ARTICLES WRITTEN IN NEWSPAPERS AND MAGAZINES mother of invention extra june 2000. dr. joy browne show momtrepreneurs women who have gone from stay-at-home moms to successful business women share their secrets about taking their dreams and turning them into small fortunes. guests include a woman who invented the “baby comfort strap” to safeguard infants from slipping out of grocery carts after a near tragic incident with her own child.
Oprah Show Aired 1/28/00, 2/4/00, 3/9/00 Topic Should Your Child be doing that?
20/20 2/3/99 USED THE BABY COMFORT STRAP IN A SEGMENT ABOUT SHOPPING CART SAFETY
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Channel 5 Interview CHANNEL 5 ON THE 5:00 AND 10:00 NEWS BROADCAST
Karen Alvarez founded the Baby comfort Company in 1997 after her son fell out of a shopping cart. She has become an outspoken advocate for shopping cart safety.
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ARTICLES WRITTEN IN NEWSPAPERS AND MAGAZINES
Entrepreneur magazine December 1999 Issue
Let’s Make A Deal – I get by with a little help from my friends’ isn’t just a great Beatles quip.
Often, it’s also the answer to your inventing prayers. By Don Debelak
If anyone knows about bringing a product to market, it’s our new “Bright Ideas” columnist, author and marketing consultant Don Debelak. Considering the several books and 20-plus years of experience he’s got under his belt, we think you’ll agree.
Every year, thousands of inventors get ideas, work on them for a little while, spend a little money . . . and then give up. Why do they shelve their ideas? Primarily because they don’t know what to do next or aren’t sure their inventions will sell.
I’ve worked with inventors for more than 20 years, and I’ve found that people often don’t move ahead with what in many cases are ideas with real market potential. Rather than letting their ideas languish, inventors should find an insider–a person who works in the industry related to the invention–to help them evaluate their products.
Making A Connection
Two years ago, Karen Alvarez of Dublin, California, began selling The Baby Comfort Strap. She built momentum for her product with help from three key insiders until she was able to license it in July to DEX Products, a Benicia, California, manufacturer of comfort and safety products for babies and children.
Alvarez, 35, a mother of three, came up with her idea after a near disaster at the grocery story. When one of her children slipped out of the shopping cart, Alvarez decided that mothers needed a simple device to keep their children safely strapped into carts. She devised The Baby Comfort Strap, which has a reinforced, soft pad that wraps around the child and fastens with a buckle to a cart or stroller. Not only does it keep kids from falling out, but it also prevents them from leaning forward and putting their mouths on the shopping cart handle.
After Alvarez conducted a patent search for similar products, she headed out to children’s stores to see how such products were sold–and in the process made some valuable contacts. Her first mentor was Sharon Trupiano, owner of KaZoo’S Consignment for Kids in San Ramon, California. Trupiano saw just a rough prototype of Alvarez’s product but told her she was on the right track.
Over the next few months, Trupiano helped Alvarez with packaging, pricing and setting up a test market to see how the product would sell.
Trupiano’s advice about what works in a retail store was on target: Alvarez’s reorder rate topped 80 percent in the 100-plus retail stores her product was in before she had even licensed it.
To Market, To Market With Trupiano’s invaluable retail advice and a successful product launch under her belt, Alvarez was ready to expand. Her next connection was Mark Betker, president of Koala Corp., a manufacturer of baby-changing stations that expects to hit $35 million in sales this year. Alvarez contacted Betker initially to see if his company would be interested in selling or licensing her product. While Alvarez’s product wasn’t a good fit with Koala, Betker was so impressed with her tenacity, he agreed to meet her at San Francisco International Airport during a layover.
During that meeting and through subsequent phone calls, Alvarez used Betker’s advice to come up with a marketing strategy that established her company without forcing her to make a major marketing investment. She started by designing her own Web site to advertise The Baby Comfort Strap’s benefits. She then embarked on an aggressive publicity program, calling newspapers and magazines with story ideas about her product, focusing her publicity on the fact that 16,000 children are injured in falls from shopping carts each year. The strategy worked: Alvarez had articles published, primarily in California, and was able to mention her Web site so people could contact her. She used those inquiries to generate additional sales at children’s shops in the California market.
In the second phase of Alvarez’s marketing program, she sent her product to celebrities who had young children, searching fan club Web sites for contact addresses. Although most celebrities didn’t respond, some did–including Friends star Lisa Kudrow and Wheel of Fortune hostess Vanna White. These endorsements gave an additional boost to Alvarez’s publicity program.
