Grocery - Smart Shopping List Reviews

by Choreilly

We can’t have nice things. Why is it so hard to make a this app app? Why can’t I enter multiple Apple entries? There are many variations. I have to name the apples differently from the title to make this work. It should let me use the description to differentiate. Bad design. Why make the item update with one tap? I keep accidentally go into the item update screen. That’s really bad design. When at the this app store, Grocery should let me tap anywhere to cross out. Use 3D Touch for the item update process. Or use the swipe left-edit option. That’s iOS design 101. Geez. Where are the isle categorization? Where is the auto filtering options such as alphabetical? Why are all items added to multiple stores? In summary, this this app app is horribly designed. I can’t even say it’s a good start.

by Porfavornomas

Disappointed Grocery forces all of your lists at all stores to be the same unless you enable Grocery to use your reminders to set up different lists. So your list at the hardware store will have all of your groceries on it too...not much of a time saver if you have to scroll through all of your food items to see what you need for tools. For an app that claims to save you time, this is a serious limitation and a duplication of efforts (in other words, you could simply use your reminders as a shopping list in the first place without having to purchase an extra app that is going to force you to take the extra step of setting up lists in your reminders anyway). Reminders also lets you check them off and you don’t need to set them up twice. Rather disappointed that a shopping app does not enable you to edit the lists in Grocery per store without an extra (outside) step. Any shopper knows that “Carrots” and “carrots” are NOT the same thing because some stores will charge triple and you want your common this app items to be on the list for the store that will be the most cost effective for your family.

by LordZork

This has to be the most broken/buggy app I’ve used, at least the recipe portion of Grocery . I have spent hours trying to get one recipe created without having to deal with stuff not pasting, or Grocery crashing, or the recipe not saving, or any number of bizarre issues where something just doesn’t work.

I deleted and reinstalled Grocery multiple times. The biggest issues I’ve noticed are pasting, saving, snd syncing... all are broken most the time. I can’t tell you how maddening the “saving” experience is. I try to make any change to a recipe, hit save, and watch the little spinning thing up next to the Wi-Fi symbol… I leave the recipe and come back and none of the changes have taken. It’s beyond frustrating… a total waste of time.

This is sad, because Grocery looks great and has great potential, but it is just not usable. And it sure as heck isn’t worth any money in its current state... let-alone the premium price tag for premium features.

by TheNgbaka

Paid for the premium forever license because the features promised by Grocery are everything I would need or want in a this app app. Simply put you cannot share the lists you create with someone. The faq’s and how to’s explain how it is suppose to be done but the menu options that they say are there simply are not. I have taken screen shots and submitted to the developers for help but they do not reply. Even got a message saying they don’t reply. Wish I could get a refund. FYI: Everything else works but for my use of being able to share a list with my wife so either of us could add to it when needed or grab the items on the list when either of us stop at the store was a must. Complete waste of $30. If you need this feature do not buy.

by $uper$nake

Grocery itself is good. However, the premium is WAY too expensive for what it is. I mean, $4 a month? Or $30 lifetime? For a list app? Are you serious? I'd be willing to pay if it offered a continuous serviced like video content or weather data at the very least, but like I said, this is a list app. In addition to the not very useful premium features, it also has ads which you'll have to pay to remove BUT that payment falls within the same model. I'd haven been more than OK with paying like $5 one off for an ad-free experience. The way it is right now, I really don't see any value in Grocery . Shame really.

by Jpwinkle

I have to agree with a May 7 reviewer that, for me, success means I can make separate lists for different stores. I list an item & it appears on the list for each of the this app stores on the store list. My primary store doesn’t carry an item on my list. Another store has a sale with BOGO items I want to buy. Several factors account for shopping at multiple stores for items on my lists. If I cannot make my this app list specific for a certain store, then I must make a note which store beside which item? Not practical for me. In trying to figure this out, I became quite confused with the headings ‘store’ & ‘lists’, especially when tapping the header store/lists brought up a couple of the stores. I am pretty smart with a good thought process, so tapping the store & then the list would bring up the store & the list for that store. Your app is neat, nice looking, & convenient for many, but for me it isn’t doing the job unless I am somehow not seeing something staring me right in the face. Thank You. Jp

by Pulse Is A Minus

After spending an afternoon reviewing this app apps, this one looked the most promising. I love the idea of having a this app list I could share that was also accessible on my watch. The first problem encountered after subscribing was lists were not shared with others in my iCloud Family Sharing unit. They had their lists, I had mine. Entering a recipe from a scan was also maddening. Not only were steps and ingredients left out. Saving was extremely glitchy. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t. After about a half a dozen attempts trying different ways to scan (some of the page, all of the page), I gave up.

