How shopping is done
Morgan Mahana photos
Second only to “SCOOTERS ARE DANGEROUS!” is the spontaneously expressed belief held by non-scooterists that “YOU CAN’T CARRY ANYTHING ON A SCOOTER.” Friend Morgan would beg to differ.
Morgan does not own a car; she gets around exclusively on two wheels. Therefore, the weekly trip to the grocery store requires some thought and planning when it comes to packing her Scarabeo 500.
All packed, ready to go. She’s done this a few times, and not just with groceries. I’m a piker by comparison.
Above, you can see how the load was distributed. Two of the reusable grocery bags were bungeed to the back of the seat, along with the TP. The water bottles went into the underseat storage (they make good ballast), while the third bag was carried on the floorboard (which is kinda what the floorboard is for). The saddlebags not only hold a lot of stuff, they protect the bodywork if the bike gets knocked over.
Here’s all the stuff, unpacked and ready to put away. It would pretty much fill the trunk of the More Expensive Ford Taurus with a Different Grille. Which gets much worse gas mileage than a scooter. 
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Scootin' Old Skool 
I remember trying to get home from Target on my Vespa Lx150 with a vacuum, a mop, and a chrome bag full of groceries. I managed to get halfway across San Diego with the vacuum strapped across the back rack and the mop held like a lance protruding out front. Anything can be done with some time and imagination.
I do pretty well with our 2008 SYM HD200 with a cargo box on the back. I can fill the cargo box, and use the extremely stout grocery bag hook in the front, and use a back pack if needed. I’ve also hauled some pretty large, or odd shaped boxes by setting them on the floor board and hugging them with me knees. I have also put fair sized boxes behind me between my back and the cargo box, and then I scoot back so I’m up against them So far, so good.
The Vespa, and any scooter for that matter, can carry far more stuff than anyone would suspect. I’ve carried lots of groceries, Christmas trees, hundred pound bags of sand, tomato cages, watermelons, and more. I think of my Vespa as a pickup truck.
Steve Williams
Scooter in the Sticks
Awesome! I once saw a guy with skis and poles on his moped. He was totally pumped to be doing it and had the biggest smile when I yelled “way to go” at him while he was stopped. You aren’t as constrained as with a car.
I’ve used my bike to deliver papers at one time. 🙂 Scooters are just better designed to carry things.