That left Alvarez with just one gaping hole: production. The product-liability insurance she needed cost $6,000 per year, which she didn’t have, and producing the product herself was too expensive to make the effort profitable. Alvarez began looking for a better way to manufacture her product but wasn’t making much progress. Then Trupiano, her mentor at KaZoo’S, called her to say she’d seen a new product similar to The Baby Comfort Strap on the market. Trupiano encouraged Alvarez to contact the company, Safe-Strap Co. Inc., to see if her product infringed on Safe-Strap’s product. Alvarez sent a letter to Safe-Strap and was contacted shortly thereafter by Paul Giampavolo, the company’s president.
Giampavolo didn’t feel there was an infringement problem–he sold his product to supermarkets, while Alvarez sold hers directly to consumers–and he actually encouraged her to keep up her marketing efforts. In fact, he asked if he could help. Alvarez explained her problems with liability insurance, and, after giving it some thought, Giampavolo offered to produce the product for her. But he didn’t just offer a standard contract manufacturing deal: He gave Alvarez pricing for 10,000 pieces, even if she ordered small quantities; he covered the product-liability insurance costs; and he offered 90-day terms to help Alvarez with her cash flow.
Alvarez now had everything she needed to land a licensing deal: proven sales to an established customer base along with a low production price. And when she approached DEX Products, the company had no problem seeing the product’s potential and agreed to license The Baby Comfort Strap.
Alvarez’s success on a shoestring budget was due in large part to all the help she received from her mentors and inside connections. Their assistance was critical in getting the right product, at the right price, with the right marketing plan. Why did she receive that help? She was completely dedicated to her idea, but more important, she got help because she asked for it and listened to her mentors. Insiders will often help inventors if they have the drive to take their products to market. All you need to do to get that critical help is admit you don’t know everything, ask for input, and commit yourself to making your idea a success.
One In A Million
Mark Betker is the president of Koala Corp., a midsized manufacturer of children’s activities and convenience products. He receives dozens of inquiries from inventors every month, most of which he ignores. Why did he decide to help Karen Alvarez, inventor of The Baby Comfort Strap? “It was her strength of character,” he says. “She was straightforward and honest, and she struck me as someone who was going to make it. She was persistent and kept calling me; she had such conviction that her product was needed. She lived and breathed her product, and I knew she wouldn’t fail. I couldn’t help but want to help her.”
Why don’t other inventors tend to impress Betker? “They treat their invention as a hobby,” he says. “They don’t have a lot of conviction, and they are primarily interested in making money.”
Sharon Trupiano owns KaZoo’S Consignment Shop for Kids in San Ramon, California. KaZoo’S sells “lightly used” designer clothing and new items for children. Trupiano began selling The Baby Comfort Strap in early 1997. Trupiano also had a positive reaction to Alvarez. “She had a wonderful idea, and her ambition came from her heart,” she says. “She totally believed in her idea, and she wasn’t driven by a desire for money. She was concerned about keeping children safe.”
You Got A Problem?
Karen Alvarez’s Baby Comfort Strap story echoes that of generations of inventors who designed products to solve their own everyday dilemmas. Think Josephine Cochrane, who in 1886 invented the dishwasher, and later founded the company known today as KitchenAid. Cochrane invented her product because she got tired of watching her best china get chipped while being washed. She knew exactly what type of product to create because she would become an actual end-user.
Inventors often find success with their products when they understand exactly what end-users want. When you’re annoyed by a problem with the products you use, think about how that problem could be solved, and you might have your own million-dollar idea.
Contact Source
The Baby Comfort Company 925.202.8828, http://www.comfybabynow.com
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Published on January 24, 1999
small-business solutions
Mother’s toddler safety strap is big trademark success story
The Baby Comfort Company, LLC
Grocery cart safety strap for kids Owner(s): Karen Alvarez Location: Dublin. 925-202.8828 Founded: 1997 Revenues: Undisclosed Number of employees: None
The Problem: For Karen Alvarez, thinking of the invention was the easy part. Obtaining the patent and licensing information for it was another story.
After her son fell out of a grocery cart as a toddler, Alvarez came up with the idea for the Baby Comfort Strap — an adjustable, padded safety belt that would prevent shopping cart accidents.
Alvarez felt the idea was a good one, and marketable, too. So she began thinking of ways to sell her product.
There was a problem though. Before she could even advertise her invention, Alvarez had to find out whether or not someone else already owned the patent to a similar product or idea.
A patent is an exclusive privilege of making, using and authorizing others to make, use and sell an invention granted by the government. Since patent attorneys are expensive, the mother of three turned to the patent library in Sunnyvale to do the majority of the research on her own.
The patent process is a long one. Any inventor who wants to patent his or her idea must first figure out whether or not someone else has already come up with the idea. Then, any invention that is similar to the inventor’s product must be referenced for officials at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in Washington.