On the positive side, shopping with Grocery was pleasant. The interface is pleasing, checking off items on the watch was easy, and having lists separated for multiple stores worked well. I just wish all of the functions worked. Perhaps a future version will be better.

by Kristopher D.

This is a simple, no nonsense this app list app. Lists are easily created, maintained, and shared. Plus, the interface for Apple Watch is near perfect. Everything worked great at first, so I happily paid to support Grocery .

Unfortunately, over the last couple of weeks, Grocery stopped working as it should. When I mark an item on the list using my Apple Watch, it disappears, which is exactly what it should do. But a couple of minutes later when I check my list on my Apple Watch, the item is back. Sometimes I’m halfway through my shopping only to have everything reappear on my list. At first, I thought the problem was that I didn’t have my phone with me or had a bad cell connection. I tried with my phone on me, without my phone, connected to WiFi, using cell only, the result is the same. The funny thing is, it only does this on my Apple Watch. If I pull my phone out and use it instead, everything works fine. But the only reason I switched from Wunderlist to Grocery was for the Apple Watch functionality.

I have also noticed that shared lists don’t always update for the other users. This results in the minor inconvenience of having 3 packages of cheese or 5 containers of milk, because multiple people buy the same item on separate trips to the store.

I love the idea of a simple, task specific this app app. This would be perfect if the current issues are ironed out.

by Xhat1964

I’ll preface by saying I’ve just downloaded Grocery and am working through setup, so some more noodling on my part may make things clear. But initial impression is that Store setup is confusing AF. Instructions are minimal and written from the perspective of someone already intimate with the workings of Grocery . Somehow I wound up with two iCal DAV entries (or maybe two Reminders entries... It’s, like I said, confusing AF). Trying to do a this app list and it appears as though the second store I set up has become a kind of master store, underneath which the first store I set up is like a sub-store. Like I said, it’s confusing AF. Better instructions are needed, or perhaps, better presentation of stores. Good rules of thumb for instructions: 1) Assume the user does not have a high-level conceptual understanding of your app. The user didn’t design it, so won’t be intimate with the consequences of choosing setup options. 2) Include a how-to guide, with step-by-step instructions, rather than a 10,000-ft level overview of the process.

Update: cancelled subscription, deleted app. The interface with Reminders makes zero sense. I deleted the two stores I had initially set up so I could start over to understand the set up process. To my surprise, a whole other category of Reminders (all geo-fenced reminders with names of fav servers/bartenders at my favorite establishments) showed up as a Store/List. What the fuuu...??

by Bud Gibson

This is an update of my previous 2 star review where I complained that my premium subscription was not working at all. Now, it mainly is. Grocery is now very usable. M1 support is still a little janky in places (my two stores have not found their way over yet).

An app like this really has a place on an m1 mac. You can quickly jot up your shopping list and have that transfer all the way down to your watch. I'm glad the developer is paying attention to what can currently only be described as a niche use.

by Yelpster11

I was an early adopter and tipped the developers early on. I loved the Apple Watch syncing and the easy single list approach. I happily paid the annual fee to keep the dream alive. But I think since iOS 13 I t’s become the iTunes of this app lists. It’s bloated and trying to be both a cookbook and a list. Go back to basics and make a list that works for multiple stores and stop. Right now it’s far to busy, will not sync after several restarts and reinstalls. Please organize Grocery for regular people and not just computer scientists.
Edit: Almost all of my issues were resolved in May 2020 update. Thanks! It still needs to be simpler. Make separate lists for separate stores easier to set up. this app lists have been doing this for awhile. Come on almost there.
Edit 2.0:Grocery is now where it’s supposed to be! I can separate lists easily. Not sure if average users like to poke around settings but I do. Congrats!

