Though shopping carts are designed for a utilitarian purpose, they are not immune to wear and tear. If you are a shop owner who is not sure whether to replace or repair your broken pushcarts, here’s how you can determine the best course of action.
Table of Contents
Determine How Many Carts Are Broken
One damaged cart is not worthy of your immediate concern. You can repair or replace it at your leisure, or you can dispose of it if you have a sizeable number of shopping carts. If several carts are damaged, however, they should be promptly addressed to prevent a shortage of available handcarts from occurring. Inspect the entire fleet for more faulty units so you can deal with all of them at once.
Consider the Age of the Shopping Carts
The age of the damaged shopping carts can be a deciding factor in whether or not they should be fixed or replaced. If the defective handcarts are old, it will be cheaper to simply replace them than to buy new parts because their condition will continue to deteriorate as they age. Newer ones require further evaluation based on information that can be obtained from the following actions.
Assess the Damage
Assess the damage of the defective shopping carts, then examine the extent of the damage and how it affects each cart’s operational capabilities. If the state of the unit is aesthetically displeasing but not functionally deficient, there is no need to fix it right away.
Carts that have been significantly mutilated will feature prominent issues, like broken wheels that make steering difficult or large dents that alter the shape of the basket compartment. These handcarts should be isolated from those that are available to customers.
Compare Repair Costs to Replacement Costs
After determining the physical condition of each cart, calculate the total cost of all necessary repairs and compare that value to the price of purchasing new handcarts. Ordering parts in bulk, such as handlebars or 5 inch caster wheels, may be cheaper than obtaining more carts, depending on the circumstances.
Consider Performing Maintenance to Prevent Future Problems
Though it may seem excessive, preventively servicing your carts will help to mitigate potential issues. This is especially worthwhile if your units are high-quality.
It can be hard to decide if you should replace broken shopping carts or repair them, and with a limited budget for miscellaneous spending, it pays to be sure. Completing these tasks will help you resolve this dilemma.