“Researching a patent is a long and arduous process, especially if you’re starting a business from the ground up and don’t have the capital to hire an attorney,” Alvarez said. “For myself, it was better to do the research myself. It’s intimidating but the information is available even if financial resources are not free-flowing.”
The Solution: As a budding small-business owner, Alvarez decided that patenting her invention would be too expensive. So she trademarked the Baby Comfort Strap name instead.
A trademark is a distinctive name, symbol, motto or design that legally identifies a company or its product and services and sometimes prevents others from using identical or similar marks.
With less than $10,000, Alvarez launched The Baby Comfort Company in 1997. She started by catering to smaller, children’s specialty stores such as Cartan’s baby stores, The Right Start, and Recaptured Youth. Then, Alvarez learned HTML and designed a Web site for her company at www.comfybabynow.com where products can be ordered online.
As a result, business has been good. Alvarez’s Baby Comfort Company has sold more than 5,000 safety belts in the past two years.
Still, Alvarez believes business could be better and wants the Comfort Strap on the shelves of national stores. Large chain retailers are often reluctant to carry small-business products because of their inability to manufacture in large quantities. “I don’t know if I could handle an order of 100,000. I don’t know if I could float something that large,” she said. “I’m not sure I’m willing to put my kids’ college funds into something like this.”
That’s why Alvarez is now about to close a deal, licensing her product to a larger, national manufacturer. The licensing agreement would most likely give the manufacturer complete distribution rights, leaving Alvarez with royalties from the product’s sales. The agreement would also put The Baby Comfort Company out of business, but Alvarez said she is already looking into other opportunities such as small-business consulting.
“All of my hard work was really worth it,” she said. “I didn’t have any experience at all when I first started, and the business just opened up a whole new world for me. Now I can go down any avenue I want.”
— Anne Chen
Solutions offered by consultants reflect the opinion of the person and not the Times, and should not be considered the only solution to your problems. If you’re an East Bay small business with fewer than 100 employees, and have a problem you’d like to share, write to Small-Business Solutions, in care of the Times, P.O. Box 8099, Walnut Creek, CA 94596-8099. Or contact business reporter Anne Chen at 925-952-2649 or at achen@cctimes.com.
Edition: BIZ, Section: D, Page: 3
WASHINGTON POST 4/29/98
By Don Oldenburg
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 29, 1998; Page D04
In the split second it took Karen Alvarez to reach for bananas at the supermarket, her 18-month-old son, Kyle, stood upright in the shopping cart. He fell out, tipping the 70-pound cart on top of him.
“I was shocked that it could have happened so quickly,” Alvarez says of the incident 2 1/2 years ago. “It’s an accident waiting to happen.”
Falls from shopping carts are among the leading causes of head injuries to young children, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). It estimates that, since 1985, an annual average of 21,600 children, ages 5 and younger, are treated in emergency rooms for injuries from shopping cart accidents. Two-thirds of them suffer serious head injuries such as concussions and fractures. Despite an estimated 70 percent of U.S. grocery stores that use safety belts in their carts, the number of these injuries is rising.
Kyle wasn’t seriously injured. But his accident inspired Alvarez to stitch together a padded safety strap for subsequent trips to the supermarket. She later made the straps as shower gifts. Six months ago, the California mother of three founded the Baby Comfort Co. to market her Baby Comfort Strap nationwide — and lend her voice to the growing chorus of advocates for shopping-cart safety.
Part of the problem, says Alvarez, is that shopping carts don’t always have straps. When they do, they’re often broken, filthy or entangled, so many parents don’t bother to use them. “Mine buckles in the back so the child can’t undo himself,” says Alvarez. “It’s padded in the front so it doesn’t bind the child. And it prevents the child from leaning forward and teething on the shopping cart handle that’s been touched by shoppers who’ve picked up raw meat and poultry.”
Estimating that she has sold about 2,000 straps so far, Alvarez says her Baby Comfort Strap is a simple solution. “It didn’t take an engineer to come up with what I’ve done,” she says. “I’m a mom.”
Engineers also are working on it. In this year’s National Engineering Design Challenge, high school students nationwide are competing to improve the traditional shopping cart so it won’t tip with toddlers aboard or flip when an elderly shopper leans on it. “It’s a design that has stuck around for a quite a while and nobody has really taken a look at it,” says Mike Peralta, executive director of the Junior Engineering Technical Society, the nonprofit group that sponsors the annual competition.
Among the competition’s finalists to be judged this Saturday at George Washington University are prototype carts created by students from two local schools. At Lake Braddock Secondary School, in Fairfax County, five seniors built an elongated hexagon-shaped cart made mostly of Plexiglas, with six wheels, and a toddler seat featuring a belt and lap bar. “It’s a sturdier model that won’t tip over,” says the school’s Gifted & Talented physics teacher Barbara Wilson, who oversaw the project.
