, creating safety and efficiency problems for front-line workers.
They just slide like on ice and will not steer, one employee said, describing how the carts behave when stacked and pushed together. Staff say that even reverting to pushing stacks of carts by hand does not solve the compatibility issue, raising questions about whether basic operational realities were considered before the redesign was approved.
This latest controversy lands on a company already battered by years of cultural and financial turbulence, much of it driven by progressive corporate experiments that alienated traditional shoppers. After more than a decade in charge, CEO Brian Cornell stepped down in August 2025, following a string of public-relations disasters that severely tarnished Targets once-wholesome image.
Those debacles included multiple boycotts sparked by customer outrage over a range of issues, chief among them being the companys since-rescinded diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives followed by layoffs. For many consumers who simply want a reliable, family-friendly place to shop, the spectacle of a retail giant obsessing over DEI schemes and now botching something as fundamental as a shopping cart only reinforces the sense that Target has lost sight of its core mission and its core customers.
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