by XXD4RK1Xx

So after fiddling with Grocery a bit, there definitely is a learning curve, though thankfully not a huge one. I love the feature to basically have recipes and to add all ingredients to the shopping list! I also like that the premium content can be purchased with a one time payment and has the inventory feature so I can record when things expire.
The only real issue i encountered is it seems as though you can’t paste words into Grocery when making a Step or Note for some reason. Honestly would be really handy to fix or add since it would make moving recipes over much easier.
Some features i would like to see are:
1. Syncing through Grocery itself and not requiring Reminders. I know Out of Milk does this somehow and it’d be great if Grocery could do it too.
2. A section in the Lists section to add a link to the weekly ads for this app stores.

by Ianbogue

I downloaded Grocery last night and wrote out a recipe. After figuring out how to do different things, it’s really quite easy and will provide a uniform experience through any future recipes I add/create. I haven’t had a ton of time to test the other features of Grocery (the this app list) but one thing that immediately stands out to me is that the only theme available without a subscription is a dark theme. I do use dark mode on my phone in the evening, but I believe in some environments like a bright kitchen, it would be much easier and faster on my eyes and brain to have a light mode offering as well.

This doesn’t seem to be the case on macOS. Maybe that’s a bug, but I really hope it isn’t cause it’s just kinda stupid.

by NOS4A2666

I have only been using Grocery for about 2-3 weeks now and I really like it. I would give it 5 stars but I have a couple of issues.
1. The screen always closes so I have to keep opening my phone. It would be great if Grocery would keep the phone on or at least give you the option to do that.
2. I have created different lists and stores and no matter what list or store I choose, Grocery always says “this app” in the upper left hand corner. I even deleted the default “this app” list. And it still say that. It would be nice if it said the name of the list or store you choose.
Thank you for a good and simple to use app. And it can only get better with a few simple tweaks.

by BCsJazz

I decided to check out this app as it offered a ‘Stores’ feature in the free version and in the current app I use that feature is only included in the Subscription version. I also was intrigued by the Machine Learning for sort order.
First off, I agree with the many other people here that felt Grocery is fairly difficult to figure out. In addition to the ML, it has a lot of settings for formatting your entries which did not fit with my way thinking about a this app list. I eventually figured out which setting the problem but still felt the UI was a bit too clumsy so it’s back to my old list app.

by Kubisuro

this app now has all the essentials for i[Pad]OS 13! It’s just a great as ever for collaborative shopping via a shared Reminders lists, the companion Watch app (keep phone in your pocket!), and smart sorting. Smart sorting works fine even with collaborative shopping. I really want to get into the Recipes feature... though that’ll take some effort on my part but at least I know that effort won’t be in the form of a proprietary format... it’ll be in MarkDown! Inventory looks promising and I’ll get back to you on that after a few months.

by E.M_

A fantastic app, yet you need to learn how to use it. The only thing that Grocery is missing during its planning is friendly UI but I don’t expect it to happen for quite some time as this will require for Grocery to go through an overhaul and perhaps it will be the third version of Grocery . With that said Grocery is amazing once you fiddle around and learn how the features work. You can actually set up what you need from each individual store (especially if you are price shopping or can only find certain items at a certain store). I must add that having the ability to set reminders on when things expire is a must have feature because if you aren’t like me having the time to clean out the fridge and pantry every week then this will make it easier to know what needs to be replaced or thrown away. These are just to name a few but two that I found to be lacking in most other “shopping” apps. Give Grocery a try and you will find something a feature that will benefit you.