Twelve students at the Maret School, in the District, worked after school and weekends to construct a prototype from PVC pipe and masonite board. Its pressure-point handle brake provides more stability for elderly shoppers. And the widened wheel base and lower center of gravity make it tip-proof, says Maret physics teacher Jennifer Groppe, adding that the child seat self-adjusts to the child’s waist.
To alert parents about the shopping cart accidents, the CPSC spearheaded a safety program last May that posted “Buckle Up, Protect Your Child” reminders in 1,300 supermarkets and offered safety straps for a dollar each to grocery stores.
“We have to make sure parents know it is their responsibility,” says Karen Alvarez. “That means educating them and equipping them.”
The Baby Comfort Co., 925-833-8287; on the Web at http://babycomfort.com
Got a consumer complaint? E-mail details to oldenburgd@washpost.com or write Don Oldenburg, The Washington Post, 1150 15th St. NW 20071.
© Copyright 1998 The Washington Post Company
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OBSERVER REPORTER PENNSYLVANIA AUGUST 3, 1998
shopping for a safe cart
BY KAREN MANSFIELD
THE OBSERVER-REPORTER
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PHOTO BY Susan Pollard Karen Alvarez with Abby using the baby comfort strap in a shopping cart. |
As a co-manager at Canonsburg Shop ‘N Save, Frank Morris sees near-accidents involving children in shopping carts almost daily.
“I see parents who don’t strap their kids in, I see kids trying to climb out of the back of the shopping cart, or try to stand up while their mom leaves them to go the MAC machine,” said Morris. “You want to go get them yourself.”
Safety advocates say the design of the carts is at fault, and one organization is sponsoring a national contest to design a safer cart. But one shopping cart manufacturer say poor parental supervision is to blame.
Each year, about 25,000 children end up in hospital emergency rooms because of a shopping cart injury, reports U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Some escape with minor scrapes, but about two-thirds of the children suffer serious injuries such as concussions, fractures, and internal injuries.
“We have seen injuries from shopping carts and it’s a concern,” said Joseph Gerard, nursing administrator at Children’s Hospital, Pittsburgh.
Gerard said the emergency room has treated a variety of shopping cart injuries, including fractured arms and legs and ligament injuries that occurred when a parent tried to put a child in a cart or pull them out. Other accidents occur when clothing gets caught in shopping cart.
“We recently treated a young child who suffered severe hand lacerations when his mom was putting her shopping cart away and his hands got caught between carts,” Gerard said.
One mother’s solution
Karen Alvarez knows how quickly accidents happen.
It took only a moment for Alvarez’s then 18-month-old son, Kyle, to stand up in a shopping cart at a grocery store and fall out, tipping the cart on top of him.
“It happened so fast,” said Alvarez of San Ramon, Calif. “I had just turned around for a second.”
Kyle wasn’t seriously hurt, but his mishap led Alvarez, a homemaker-turned-entrepreneur, to devise a padded, 15-inch safety strap. In October 1997. Alvarez founded Baby Comfort Co. and sells the Baby Comfort strap nationwide for about $8. You can check store locations at http://babycomfort.com
“It’s something I would have purchased if it were available,” said Alvarez. “There’s nothing worse than a child injuring himself in a 100 percent preventable situation.”
For Alvarez, the strap offers other advantages. Often, shopping carts don’t have straps. If they do, they can be broken or dirty.
“Shoppers who pick up raw meat and poultry push the cart by the handle, and then children who are teething end up chewing it. The strap prevents that,” said Alvarez.
There are stores that do their best to maintain cleanliness.
At Kmart in McMurray, a professional service comes in four times a year to clean and check the store’s carts. “They clean them using high pressure washers, fix anything mechanically wrong, change straps, and check safety seats to make sure they’re in good condition,” said manager Dave Neu.
Linda Hermann of Washington, a mother of three, said that safety is a top issue when she takes her children shopping and that the design of shopping carts is not child-friendly.
“Safety’s definitely an important issue for me,” said Herrmann on a recent trip to Giant Eagle at Washington Mall. Herrmann was doing her best to fill her cart while daughter Katie, 3, tugged at her and her son, Andrew, 11 months, wriggled in the front.
“It’s tough. I worry more about my daughter when she stands up in the back of the cart. She wants to get out and help. And my older son tries to ski on the side of it,” said Herrmann, who while in Florida saw carts with comfortable, double-seats for children and wider bases.
Redesigning carts
Before shopping carts can be considered safe, the design needs to be overhauled, say child advocates.
“Transportation in shopping carts of current design should be prohibited,” urged Ohio State University researchers, and changes in design should be made.
