Grocery Shoppers and Clerks by Redesigning Double Basket Shopping Carts

Grocery Shoppers and Clerks by Redesigning Double BasketShopping Carts

Grocery shopping can be a tedious process. There are many varieties to choose from, from fresh produce to packed goods, perishable goods and non-perishable goods. Shopping cart was invented in order to aid the in the process of grocery shopping. It helps transport the items from the shelf to the cashier/check-out. The double basket shopping cart is like a mini shopping cart with two baskets, one at the top and one at the bottom of the cart. Code Shoppy Grocery shoppers use the double basket shopping carts to transfer the goods that they will buy to the cashier or counter. The grocery shoppers transfer each good to the counter for barcode scanning. After checking out of the counter, the grocery shoppers use the double basket shopping carts to transfer the goods into their cars or in any mode of transportation. On the other hand, the job of grocery clerks is to stack the merchandise to the shelves of grocery stores. 

This merchandise is carried by the shopping cart and also by the double basket shopping cart. Another job of the grocery clerks is to stack the double basket shopping carts together for compact storage. When the grocery shoppers tend to buy more goods from the grocery, their cart will be fully loaded and it will be hard for the grocery shoppers to push and maneuver the cart. Turning a fully loaded cart can also be hard for the grocery shoppers to maneuver due to the rigidity of the cart [1,2]. The main function of double basket shopping cart is to ease the transfer of the variety of goods that the grocery shoppers buy from the grocery store to the counter or cashier. It eliminates unnecessary handling of goods by hand which is not a practical way for the grocery shoppers. However, risks of having WMSD may arise due to the current design of double basket shopping cart [3,4]. 

Weight of the goods can be one of the factors that can give discomfort or pain to grocery shoppers and clerks especially when the double basket shopping cart is fully loaded [5,6,7]. A recent study shows that tasks regarding with pushing and pulling can also have risks of shoulder complaints rather than low back complaints. Grocery shoppers and clerks can acquire musculoskeletal disorders from repetitive motions, work postures and movements, and excessive force. Maneuverability is dependent on the weight of the load; it gets hard for the grocery shoppers and clerks to push and maneuver the double basket shopping cart when it is loaded [8-11]. The main objective of the study was to design an ergonomic double basket shopping cart that will reduce the risk of accumulating WMSD for grocery shoppers and clerks. WMSD-related risk factors in the current design will also be identified. 

This is done to help the researchers identify which characteristics of the cart needs improvement. The researchers’ proposed design of double basket shopping cart reduced the WMSD-related risk factors. The study was limited on the physicality and functionality of the cart and not the whole grocery system. The researchers used surveying methods like Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA), Modified Nordic Questionnaire, NIOSH Lifting equation, and Surveys that helped them determine what risks might come with the use of double basket shopping cart. These methods helped the researchers propose a design of the double basket shopping cart. The sample of the researchers was limited on ages 20 to 65 years old. 

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 

The Rapid Entire Body Assessment of the present and proposed double basket shopping cart design is shown in Table I. In pre-test, most of the shoppers and 15 out of 55 clerks have REBA scores of 8-10, which means there is a high risk when using the double basket shopping cart and should investigate or implement change. 14 out of 93 shoppers and 5 out of 55 clerks have REBA scores of 11+, which means the risk is very high and should soon implement change. For the proposed design, most of the grocery shoppers and clerks have REBA scores of 4-7, which means there is only medium risk when using the double basket shopping cart. 

This means that there is a significant improvement in the double basket shopping cart design, it improved the shoppers and clerks’ posture when using the cart, and it reduced the risk of shoppers and clerks on having musculoskeletal disorder. NIOSH lifting equation was also used to assess the recommended weight limit for the grocery shoppers. Based on the analysis, the weight of the load on both the origin and destination on the upper basket and the lower basket that accumulate risks with pain on the lower back part of the body starts at 15 kg. 

The lifting index for a 15 kg value for weight of goods was computed to be greater than 1.00, therefore the lifting indexes are still needed to be improved. Although, signs of risks on lower back pain with at least one of the locations already showed up at a weight of 11 kg. A statistical test was performed, specifically through bivariate analysis.