How to write a shopping list in aisle order
A ShopLister guide.
Most shopping lists are written in the order things run out: milk, then bin bags, then bananas, then milk again. In the shop that order sends you back and forth, and the thing at the bottom of the list is usually in the aisle you walked past ten minutes ago.
Writing the list in the order you walk round the shop fixes that. It takes a few minutes to set up once, and then every trip is a straight line.
1. Picture the route round your shop
Walk the shop once in your head, or on your next trip. Many UK supermarkets follow a similar pattern, though yours may differ:
- fruit and vegetables near the entrance;
- bread and bakery close by;
- meat, fish and the deli counter along one side;
- dairy, eggs and other chilled food along the back or another side;
- tins, pasta, cereals and other dry goods in the middle aisles;
- drinks, household and toiletries further round;
- frozen food towards the end, so it stays cold on the way home.
What matters is the order you reach things in your usual shop, not the order on a map.
2. Give your list headings
Split the list into sections that match the shop: Fruit & veg, Bakery, Meat & fish, Dairy & eggs, Cupboard, Drinks, Household, Frozen. Six to ten headings is plenty.
3. Put the headings in walking order
Order the sections the way your route reaches them. Then, as you add items during the week, put each one under its heading rather than at the bottom of the list.
4. Keep it for next time
Save the headings as a template, so next week's list starts already in order. When the shop moves something, move its heading once and the list stays right from then on.
If you use more than one shop, keep a version for each: the same items can be in very different places.
A few small habits that help
- Add things the moment you run out, under their heading, so nothing waits to be remembered at the shop.
- Cross items off as they go in the trolley, so a glance shows what is left.
- Leave the frozen section last on the list, even if your shop puts it earlier, if you have a long way home.
The easier way
ShopLister does this for you. Items group themselves under aisle headings as you add them, with no choosing, and over a few trips it learns where your shop actually keeps things, and moves them to match. Tell it which shop you are in and it remembers each one.
See how ShopLister works · Coming soon to the App Store, iPhone first, with Android to follow.