"boston herald" news and stories

I can't tell you how many times I've gone into the grocery store and decided to grab a hand-held basket instead of a cart, only to curse myself halfway through the shopping trip as my arm is ready to break with the weight of all my purchases. I end up staggering to the register, looking like a crazy woman as I half-carry, half-drag my items to the counter.

One grocery store in the Boston area has solved the problem of the overloaded hand basket by introducing ones that behave like the traditional baskets, save for the fact that when they get too heavy to carry, you can place it on the ground and wheel it along. Available in Shaw's Supermarkets, this basket has become a hit with shoppers (some might say too much of a hit, until the stores implemented a loss-prevention program, the baskets were wheeling themselves right out of the store). The store likes them too, as they encourage shoppers to toss a few more items into the basket than they might otherwise have done had they had to heft the full weight of the load.

You can also find these rolling baskets at New York-based Wegman's, Marsh Supermarkets in Indianapolis and Roundy's Supermarkets in Wisconsin.

[via Consumerist]

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Should someone in a wheelchair be allowed to use the drive thru windows at fast food places and coffee shops?

That's the question in Weymouth, MA. Donald Hayes has to use a motorized wheelchair, and he used to go to his local Dunkin' Donuts every morning to get coffee at the drive thru window, but then the establishment stopped serving him, since he wasn't in a car. They cite safety concerns, and a spokesman says that they don't have a corporate policy regarding wheelchairs, even if it is a "motorized vehicle."

Hayes is thinking about suing the coffee and donut giant (and one lawyer says he has a case since the place isn't wheelchair accessible), but says what he really wants is to be able to get his coffee every morning at the window.

Readers, what do you think?