At least one organization is working on the problem. The Junior Engineering Technical Society, a nonprofit group, is sponsoring a national design contest, where high school students throughout the nation are competing to improve the traditional shopping cart style.
Carts created by students included an elongated hexagon-shaped cart made of Plexiglas, with six wheels and a toddler seat that comes with a belt and lap bar.
UNR Industries Inc., which makes shopping carts, blames the accidents on poor parental supervision, and not design.
“In our view, it doesn’t have anything to do with the cart design,” said a UNR spokesman.
Children Hospital’s Gerard encourages parents to closely supervise children on shopping trips. He advises parents not to put children over the age of three in carts and to never put children in the back of carts.
“Generally, carts are designed for toddlers up to the age of three. Over the age of three, we’d ask that they walk alongside of parents, about an arm’s length away from the cart,” said Gerard.”
And for children whose legs are so tired that they beg to hold on to the cart, surf-style?
“No way,” said Gerard. “No riding on the sides.”
Last year, in an effort to alert parents about shopping cart accidents, the CPSC, the National SAFE KIDS Campaign, the Food Marketing Institute, Johnson & Johnson and Safe-Strap Co., Inc., kicked off a campaign called “Buckle Up, Protect Your Child.” The goal of the nationwide effort is to provide families with information and safety gear necessary to reduce the number of falls from shopping carts.
“Parents have to know that their child’s safety is their responsibility,” said Alvarez
Dangerous Shopping Carts 20/20
Wednesday, February 3, 1999
(This is an unedited, uncorrected transcript.)
DIANE SAWYER It’s something you’ve probably done 100 times without even thinking about it, put a child in a shopping cart at the store. And you probably didn’t realize that you may have been putting your child in real danger, though you might change your mind after what you’re about to see. Arnold Diaz is going to show us how thousands of children are seriously injured in shopping cart accidents, sometimes even when they’re wearing a seat belt. Take a look at this.
ARNOLD DIAZ, ABCNEWS (VO) It may not seem risky to put your child in a shopping cart, but the fact is there’s been a dramatic increase in the reported number of children injured in shopping cart accidents. And it can happen in ways you might not expect.
(on camera) The latest figures show 24,000 children a year are being brought to hospital emergency rooms because of shopping cart-related accidents. That’s double the number of injuries reported 24 years ago.
DR GARY SMITH There was a 3-year-old boy that was brought in by his parents one afternoon. He had fallen from a cart earlier that day. And what he had was a massive bleed inside of his head. Had he not made it to us at that moment, he would have died.
ARNOLD DIAZ (VO) Dr. Gary Smith says his emergency room staff at Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, sees one to two cases a week of shopping cart accidents.
DR GARY SMITH The dilemma for many parents is to recognize that this potential danger is very real. And that their child, in just a split second, can have his whole life changed.
ARNOLD DIAZ (VO) How does it happen? Experts say it’s often kids doing dangerous things when their parents aren’t looking. Dr. Smith’s widely reported study found more than half the accidents are caused by kids standing up in the cart, often reaching and grabbing for something on the shelf. But it’s not just kids standing up in the basket. Even the smallest kids can get injured, the ones seemingly safe in the seat. In this Canadian study, researchers showed preschoolers can be up and out of the seat in as little as three seconds. That’s why experts say it’s so important for children riding in shopping carts to have a seat belt on. Most carts carry that warning, but some of those carts don’t have the belt. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says the vast majority of falls involved carts that didn’t have belts.
MOTHER Normally, you know, they have a strap, but this one didn’t have a strap in it.
ARNOLD DIAZ (on camera) But seat belts alone won’t solve the problem, because being belted in won’t help a child if the cart tips over. And tipovers, with or without kids belted, account for approximately 1,900 injuries a year. That’s an average of five cases a day. Is there some kind of engineering flaw to a shopping cart like this?
JOHN MORSE (PH), ENGINEER In a word, yes.
ARNOLD DIAZ (VO) John Morse is an engineer who has been hired to testify against shopping cart manufacturers in a number of lawsuits. Morse says it’s difficult for shoppers to tell, but because of the way some carts have been designed, they tip over far too easily.
JOHN MORSE What’s wrong with this is this handle is located too far toward me.
ARNOLD DIAZ (VO) Morse says if the shopping cart handle is located too far back, it can create a potential instability with a child in the seat. Using a crash dummy approximately the size and weight of a 3-year-old, he showed me what can happen.
(on camera) OK, so you — you lean over, you’re talk — you’re getting ready to talk to your child. You’re putting your weight down. And …
JOHN MORSE Boom, just like that.
ARNOLD DIAZ And he comes down on his head.
JOHN MORSE He comes down on his head, or he comes down and breaks a leg.