To the the developers, it will be great if there was a section to add a link of the weekly ad at the this app store someone is shopping at.

by Shrrsn1

I love Grocery. I particularly loved the ability to add notes to each item, which I found useful for documenting prices of items. I thought it might be a really useful tool for remembering and comparing prices between one store and another. However, the problem with that idea was Grocery doesn’t remember the notes I take. So, if I had a suggestion it would be to remember the notes I take about items, and to sort that memory by whichever store I have selected. That one detail would really make Grocery worth $2 or $3 for me.

by Perspicacious3

I’m using Grocery to work on being vegan - keeping track of recipes, ingredients, this app lists, and meal planning. Grocery is almost too smart sometimes: one thing I would like fixed is that I can’t easily copy and paste url or web page info about ingredients. I like to keep track of their health benefits for when I want to make my own recipes. I make the ingredient profile as a new recipe and try to add a note where I copy and paste the information from a website/other website links. When I click paste, I just get a pop up telling me that this app lasted from Safari, but no text appears - just a new item on my this app list of the relevant ingredient.

by Jubesz

Grocery is fantastic at what it does and I especially appreciate that it uses Reminders as the back-end data store. This makes sharing easy. Many of the reviews here which are complaining about items, lists, and stores are from not learning how to use Grocery . For me, what works is I have a this app list and a Hardware Store list. The this app list has two stores (the two nearest locations of H-E-B are what I use). When I shop, I select the store in Grocery that corresponds to the store location I’m at and voila! The this app items are sorted in the order I typically go through the store. Obviously, this works best when you tend to go through a store location the same way each time. Likewise, my hardware store list has a Blue store and and Orange store each corresponding to the hardware store chains bearing the respective titular colors.

Great app!

by Sonali86

I used Grocery for quite sometime and the biggest issue I found is that once you buy an item and you check off, the item disappears from the list. So every week you have to create your list from scratch.
Also, it’s not intelligent enough to categorize your items example dairy, cleaning supplies, fresh produce, etc. it doesn’t do by itself.
It also messes up with your iPhone’s Reminder app. I don’t know what but it tries to sync with that or something.
AnyList app is Awesome! It strikes off the item and is still there so you can click it again and it will remove the strike. Also it categorizes all items by itself and you can also create your own category.

by CruisingCats4

Grocery was absolutely perfect for me. It was a simple, easy to use app that was very intuitive. Now they have turned it into a subscription or you have to suffer through ads on your list. I’m NOT paying a yearly subscription. Especially since the main reason for it is to import recipes. I use Paprika for my recipes, which syncs with my iPhone, computer and iPad and is incredibly customizable and allows pictures of my recipes. Grocery does not even sync with my computer, so why in the world would I want to use it for recipes? Answer, I don’t. I just want a this app list that is similar to a piece of paper that I can take to the store and check off the items as I buy them. One that is without ads!

by Dude412

I mean, the idea is pretty good. It seems the goal is to create a slightly more efficient and accessible wast to create a this app list rather than just create a Note or put in a reminder, and it does that to some degree. But one of the main reasons I got this was that it also separated the list by store, so that you essentially had a shopping list for each store you wanted to go to. So far as my experience goes, it doesn’t do that. I hope they rectify that soon, because if not, I am most certainly deleting Grocery . Writing down my own this app list is really not that difficult and there’s no reason to use Grocery if it can’t do what a handwritten list can.

by Suitesis

Tried Grocery on my watch and though it was convenient and easy to use, I don't like how items show up on all lists (maybe when I can get milk and bananas at REI, I'll feel differently). And sharing the list - just wow. What a huge PITA. We went round and round with this for about an hour and finally just gave up. I would think a person shouldn't have to be IT or even super tech-savvy to figure this out; apparently Apple feels differently. Even the how to videos in the FAQ section were no help as they showed what to do to a certain point and then displayed a picture with some Asian language writing on it. Guess I'll just stick with Out of Milk.

by Brett123123123

I should also let you know I've started using shared reminders on iOS and it works magically with your this app app. I have shared my this app list with my wife and installed your app on her phone so we have a shared this app list without having to do anything complicated. It also allows me to add things from my computer without having any extra apps or websites.

Gets the job of this app lists done in an elegant way without getting in my way!

by Ryandun101

This is exactly what I was looking for, for my Apple Watch .... I love the idea of typing on tablet/phone and the just checking off the list with my watch as I go through the store ... I don’t even mind the ads ... they’re non-intrusive and actually have checked out several of the ads and have made a few purchases .... use Grocery on a regular basis and have had no issues ... I tell Siri to add something and it does without issues.