Top Shopper Accessories

Advice on where to park downtown, on managing the meat counter, and on finding foreign food are just a few of the pieces of advice Shoppers have found incredibly helpful. But what other tips and tricks would make Shopping easier?

Read on to learn about accessories that Shoppers have found can take their experience to another level.

Phone Lanyards

The biggest benefits: hands-free picking and faster shopping speeds. Scan your shopping list and then just drop and go. Pushing your cart and finding multiple quantity products is much easier with two hands.

This is so simple and effective you’ll wonder why you’ve not done this before! Forget balancing your phone on your cart, sticking it in your back pocket, leaving it in the produce section or in the freezer (it can happen to even the best Shoppers)…when you’re done scanning — — just release and go!

Pro Tips:

• If you decide to buy a lanyard style mobile case, be sure to check that the lanyard attachment is at the bottom of the phone so you can use your camera. Having the cord at the top makes it awkward to use.
• Some cameras are in the center or to the side of devices. Check that your lanyard does not block the camera on your particular phone.
• Check that the cord is long enough to help you scan items.
• At regular or self-checkout, you’ll want to ensure your lanyard still allows easy access to those checkout cards.
• Are you musical? You can repurpose a saxophone lanyard — — it’s short but comfortable.

When I was a shopper, a lanyard was the first thing I bought — trust me — put an end to dropping your phone, shattering the screen and looking like a circus juggler!

If you’ve not seen the green Instacart lanyard or are interested — — let us know today!

Payment Card Lanyards

An easy way to speed up the checkout process is to have your payment card at hand.

Punch a hole in your payment card. Safe zones on the card are anywhere away from the magnetic strip or holographic images.

Pro Tips:

• If you really want to look like a pro and drop easy seconds in the process, look into retractable badge holders.
• All you need to do is loop the back attachment to your current lanyard and then put the plastic badge holder clasp through the hole on your payment card. You may need to punch an additional hole to make it large enough to fit.

Now you can wear everything together and at checkout it’s as easy as — — retract, swipe and release.

Cup Holder or Carabiner

Shopping is thirsty work but bottles, coffee cups and drinks take up precious space in your cart. A quick and easy solution: add a removable cup holder or carabiner to your shopping cart.

Pro Tips:

• Water bottles often come with a loop attachment. Grab a carabiner and fix your bottle to your cart.
• I’ve even seen some Shoppers attach cup holders to their shopping cart — truly thinking of out of the box!

Headphones

There will be times when you need to communicate with your customers and shopper support, and chatting with the device to your head is not as efficient as using headphones.

Here’s how headphones can help you communicate so much better:

• You can see the name of your customer so you know who to ask for when calling or to refer to when talking to a shopper support representative
• You can see what replacements you have made in case the customer refers to other changes in their order
• You can stay hands-free
• You can continue shopping
• You can scan and talk with your customer so they can see live changes at their end.
• You can take photos and send them to your customer to help them understand what you are looking at on the shelf

Pro Tips:

• Cut back on cords dangling and wrapping around your cart — this can damage your headphones, you can lose them (take it from someone who knows) not to mention the comedy that happens when your cord gets caught on another shopping cart.
• Wireless headphones connect via bluetooth to most devices. If your phone supports this, why not try going cordless and streamlined at your next shift. There are many varieties to choose from and you’ll look pretty cool in the process.

Personal Chargers

If there’s at least one thing from this top ten that is highly recommended for every shopper, a personal charger sits right at the top of that list.

Investing in a personal charger will make or break your day. No longer will you be looking at that large order and the ominous red battery life indicator dwindling before your very eyes.

Do yourself a huge favor and minimize the stress of losing battery life just when you need it the most!

Pro Tips:

• They come in different sizes, power capacity, some are solar powered and come in funky designs. Some will even tell you how much battery life the charger has left.

Bump Case

For that extra power splurge that continues to give your phone added staying power without the cords, you might want to consider a bump case.

Pro Tips:

• Remember weight can be a factor
• Do you want to use a mobile device with a lanyard case? A better option could be a personal charger.
• Check how much of a power boost your bump case provides

Comfy Shoes

Picking a great pair of shoes will not only add to your comfort level; it will also increase your stamina and shopping enjoyment.

by Devin Avery on Unsplash

Pro Tips:

• There are shoes that are designed specifically for work. If you didn’t know this already, they are so comfortable and allow you to stand and walk for many hours. Good for knee and joint impact as well as putting a spring in your step.
• I can’t stress how much of a difference it makes investing in a pair of supportive and comfortable shoes can be. Do your research…you won’t be disappointed.

Crossbody Bag or Fanny Pack

Carrying a heavy weight around with you is something else you want to avoid. Think light, compact and easy to carry. Crossbody bags or fanny packs are perfect to carry your essentials such as a spare battery pack, snacks and candies.

Personal Hand Sanitizer

For those rare occasions the meat or fish packet is less than secure, the melon container is super sticky or that bulk item was a bit dusty, carrying a small personal sanitizer will keep hands clean throughout your Shopping experience. Use it to keep you going until you get chance to wash your hands with soap and water before the next batch.

Pro Tips:

• Most handy sized sanitizers are small enough to pop in your pocket or bag. Look out for the ones that have attachments to make it easy to fix to the outside of your bag for quick access when you need it the most.

Mobile Case

A mobile case is another accessory in the arsenal of gadgets to make you a top shopping pro.

Think waterproof protection! Have you ever stood in the produce section, about to lean over for a handful of cilantro? All of a sudden, the irrigation system springs into life at exactly that moment, lightly refreshing not only the produce, but your device and hands as well?

Trust me: wet hands and electronics are not only annoying, but can slow you down whilst you find something to dry off with.

Pro Tips:

• Mobile cases come in various designs for every model and make. They are hard, durable and add life to your phone.
• No more cracked screens, wet phones and if you drop your phone (why are you still not wearing a lanyard, by the way) it’ll just bounce and survive the fall.
• Don’t want to go full on case? Screen protectors that affix to your screen also do an amazing job. They are lightweight and don’t impact using the touchscreen.
• Check that both protectors and cases are fingerprint friendly and have finger sensing capabilities. You want to protect your phone, but not slow yourself down in the process.

If you incorporate at least a few — — if not all these tips and tricks — — you’ll be a Shopping pro in no time.

Julia Versluis
Site Manager, Miami