ARNOLD DIAZ (VO) Her parents say that’s exactly what happened to Jessica Borzalleca in another company’s cart when she was 4 years old.
CAROL BORZALLECA, VICTIM’S MOTHER Pull up your thing. I want to see that cast.
ED BORZALLECA, VICTIM’S FATHER We got a shopping cart. I put my daughter in the child’s seat.
ARNOLD DIAZ (VO) Ed Borzalleca says he asked his older daughter to watch the cart for just a minute, and she apparently leaned on the handle.
ED BORZALLECA I heard a large bang, pretty horrendous scream, and I turned quickly and saw what had happened. That the cart had tipped backwards toward the handle of the cart.
ARNOLD DIAZ (VO) Jessie broke her thigh bone and spent nearly three months in a body cast.
CAROL BORZALLECA I cringe when I see people putting their kids in a shopping cart, thinking that something like this could happen to them, too.
ARNOLD DIAZ (VO) And John Morse says some carts are prone to side tipovers because of a narrow wheel base and high center of gravity with a child in the seat.
(on camera) So the child is leaning over and pulling on something with not much force, you say.
JOHN MORSE Not much force. Easy, easy for a child to put that much force.
ARNOLD DIAZ And then it starts going over and …
JOHN MORSE Boom. And you’re going to get a serious head injury.
ARNOLD DIAZ (VO) In fact, it’s this same model cart that allegedly tipped over, causing serious and lasting injury to then 3-year-old Melanie Sanchez.
DORIA SANCHEZ, VICTIM’S MOTHER Everything happens in a second, very quickly.
ARNOLD DIAZ (VO) Her family says Melanie apparently stood up and reached out for some clothing on a rack, causing the cart to go over.
DORIA SANCHEZ I try to pick her, and she was unconscious. And that’s why I’m so afraid, because “Oh, my God, Melanie has died.”
ARNOLD DIAZ (VO) Melanie did not die, but her family claims she suffered permanent brain damage from the fall and is suing, among others, the shopping cart manufacturer, United Steel & Wire. The company denies it produced a defective cart, denies it caused any injury to Melanie, and says the Sanchez family misused the cart. But company president Matt Carstens (ph) does admit that many shopping carts are not as safe as they could be.
MATT CARSTENS, UNITED STEEL & WIRE We’d love to build the safest shopping cart possible. But at this particular juncture, I mean, we’re limited by the market that we serve.
ARNOLD DIAZ (VO) He says the model cart Melanie Sanchez was in is designed for small stores with narrow aisles. So the cart is short with a very narrow wheel base, not the safest design.
MATT CARSTENS The wider that you can make a shopping cart wheel base and the longer that you can make it, the more stable it’s going to be.
ARNOLD DIAZ (VO) And in fact, his company makes a bigger, more stable cart, but it’s expensive and not a big seller. Neither is this more kid—safe design from another manufacturer. Critics say the government should set a safety standard that all shopping carts would have to meet, but the Consumer Product Safety Commission says there’s not enough evidence that shopping cart injuries are a major problem. Dr Smith disagrees.
DR GARY SMITH These injuries are potentially very serious. They’re common, and they’re totally preventable.
ARNOLD DIAZ (VO) He says if at all possible, don’t put your child in a shopping cart. Look for alternatives — a stroller or a backpack. And an increasing number of stores are offering baby-sitting on the premises. If you have to use a cart, look for the more kid-safe designs. If your store doesn’t have any, talk to the manager. Make sure the kids don’t ride in the basket. Use the seat belts, and if possible, don’t turn your back on the shopping cart.
DR GARY SMITH I’ve had to face the parents and tell them of the serious injury that their child’s just suffered, and these parents simply can’t believe that it’s happened to their child.
SAM DONALDSON Manufacturers say they’ve been improving the safety of shopping carts, but it is impossible for the average shopper to tell at a glance which are most prone to tipping over. You may get a sense by leaning on the handle and rocking the cart back and forth. But remember, that’s no guarantee, so be careful.
SHOPPING CART SAFETY 8-00-21 (Three Part Version)
ANCHOR LEAD
YOU GO THE GROCERY STORE TO PICK UP A FEW ITEMS AND YOUR BABY OR YOUNG CHILD SITS IN THE SHOPPING CART. SOUNDS ROUTINE, RIGHT? BUT FOR THOUSANDS EACH YEAR, THEIR TRIP TO THE MARKET IS FOLLOWED BY A TRIP TO THE HOSPITAL BECAUSE OF SHOPPING CART RELATED ACCIDENTS. SINCE 1985, AT LEAST FIVE CHILDREN HAVE ACTUALLY DIED FROM SHOPPING CART RELATED INJURIES. THE MOST COMMON CAUSE IS FROM FALLS…EVEN THOUGH MOST CARTS HAVE SAFETY STRAPS. ________ REPORTS ON HOW THIS CHILDHOOD HEALTH HAZARD CAN BE PREVENTED.
