Reminders Grocery List and Multiple Stores

[jagooch]

How would you handle grocery lists where you buy items from different stores for 2 reasons

1) Some items are only carried by specific stores
2) The item is in both stores, and you want to buy it from whichever one is closest at the moment.

The hard part is aisle ordering. Let's take case #2 and say the item is "milk" . Let's assume it is available in 2 stores, StoreA and StoreB.

In StoreA, milk is on aisle 2 name "dairy section".
In StoreB, milk is on aisle 17 named the "milk" section in this store.

So you would want that reflected in the categories "aisle 2" and "aisle 17" .

You could have 2 lists with milk in different aisles. But then you have manage milk in both lists and check off both when you buy it.

Or you could have 1 list and use tags like "StoreA_Aisle2" and "StoreB_Aisle17" along with filtering by tags. Perhaps have a master list and a smart lists for each store.

Thoughts?

Additional Info

I’m looking to duplicate my experience in Anylist as closely as possible in Apple Reminders. I know that I’ll have to make compromises like seeing the total cost and store-specific prices, but I want to see how close I can get. Admittedly, Anylist sets a really high bar, but I was curious.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Use a Numbers spreadsheet or an Apple note with a multi-column table instead of Reminders?

• Column 1- some method of marking it "purchased"
• Column 2- Item
• Column 3- StoreA info
• Column 4- StoreB info
• Additional columns for any other information you might want to track

 

[NoBoMac]

If feeling ambitious, rolling one's own solution via Shortcuts and using dictionary files might be an option.

Sounds like a dictionary in this basic layout, "what" then list of "where and aisle":

{
"Milk":{"StoreA":16,"StoreB":2},
"Soup":{"StoreC":12},
"Apples":{"StoreA":1,"StoreB":1,"StoreD":1}
}

On the phone, setup an Automation of "when I arrive at StoreA" to read in the dictionary and find all entries that are for StoreA and then can make a Note of it and display it (or skip Automation and have a Shortcut you can run that asks for "what store").

Save the dictionary under iCloud so can sync between Mac and i*OS.

Above dictionary can be used as the master list of what and where, then have a Note that is your list. When arrive at location, pull up Note and for each line in Note, see if store is in approved list for item in question: if so, add to a temp Note. Or generate Notification that you can swipe away.

Yeah, not fully fleshed out, but a starting point that might generate a lightbulb moment.

 

[jagooch]

Use a Numbers spreadsheet or an Apple note with a multi-column table instead of Reminders?

• Column 1- some method of marking it "purchased"
• Column 2- Item
• Column 3- StoreA info
• Column 4- StoreB info
• Additional columns for any other information you might want to track

This was way too clunky.

I'm going with a "Master Grocery List" and then a smart list for each store. Surprisingly, I can create sections and order them in the smartlist, so that solves the same item being in a different aisle or section in each store. I didn't expect to be able to do that!

For example, I created an item called "Milk" and tagged it with "King Soopers" and "Safeway" tags.

I created a smart list for each store, filtered by tag, and then create and sorted sections in each list corresponding to the store layout.

So far it is working really well, though the Master List isn't as easy to organize , so I'm just letting Apple automatically group items into sections.

That sad thing is that I'm a very visual person, and I wanted to copy the product images from Anylist into Reminders so I can shop just using the pictures, but my subscription expired with disabled the desktop app.

 

[ignatius345]

Or you could have 1 list and use tags like "StoreA_Aisle2" and "StoreB_Aisle17" along with filtering by tags. Perhaps have a master list and a smart lists for each store.

This is what I do. I have a number of groceries and household supplies I could buy at a random #supermarket or at #traderjoes or for some things #homedepot or #drugstore. I tend to put it all on the Groceries list, and then as you say use smart lists for the different hashtags. Checking it off in any smart list checks it off of the main list.

I do wish Siri was smart enough to let me dictate the tags as I add things to the shopping list verbally, instead of having to tag things manually -- but then again I wish Siri was smart enough to do a lot of things...

 

[jagooch]

This is what I do. I have a number of groceries and household supplies I could buy at a random #supermarket or at #traderjoes or for some things #homedepot or #drugstore. I tend to put it all on the Groceries list, and then as you say use smart lists for the different hashtags. Checking it off in any smart list checks it off of the main list.

I do wish Siri was smart enough to let me dictate the tags as I add things to the shopping list verbally, instead of having to tag things manually -- but then again I wish Siri was smart enough to do a lot of things...

The system works pretty well. Though in the case where you want “Milk” but it’s one brand at one store, and it’s a different brand at the other store , that is a harder to handle.

You could make the item generic(no brand) , but I tend to to be very specific with the brand, type, size, and picture of the item in the reminder.

So I either decide which store I’m going to buy milk from, or uncheck all brands of milk and the check them all off once I buy milk at any of the stores I shop at..

 

[ignatius345]

The system works pretty well. Though in the case where you want “Milk” but it’s one brand at one store, and it’s a different brand at the other store , that is a harder to handle.

You could make the item generic(no brand) , but I tend to to be very specific with the brand, type, size, and picture of the item in the reminder.

So I either decide which store I’m going to buy milk from, or uncheck all brands of milk and the check them all off once I buy milk at any of the stores I shop at..

I don't get that granular, myself, unless it's a very specific item. And in that case, agree, a photo of the packaging is very helpful -- especially if someone else is doing the shopping.