How to shop for groceries during the coronavirus pandemic

Grocery shopping has become a dangerous, but necessary errand as COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus outbreak, continues to spread throughout the U.S. and beyond. 

These days, instead of popping into the store for some milk, eggs, and bread, you have to gear up with gloves, a cloth mask, and an arsenal of hand sanitizer and wipes. And you have to do this all while attempting to stay more than six feet away from other shoppers and workers.

So don’t expect grocery shopping to return to the unhurried, laid-back affair it was once anytime soon. But if you arrive prepared, it can at least be a more efficient process. 

Plan, plan, plan

Give yourself plenty of time to account for crowds and crowd control measures as some markets are only allowing a certain number of people inside at a time or have set aside certain times of day for older shoppers. Lines may also feel longer than usual with six-feet spacing between shoppers. And that’s okay — the reason shopping is much slower now is to maximize your safety. 

Once you’ve accepted the shopping process will take longer than usual, you can really start to plan. 

Even if going on a daily grocery trip gives you purpose and a much-needed escape from your cramped apartment, try to minimize how often you’re going. This requires meal planning and inventory checks of your pantry, fridge, and cabinets. It also means you should stock up on basics.

List out everything 

Once you’ve got a menu going for the next few days or week, figure out exactly what you need. You can divide your list up by sections like “dairy,” “produce,” and “dry goods.” Clearly mark which items are must-haves and those you can do without, like pine nuts for a pesto sauce or dried cranberries for a DIY trail mix. And as an extra step, plug in substitutes you’re willing to accept, like soy milk instead of almond milk.

Now that brings us to some essential “hacks.”

Download the right tools

Recipe and grocery shopping apps do a lot of the legwork for you. The top grocery list apps on the Apple App Store, like AnyList and Mealime, let you share lists with family members, incorporate meal planning, and other helpful features.

You can also make your own list using any note-taking apps on your phone, or use something like a Google Doc or Sheet. The built-in “Notes” app on iOS lets you share notes and even allows multiple people to edit the list if they want to add in their favorite items. 

For those concerned about safety at the grocery store, transfer your list to a piece of paper. This way you can keep your dirty phone in your pocket and out of your hands. That screen is a perfect gathering place for germs and potentially the novel coronavirus. 

Divide and conquer

We may be social distancing, but if you live in a household with others, make grocery shopping a team effort. Maybe your partner can take all the frozen and refrigerated items while you hit up the produce section. Pick a meeting time and place if you want to check out together, or simply meet at the parking lot or exit. 

Shop smart

If you know the general layout of your local supermarket, plan ahead to make your trip as efficient as possible. Visit the produce section, dairy aisle, then cereal section, and, finally, the butcher area only once during each shopping trip.

Your shopping lists will come in handy for this, especially if organized by category. 

You can still shop the sales and coupons during this time, but that’ll add another layer of frustration, especially with many items out of stock or in limited supply. Digital data and market research company Luth Research found in a late March report that 45 percent of consumers surveyed say they are spending more on groceries than before the pandemic. So if you’re price-conscious, use apps like those from Target or Safeway that hunt down sale items and coupons. 

Just don’t go

If you can get an online grocery delivery to come to your house, you can avoid the store altogether. A recent Adobe Analytics consumer survey found online grocery shopping in the U.S. jumped 100 percent in daily sales in mid-March as compared to the first week of the same month.

Grocery delivery app Instacart has tips to use its app (or others like it) during this high-demand time, too, mostly revolving around long delivery times, partial orders, and a lot of substitutions. Take advantage of the replacement option, possibly for every item on your list since a lot of goods are hard to track down.

Another option: Forgo meal prep and pick up or order food from restaurants through Uber Eats, Seamless, DoorDash, and others, or directly from eateries that are offering new delivery options during social distancing.

And remember: For every trip you don’t have to make to a store or restaurant, someone is doing that risky work for you. Recognize and appreciate that — all delivery apps have a tip option and cash is always accepted.