Tips for organising your shopping

Who hasn’t been there? You’re happily pushing your shopping trolley along, you’ve done a great shop… and when you get home, you discover that the bread hasn’t survived the avalanche of tins and milk cartons. Today on the Garmol blog, we’re here to bring some order. Literally. Because organising your shopping well in your trolley not only makes your life easier, it also helps you consume more consciously and sustainably. So if you’re also in ‘order before chaos’ mode, here are some tips for organising your shopping like a true professional… in shopping, of course.

1. Before you leave: prepare your allies

Organising your shopping properly starts at home. Planning ahead how you are going to transport your purchases saves you that typical moment of ‘where am I going to put all this?’ and prevents you from having to buy bags at the last minute.

Nowadays, there are several ways to carry your shopping home:

1. In large backpacks or sturdy bags.
   
2. In folding boxes or baskets.
   
3. And, our favourite: in a good shopping trolley that is comfortable, sustainable and made to last.
   

Just by using a shopping trolley, you are already choosing a more sustainable, practical and environmentally friendly option. If you want to take your organised and eco-friendly shopping a step further, you can bring reusable cloth bags for small fruits or delicate products (such as cherry tomatoes or strawberries), and some Tupperware containers for fresh products such as cheese, ham or meat. This way, you’ll avoid single-use bags from the deli or greengrocer’s, and your food will stay fresher for longer.

And, of course, choose your shopping trolley wisely, because not all are the same. Ideally, you should opt for a sturdy and durable one like the ones we manufacture at Garmol, and if it has compartments such as a cooler bag, it will help you keep your shopping well organised. What’s more, models such as our Jumbo Fresc0* are perfect because they also have a lower tray that allows you to separate food from cleaning products, and you can even carry cold products in its handy rear cooler bag.

2. Logical order in the trolley: yes, just like Tetris

No, this isn’t just about throwing things in any old way. If you want your shopping to arrive home intact and with some dignity, follow this order when placing items in the trolley:

1. At the bottom: the heaviest items. Think cartons, bottles, tins, bulk chickpeas… Anything that could crush other items and cause a disaster.
   
2. In the middle: packaged goods, yoghurts, refrigerated products, hygiene or cleaning products.
   
3. At the top: delicate items. Bread, eggs, ripe fruit and that bag of crisps you grabbed at the last minute… This way you’ll protect them as if they were made of glass!
   
4. ⚠️ Be careful with this: for safety and hygiene reasons, it is recommended that you keep cleaning products and chemicals away from food. If your trolley has separate compartments, such as the Jumbo Travel or Jumbo Fresc0* (with a cooler bag), use them to create a physical barrier between them and avoid possible contamination or unexpected spills.
   

A little organisation in your trolley saves you from nasty surprises and makes putting away your shopping when you get home much easier and quicker.

3. From shopping to home: maintaining the chain (and order)

When you get home, the second challenge begins: unpacking and organising the pantry and fridge. Here are some tips:

• First things first: store fresh and frozen items as soon as you get home. The cold chain is sacred.
  
• Organise your pantry by type: cereals with cereals, preserves with preserves, snacks on the temptation shelf (yes, we know you have one). If you keep everything organised, you’ll know when a product is running low and you can add it to your list before you run out. Because there’s nothing worse than reaching for that last piece of chocolate… and discovering that someone (ahem, yourself) ate it three days ago.
  
• Little tricks for your pantry:
  
  • Don’t put potatoes next to onions: one accelerates the ripening of the other and they spoil sooner.
    
  • Apples should be kept away from other ripe fruits because they emit ethylene, which accelerates ripening, but they are ideal for ripening bananas or avocados.
    

Good organisation at home saves you time and money and prevents food waste. And yes, it also gives you a visual treat when you open the pantry and everything is in its place.

4. Which trolley should I buy? Choose with your head and your heart, and think about your daily routine!

Not all trolleys are the same. To find the right one for you, before you rush out to buy a trolley, ask yourself these questions:

• Do you climb stairs every day or are there hills on your way to the market?
  → Opt for a stair-climbing trolley so that shopping doesn’t end up being a workout.
  
• Do you live alone or do you have to fill the fridge for an army?
  → For large purchases, choose a large-capacity model. For small, quick purchases, compact trolleys are great.
  
• Do you do a weekly shop or do you shop almost every day?
  → Four-wheeled push trolleys are ideal for large purchases. If you prefer something basic and lightweight, choose a two-wheeled model.
  
• And if space is an issue at home… don’t worry:
  → Foldable models are your best bet.
  

In this blog post, you can find a complete guide to choosing your ideal trolley.

Conclusion: if you organise yourself well, your shopping will go twice as far.

👉 If you take anything away from this post, let it be this:

• Plan before you leave (trolley, bags, containers).
  
• Organise your trolley: heavy items at the bottom, fragile items at the top, cleaning products separate.
  
• At home, keep things tidy and maintain the cold chain.
  

Because yes, shopping doesn’t have to be chaotic… with these tips for organising your shopping, you’ll be a supermarket pro!