Many things are delivered to the supermarkets in cardboard boxes.
Many supermarkets leave those boxes in a box or cage near the tills.
Many supermarkets leave those boxes in a box or cage near the tills.
I suspect that part of it is that many of the boxes are now trays designed for shelf display. The shelf-stacker just unwraps it and puts it on the shelf. This also makes the boxes slightly less useful for putting your shopping in, as the original contents were held in place by plastic wrap.