Bending, grabbing, reaching, pushing and lifting — grocery shopping requires a lot of movement. This multi-step errand can be difficult for everyone, from parents with young kids to exhausted city dwellers living on the fifth floor without an elevator.
According to Cathy Ellis, retired physical therapist, former clinical director of the spinal cord program at Medstar National Rehabilitation Hospital in Washington, DC (and my favorite aunt), grocery shopping can have extra challenges for older shoppers and folks with limited mobility, including wheelchair or walker users or anyone recovering from surgery or injuries.
Ellis, who has also worked in home health care, suggests going to customer service to ask for assistance when grocery shopping in person and utilizing the mobility scooters or motorized shopping carts available for use.
Ellis also recommends the American Occupational Therapy Association as a great resource for literature, advocacy and general support and tips regarding accessibility.
Another accessibility advocate (and person related to me) Jim Wynne, a Certified Orthotist and Prosthetist (CPO), recommends finding out when your store is less crowded and grocery shopping at non-peak hours. Per Wynne, fewer people and carts in the aisle can give you more room to safely move around without feeling rushed or pushed. It also means the store’s customer service will likely have more bandwidth to provide you with proper aid.
In addition to these go-to strategies, there are also many handy tools designed to make shopping easier. We asked Ellis and Wynne to break down their favorites and searched the web for other beloved options. Check out these clever finds below!
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The number one tool Ellis and Wynne recommend for accessibility in grocery shopping — an extender grabber. It’s a super handy device that can help you reach high or low products, saving you from bending or over-extending. This pack comes with two, 34-inch extenders with a rotating jaw. These boast a 4.8 overall rating, with thousands of 5-star reviews noting how great they are for grocery shopping and wheelchair users.
Bonus: They’re also plenty useful at home if you have high cabinets and shelves or trouble bending to reach things.
Ellis also suggests using a backpack while shopping, to eliminate the need for a cart or to more easily carry your food. (Of course, only do this if you feel comfortable and if it’s not against the store’s policy.) We love this highly-rated, leakproof cooler option that holds 25 liters, comes in black, gray and orange and has a bunch of extra pockets and sections.
Reviewer Suzanne Emry says, “Absolutely LOVE this. It holds a lot of groceries which makes grocery trips with my kids exponentially easier comfortable and lightweight also.”
“This is my favorite bag to use when I go shopping,” another shopper, Wendy, wrote. “I can put my freezer or fridge products inside and not worry about anything defrosting within the hour as everything pretty much stays intact. Great product.”
Though it takes extra planning on the front end, Ellis recommends organizing your grocery list by aisle, so as to enter the store with a plan of where you’re going and what you need.
This can eliminate extra stress and strain on your body, speed up your trip and keep you feeling safe and in control about where you’re going. We love this preset, colorful list that already has the different categories sorted.
Cut down the trips between your car and your home and help yourself carry heavy items with this pair of genius multi-bag holders. Easily stick them in your bag or car to always have them around and say goodbye to struggling to hold a bunch of heavy groceries in your arms. Per reviews, they’re also good for grocery delivery if that’s one of your gigs.
Promising reviews: “You can easily carry as many bags as you can lift. I really like the simple design and ease of use with these. Only thing is I must remember that I keep them in my trunk and to have them in sight so I can use them. They are a really nice tool with carrying bags.” — L. Colburn
“Have worked out great for delivering groceries, especially to multi-level units where stairs are involved, or in the rain or snow, when I would have had to make multiple trips without them. I don’t use them every time, but when I need them, I’m happy I have them!” — Lonewolf
Another easy easy way to carry a bunch of bags, this Click & Carry holder has gel padding to be soft on your shoulder or hand. The brand says it’s made to make your groceries feel lighter as you carry them and can hold up to 100 pounds. Find them in a bunch of colors.
Promising review: “I bought this for myself as a birthday present because my boyfriend is disabled and can’t help me carry groceries or anything like that and we live upstairs with 16 steps to get to the door. Before I found this I would load my arms up and trudge up the stairs, when the bags came off I had rings up and down my arms from where the bags just dug in. I was over it! I saw this on Amazon and decided to give it a chance and it is the BEST THING EVER!! This small device has made my life so much easier. I load my bags on there, click it closed and I’ll put in on my shoulder if I have alot and carry it that way and I never worry about it coming 7ndone or anything. It is very well put together and super sturdy! I can’t say enough good things about it…definitely one of the best things I’ve ever bought!!” — sarah spencer
Another great cart option, this folding, lightweight “Stair Climber” cart is collapsible and can carry up to 150 pounds. It’s made with two trios of wheels that easily go up and down stairs. Find it in blue, red and black all with eight compartments.
Promising review: “I was getting so tired of making several trips to my car to retrieve my groceries after each shopping trip. I saw this trolley on Amazon and decided to buy it. Best purchase ever. I now can bring all my groceries in with one trip to the car. I also love that its wheel design allow the trolley to climb my front steps making it so easy for me. I have used it in the house to help me carry things upstairs and the climbing feature makes it safe and easy for me. If you’re trying to decide on buying one, I highly recommend it. I’m a senior citizen and I wouldn’t be without it. It also folds Down pretty well for storing.” — m Robinson
Whether you take this into the store and use it around or just use it to bring your bagged groceries into your house, this foldable cart will be a welcome addition to your home. This is an extra-large option that can hold 50-70 pounds with two baskets, 360-degree swivel wheels and a foam-covered handle.