#1 Length :46
ACT :Debbie Burke, MotherLength :08
“I have four kids and not only am I busy shopping, but I’m also worried about the baby falling out of the shopping cart.”
WRAP ONE Length :09
DEBBIE BURKE IS TYPICAL OF BUSY MOMS WHO GROCERY SHOP WITH THEIR KIDS. MOM DONNA VOLK WORRIES ABOUT THE CONDITION OF SHOPPING CARTS.
ACT :Donna VolkMotherLength :04
“Sometimes you go to the grocery store and the carts have straps and sometimes they don’t.”
WRAP TWO Length :15
EACH YEAR, MORE THAN 25,000 CHILDREN GO TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM FOR INJURIES RELATED TO SHOPPING CARTS…TWO-THIRDS OF THEM ARE AGE 5 AND UNDER. E-R DOCTOR RAYMOND PITETTI SAYS FALLS OFTEN RESULT IN SKULL FRACTURES AND CONCUSSIONS.
ACT :Dr. Raymond Pitetti, M.D. , Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Length :07
“What happens is there may be some long term damage…learning disabilities, developmental disabilities, as a result of the head injuries.”
WRAP THREE Length :02
COMING UP…HOW ONE MOM TOOK ACTION.
#2 Length :48
WRAP FOUR Length :04
KAREN ALVAREZ WAS GROCERY SHOPPING WITH HER TWO-YEAR-OLD SON KYLE.
ACT :Karen Alvarez Mother Length :08
“As I was reaching for the bananas, the very first thing on my list, he reached for the apples that were on the other side. “
NATS :01
NAT SOT (cart falling)
WRAP FIVE Length :03
KYLE FELL OUT OF THE SHOPPING CART.
ACT :Karen Alvarez Mother Length :10
“The sound of that shopping cart falling, there was no time for me to react…I picked up the shopping cart off of him first and then got him. He wasn’t breathing.”
WRAP SIX Length :11
FORTUNATELY, KYLE RECOVERED FULLY. AFTER THIS CLOSE CALL, KAREN ALVAREZ DEVELOPED A STRAP THAT KEEEPS KIDS SEATED IN THE CART. SHE NOW SELLS THE BABYCOMFORT STRAP TO THE PUBLIC.
ACT :Karen Alvarez Mother Length :07
“I wanted something that would be soft around a child’s chest. And I wanted something that would buckle, not Velcro so that it’s really strong and secure.”
WRAP SEVEN Length :04
WHEN WE RETURN…OTHER WAYS TO PREVENT SHOPPING CART ACCIDENTS.
#3 Length :53
WRAP EIGHT Length :09
MANY STATES REQUIRE NEW CARTS TO HAVE SAFETY STRAPS. IN 80 PERCENT OF FALLS, THE CHILD WAS UNRESTRAINED. DR. PITETTI HAS SOME ADVICE.
ACT :Dr. Raymond Pitetti, M.D. , Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Length :06
“Use any kind of child restraining devices that are in place… often times the most severe injuries are from falls of 2 or 3 feet.”
WRAP NINE Length :06
RUSS RADER OF THE C-P-S-C SAYS SHOPPING CART SAFETY IS A PRIORITY
ACT :Russ RaderDeputy Public Affairs Director, Consumer Product Safety Commission Length :07
“…The Consumer Product Safety Commission has been working with the grocers to make the safety straps available in the stores.”
WRAP TEN Length :15
OTHER SAFETY TIPS: NEVER PUT A CHILD IN THE BACK OF THE CART. DON’T LET THEM PLAY ON THE UNDERCARRIAGE.NEVER LEAN ON THE FRONT HANDLE OR LET A CHILD JUMP ON OR PUSH A CART. AND NEVER LEAVE A CHILD UNATTENDED.KAREN ALVAREZ URGES PARENTS TO PUT SAFETY FIRST.
ACT :Karen Alvarez Mother Length :09
“It is a preventable type of accident that you would feel absolutely horrible about if your child was injured.”
