I prefer to buy one or two things, start the project, realize I don't understand the project, watch a couple more YouTube videos. Go back to the hardware store. Buy some things I had no idea I needed. Return to the project. Fuck something up. Go back to the hardware store to fix or replace my mistake.
You don't need a cart when you spread it out into 3-4 trips.
I prefer to get halfway through a project, lose interest, and leave the materials in a desolate corner where I occasionally glance at them, think about how I could definitely finish said project for several weeks, while also finding something else to occupy my interest.
One time I'm loading up sheets of drywall and some kid comes up asking if I needed someone to do drywall. I said no. I went home and hung that shit myself. But I sure thought long and hard about it as I was dragging that cart out of the store.
One time I went in with the intent to buy some big stuff. Ended up changing my mind but I needed gloves.. So I had one of these but just a pair of gloves sitting on it lol
The real power move is to grab one of those contractor buckets and use it as a shopping basket. Because how else are you going to keep all those loose nuts and bolts from going everywhere?
I do the revserse and try to put a dozen 2x4s and a couple small sheets of wood into a regular cart causing it to be difficult to maneuver through the aisles.
Home Despot - a place for wannabe interior decorators. Like Ron Swanson said to an employee at HD "I know more than you."
People with manly man projects go to real lumber yards where you lean on a counter and talk to a clerk and a yardman pulls and brings you your materials with a forklift and loads them on your trailer - because strapping your load down to a trailer and driving away is a manly man thing to do...........No little carts needed.
In Germany we have hardware stores (is that the right description of stores like home depot?) that have a covered outdoor section where you can drive in with your car/ trailer and load up construction supplies and then pay.
If you are a real professional you probably go to "stores" that only sell building materials to businesses or you just get your materials delivered directly to the job site.
Also helps if you're in one of those stores where the toilets are out in the open like it's another regular aisle. Stack up some boxes and you can position it to give yourself some privacy. Bring along some bottles of water too since sometimes the faucets don't work.
The last time I used one of these was buying drywall because it only comes in two sizes with no in-between, too damn big and patch kits that are good for nothing.