SHARON, Mass. — A Foxborough mother is calling for Costco to add a specialized shopping cart for people with disabilities in their Sharon store, so she can shop with her eight-year-old who has a rare condition.
Estelle Lemieux has spinal muscular atrophy and gets around in a pink wheelchair adorned with butterflies.
The rising third-grader loves tagging along with her mother Amy for grocery shops at Costco in Sharon, selecting items and tasting the samples.
But since she has outgrown the standard shopping cart, navigating the store has become difficult for both her and her mom.
“It’s hard for my mom to push me and the cart too,” Estelle said. “And it’s a big store. So, it gets me really tired to push myself.”
At other large retailers including Walmart, Target, Trader Joe’s and Aldi, Estelle and her mom have been able to borrow a Caroline’s Cart – an adaptive shopping cart with a large seat in the front, as well as a brake and harness, for older children or adults with disabilities.
But Costco in Sharon does not have a Caroline’s Cart despite Amy’s requests beginning last August.
Amy tells Boston 25 News store management initially told her they were ordering the cart, but months later she learned the store would not purchase the cart due to guidance from corporate.
“There really is a need for this,” Amy said. “And I wish they would do the right thing, because right now it feels like people with disabilities are treated as an inconvenience, and that shouldn’t be the case.”
When disability advocate Kayla Knight learned of Amy and Estelle’s predicament, she offered to help.
“It kind of hit home,” Knight said. “It hit my heartstrings, because I had a sister who had muscular dystrophy who was also in a wheelchair. So, I know how hard it can be to go shopping and do everyday, regular, routine things.”
Knight called and emailed executives at Costco. During her efforts, the Town of Sharon offered to pay the $900 price tag to purchase the Caroline’s Cart for Costco, she said.
But Costco denied their requests in an email to Knight.
“We have requests to purchase special carts, beyond the wheel chairs and electric carts currently provided for many different special and unique needs (e.g., carts for twin carriers; carts for people who need oxygen tanks; carts for people who cannot sit up),” wrote Adam Self, Costco’s SVP of Operations Costco Northeast Region. “We simply cannot accommodate all the requests for each different need, nor would it be fair to provide for one group and not others.”
Self also shared safety concerns, adding, “If features like the harness or foot brake are not used as intended, use of Caroline’s Carts and similar devices may result in unintended injury.”
Self-went on to say staff would not be able to ensure Caroline’s Cart would be used by those who truly need it and therefore it may not be available for its intended purpose.
“We empathize with parents and caregivers who are simply attempting to do something – shop with their kids – others take for granted,” he wrote.
Attorneys for the company also wrote in an email, “it is clear under the [Americans with Disabilities Act] that Costco has no obligation to provide those carts.”
“Oh, it was upsetting,” Knight said of the request being denied. “Everyone should feel included. Everyone should have the equal access. No one should ever feel out of place.”
Drew Ann Long, founder of Caroline’s Cart – inspired by her daughter who has special needs – told Boston 25 News as many as 75 Costco stores have Caroline’s Carts, despite corporate’s policy.
Long said she has been trying to meet with Costco’s CEO to request they roll out Caroline’s Carts in every store, as Walmart did in 2024.
She believes safety concerns around Caroline’s Cart are unfounded.
“Any cart not used properly can cause injury,” Long said in an email to Boston 25 News. “Any kid could fall out and be injured. So, why single out [Caroline’s Cart]?”
Long also believes electric mobility scooters widely available in stores present the same issue of being used for unintended purposes.
The process has been emotional for Amy.
“July is Disability Pride Month,” Amy said. “And it just feels like a basic thing that we shouldn’t have to fight so hard to get.”
But Estelle still has hope Costco will reconsider.
“I just hope Costco will do the right thing and get it,” Estelle said. “Every shop we’ve shopped at, it’s always had a Caroline’s Cart. And I just want Costco to have one, because we love shopping there.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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