Shopping cart (American English) or handcart (British English), also known as carriage, shopping basket or children's cart, is the cart provided by the store (especially the supermarket), which is used by customers inside the store to transport goods to the checkout counter during the shopping period. The customer can then use the shopping cart to transport the purchased goods to the car.

In many parts of the United States and the United Kingdom, customers are allowed to place the cart in a designated area of the parking lot, and store staff return the cart to the storage area. However, in many continental locations, coin (or token) operated locking mechanisms are provided to encourage shoppers to return the cart to the correct position after use.

Studies have shown that shoppers are advised to disinfect handle or basket areas before handling them, or to fill them with groceries because shopping carts are usually filled with bacteria. This is due to the high level of exposure of trolleys to the skin flora of previous users.

Most modern shopping carts are made of metal or a combination of metal and plastic, and are designed to be nested in a line with each other, so as to facilitate the collection and movement of many carts at one time and save storage space. Carts can be of various sizes, and larger carts can carry children. There are also handcarts designed for two children and electric scooters with baskets for disabled people.

In the United States, 24000 children are injured in shopping carts every year. Some stores in the U.S. and international have children's trolleys that look like cars or vans with seats, where children can sit, steering wheels, and sometimes horns. Such "baby carriage" can provide protection and convenience by keeping the child's binding force, making the child fall to the ground, protecting them from falling objects and amusing.

Shopping carts usually have four wheels, but if one wheel gets stuck, the cart can become difficult to handle. In the United States, the front wheels of most carts are equipped with rotating wheels, while the direction of the rear wheels is fixed, while in Europe, it is more common to have four rotating wheels. This difference in design is related to smaller retail locations in Europe.

The alternative to a shopping cart is a small hand-held shopping basket. Customers may prefer a small amount of goods in the basket. Small shops (usually without shopping cart) usually only provide shopping baskets, or may provide a small shopping cart, which provides customers with two options using the inserted shopping basket within the frame of the shopping cart.