Promising review: “I order this for my mom and she loves it. The height is perfect for her so that she does not have to bend over. (Mom is 5’8″) Very sturdy construction. Large enough to carry her groceries. And the smaller attached basket is a bonus. She loves it!” — Sheila
“This makes hauling groceries up my steps much easier and can usually do 6 bags in one trip. Love it” — Kindle Customer
The Rolls-Royce of personal shopping carts, this Clax collapsible cart is incredibly versatile, working as a cart, dolly and file holder. It’s a user-friendly system that lets you easily move the large container from the body of the cart, with free-standing rear wheels that make it easier to go over stairs and curbs.
Promising review: “This is the most amazing cart! I purchased it for my dad to use and he absolutely loves it! It’s versatile and very easy to use at the grocery store, hauling things in and out of the car and any other uses. It is really easy to push regardless of the weight. It’s very easy to collapse and put in and out of the car which is a relief that I don’t have to worry about my dad fussing with other carts that are cumbersome. It’s so perfect! I highly recommend this cart!” — DS
Ellis noted that sometimes the in-store scooters may have a basket built into them. Yet, if you have your own mobility device or just need help with carrying things, grabbing your own, high-quality basket can help you transport the groceries from the store to your car to your house. We love this highly-rated, collapsible, water-repellent option, made with a sturdy aluminum frame in a bunch of great patterns.
Promising review: “I love this basket! It is durable and the fabric is very strong to hold heavy items (like jugs of milk!). I love how it doesn’t collapse, it keeps everything inside the basket in shape and doesn’t let anything move around and get squished. Soft BLACK rubber cushion handle on top to easy carrying.” — Bianca M. Orlik
“I love this so much I am planning to buy more for gifts! I keep it in the car, and it is so helpful in carrying in a couple of grocery bags and my purse from the parking lot to my condo. The polka dots are so cheerful.” — Jae K
A truly genius idea, these cart bags from Lotus fit right to your cart, helping you sort your groceries as you shop and then making transporting your food to the car and to your home super easy. Each bag holds over 60 pounds, can go in the washing machine, rolls up for easy storage and has long handles for carrying over your shoulder. These fit carts in most major grocery stores and come in two sizes.
Promising review: “NJ is now plastic bag free. Purchasing bags here, and there aren’t suitable for heavy shopping. They break, some super small too. Lotus trolly perfect for continuous use, washable. Im a senior, easy to manage. Compliments, ” perfect system you got there”. gifting these already. Love them.” — S L Johnson
Looking for bags that stand up on their own? This hard-sided set of grocery bags can hold up to 65 pounds with extra long handles that can fit over your shoulder. They’re also great for keeping in your truck if you do curbside pickup at certain stores (another way to relieve the shopping stress and strain).
The brand says a single bag can hold the same as six plastic bags or four paper bags worth of food. Find them in a bunch of colors. Be sure to clip the on-page coupon for an extra $4 off
Promising review: “I’m a senior with arthritic hands and was tired of fiddling with shopping bags that collapsed when being filled and spilling out when schlepping groceries from cart to car to house. These canvas totes with side handles were the perfect solution. So easy to fill, transport and carry. Love, love, love! these totes and would recommend to anyone!” — Amazon customer
If you have trouble opening and closing bags, this stylish mesh option has a wide opening, making it easier to just drop your produce in it. Yet, the long handles can still let you wear it over your shoulder or hang it from a handle. Best of all, these look super cute as kitchen decor and many reviewers say they keep their produce in them to store in the kitchen. Find them in sets of five in a variety of colors.
Promising review: “These are Wonderful!! They seem to be very durable, made well and are Perfect for my needs. Nice long Handles, comfortable and Beautiful Colors. Very lightweight but hold Fruits and Veggies with plenty of room so as not to crush them.” — Lynne Woja
In their review, Christine B. notes that these mesh produce bags are easier to use than the plastic produce bags the store provides. You don’t need to reach for these or rip them off the roll and the drawstring close may be easier than needing to tie a knot. Additionally, the mesh lets your produce breathe. Reviewer Sandy H says “You can just leave the produce in this mesh bag and put it straight in the fridge when you get home from the store. It’s breathable, unlike when produce is in plastic. Then you just throw them in the clothes washer when they need cleaned.”
These days, it seems like we all have 100 reusable shopping bags but never when we need them. Instead of struggling with a tangle of larger bags or needing to carry big heavier ones into the store, this adorable set gives you 10, produce-inspired reusable shopping bags, all of which come in their own mini bag with a handy drawstring.
Promising review: “I absolutely love these. I like that they are compact so they fit in my purse. I never use my old ones because they are so big and bulky. I forget to put them back in my car. These are in my purse so I don’t forget them. They are very sturdy and easy to use. They fold up to about the size of a clementine and unfold to a full size grocery bag.” — Cheryl Schow
While it may seem superfluous at first, this adjustable cup holder can be a big help for freeing up your hands and ensuring your drink and phone are near. It’s branded as a stroller clip but can be mounted on all sorts of things from walkers to shopping carts and scooters.
Promising review: “It’s like having a extra hand while your rolling down the street. It will hook to a stroller, wheel chair, rollator, walker, or even a shopping cart.” — Lynne Million
“This has been a great purchase!! I bought it for my knee scooter, but attached it to my aluminum folding walker. It can hold coffee cups/mugs, various size & shape glasses & water bottles. I also sling a reusable shopping bag over it to carry larger items. It has been a game changer. My phone is in reach. A real step saver & safer to transport hot coffee, tea or soup. You might even be able to use it with crutches. Love it!!” — Susan White