WRAP ELEVEN Length :
Local Talent Wrap
LOCAL ANCHOR LOCKOUT
YOU CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT SHOPPING CART SAFETY BY CALLING THE CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION AT 1-800-638-2772.KAREN ALVAREZ STARTED A BUSINESS SELLING HER SHOPPING CART STRAPS. YOU CAN VISIT HER WEBSITE AT www.comfybabynow.com
TITLE: SHOPPING CART SAFETY 8-00-21A (Single Part Version)
ANCHOR LEAD
YOU GO THE GROCERY STORE TO PICK UP A FEW ITEMS AND YOUR BABY OR YOUNG CHILD SITS IN THE SHOPPING CART. SOUNDS ROUTINE, RIGHT? BUT FOR THOUSANDS EACH YEAR, THEIR TRIP TO THE MARKET IS FOLLOWED BY A TRIP TO THE HOSPITAL BECAUSE OF SHOPPING CART RELATED ACCIDENTS. SINCE 1985, AT LEAST FIVE CHILDREN HAVE ACTUALLY DIED FROM SHOPPING CART RELATED INJURIES. THE MOST COMMON CAUSE OF SHOPPING CART INJURY IS FROM FALLS…EVEN THOUGH MOST CARTS ARE EQUIPPED WITH SAFETY STRAPS. ________ REPORTS ON HOW THIS CHILDHOOD HEALTH HAZARD CAN BE PREVENTED.
ACT :Debbie Burke, Mother Length :08
“I have four kids and not only am I busy shopping, but I’m also worried about the baby falling out of the shopping cart.”
WRAP ONE Length :14
DEBBIE BURKE IS TYPICAL OF BUSY MOMS WHO GROCERY SHOP WITH THEIR KIDS. EACH YEAR, MORE THAN 25,000 CHILDREN ARE TREATED FOR SHOPPING CART INJURIES…MOST AGE 5 AND UNDER. E-R DOCTOR RAYMOND PITETTI SEES MANY HEAD AND NECK INJURIES.
ACT :Dr. Raymond Pitetti, M.D. , Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Length :09
“…Often times the most severe injuries are from falls of 2 or 3 feet…there may be some long term damage…learning disabilities, developmental disabilities.”
WRAP TWO Length :06
KAREN ALVAREZ WAS GROCERY SHOPPING WHEN HER TWO-YEAR-OLD SON KYLE FELL OUT OF THE SHOPPING CART.
NATS :01
NAT SOT (cart falling)
ACT :Karen Alvarez Mother Length :07
“There was no time for me to react…I picked up the shopping cart off of him first and then got him. He wasn’t breathing.”
WRAP THREE Length:07
FORTUNATELY, KYLE RECOVERED FULLY. AFTER THIS CLOSE CALL, KAREN ALVAREZ DEVELOPED THE BABYCOMFORT STRAP, WHICH SHE NOW SELLS TO THE PUBLIC.
ACT :Karen Alvarez Mother Length :07
“I wanted something that would be soft around a child’s chest. And I wanted something that would buckle, not Velcro so that it’s really strong and secure.”
WRAP FOUR Length :07
MANY STATES REQUIRE THAT NEW CARTS HAVE SAFETY STRAPS. RUSS RADER SAYS IT’S A PRIORITY FOR THE C-P-S-C.
ACT :Russ Rader Deputy Public Affairs Director, Consumer Product Safety Commission Length :07
“…The Consumer Product Safety Commission have been working with the grocers to make the safety straps available in the stores.”
WRAP FIVE Length :16
OTHER SAFETY TIPS: NEVER PUT A CHILD IN THE BACK OF THE CART. DON’T LET THEM PLAY ON THE UNDERCARRIAGE.NEVER LEAN ON THE FRONT HANDLE OR LET A CHILD JUMP ON OR PUSH A CART. AND NEVER LEAVE A CHILD UNATTENDED.KAREN ALVAREZ URGES PARENTS TO PUT SAFETY FIRST.
ACT :Karen Alvarez Mother Length :09
“It is a preventable type of accident that you would feel absolutely horrible about if your child was injured.”
WRAP SIX Length :
Local Talent Wrap
LOCAL ANCHOR LOCKOUT
YOU CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT SHOPPING CART SAFETY BY CALLING THE CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION AT 1-800-638-2772. KAREN ALVAREZ STARTED A BUSINESS SELLING HER SHOPPING CART STRAPS. YOU CAN VISIT HER WEBSITE AT www.comfybabynow.com
Contacts:
Dr. Raymond Pitetti, M.D.
Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
412-692-5325
Dr. Pitetti us an emergency room physician. He has seen numerous shopping cart accidents and treated many children for all types of injuries resulting from this type of fall.
Russ Rader
Deputy Public Affairs Director
Consumer Product Safety Commission
4330 East/West Highway
Bethesda, Maryland
301-504-0580 ext. 1166
Mr. Rader has worked extensively as a representative of the CPSC on the issue of shopping cart safety. He is currently in charge of a new public awareness campaign being launched in conjunction with shopping cart manufacturers and the supermarket industry.
Mention in Books
3rd edition, Baby Bargins by Alan & Denise Fields Page 320
CPSC Consumer Product Safety Commission Falls from Shopping Carts Cause Head Injuries to Children
Article from the Navel Safety Center