A brake assembly for a shopping cart having a free, a basket mounted on the frame, front and rear wheels supporting the frame and basket for movement across a surface, and a handle for gripping to move the shopping cart across the surface, the brake assembly comprises a brake shoe having a unitary construction and being sized and arranged for simultaneously applying a braking force to both of the rear wheels of the shopping cart. The brake shoe includes elongate lever arms pivotally mounted on the frame and having upper and lower end portions, an elongate actuator bar extending generally laterally of the upper end portions of the lever arms, and braking bars extending generally laterally of the lower end portions of the lever arms in proximity to the rear wheels. The brake assembly further includes a pedal pivotally mounted on the frame and a cam connecting the pedal to the actuator bar of the brake shoe. The cam is operable upon actuation of the pedal to swing the brake shoe on the lever arms between an unbraked position in which the braking bars are simultaneously spaced from the rear wheels to permit free rotation of the rear wheels, and a braked position in which the braking bars simultaneously engage the rear wheels and apply a braking force thereto to prevent movement of the shopping cart.