Do you know how often you touch each grocery item before you get it home where it belongs?  Six times.

1. Item taken from the shelf and put into the cart.
2. Item taken from the cart and put on the conveyor belt or self-checkout to the bag.
3. Bag of items was put into the cart again.
4. Bag of items was taken from the cart and put into the car.
5. Bag taken from the car and carried into your home.
6. Items were taken out of the bags and put where they belong (pantry, cabinet, refrigerator, or freezer).

That’s not a great example of the “Touch It Once Principle.”  While some stores and apps are addressing this issue, it doesn’t hurt to have a grocery helper!

For this helper to be helpful, you must do some prep work.  A) Arrange-Arrange the places where you put groceries in the appropriate but practical order, and B)Bags- Either ask the cashier or bagger, or you fill the bags so they can carry them.  They can’t carry many things, but making the bags less full gives them the ability to help you.

When you arrive home, have them help you unload the car, AND let them put the items where they belong.  Begin with items in one area (like lower shelves in the pantry).  Then, gradually add more and more as they seem to accomplish the job.  Take care not to overwhelm them.

This exercise is perfect for cognitive processing and learning taxonomy order as they start categorizing each item and putting it where it belongs.