Cupholders Trump All

Many people^[who?], particularly in the United States, consider the design, location and number of cup holders in a vehicle to be one of the most important attributes influencing their vehicle purchase^{[citation needed]}. Others take the contrary view; that they are irrelevant, and encourage a dangerous practice which distracts drivers from their primary task. Cars designed primarily for the North American market have tended to have larger cupholders, while those for which the primary market is outside of North America tend to have smaller ones^{[citation needed]}.

And that, in a nutshell, is the problem with Wikipedia.  You go to find out some basic facts only to find them mixed in with a bunch of specious information.

So while I can't tell you whether Americans actually buy their cars due to the number and locations of cupholders, I have to say that it certainly seems that way.  The car dealer who sold us our new Toyota Prius made sure to point out the four (!) cupholders in the front seat and did so with the same reverence as he explained how to work the GPS.

Cupholders in cars make sense, particularly if you have a long commute or a road trip in mind.  And cupholders in movie theaters?  Well, while I never buy refreshments at the movies myself, I can see the logic in having a place to stow your Coke while balancing your tub of popcorn.  But a cupholder on your grocery cart?  That one took me by surprise.

The icing on the cake?  The warning label:  Do not place hot beverage in holder when child is in seat.  Whew.  Good thing my kids are way too big to ride in the cart.  Otherwise I might have had a sad story to tell.