My mother who is fully blind usually goes shopping with an assistant (i.e. friend/member of the family). But aside from that she has always found the staff in John Lewis and Waitrose (UK stores) to be extremely helpful, she's been shopping in both for years. She can walk into the either and without prompt the staff will swoop on her, give her an arm and help her buy whatever she needs. Outstanding customer service frankly, needless to say she rarely chooses to shop anywhere else.

In no particular order:
- online shopping.
- friend goes for me.
- my guide dog remembers where items I want are (works great until they shuffle things around).
- I have a little vision, tend to shop by colour and shape (have bought entirely wrong items when brands change packaging).
- use phone camera to zoom in on products.

My fiance always has to get support from an assistant, sometimes resulting in him buying the wrong thing because the assistant is not paying attention. For example yesterday he asked for 2 pints of milk and ended up with two 4 pint cartons. Ffs.

Thanks to covid he has discovered the magic of online shopping. The shop he uses seems to be fully accessible as he has never needed my help with their website.

Simple answer... They have someone else do it. My best friend whos 100% blind and has no vision usually sends his home health aide to the store with a list.

He's very particular where things are placed in cupboards, cabinets and the fridge/freezer, but he puts everything away himself.

I sometimes take him myself to the store and we cruise all over the store and i explain things to him and their prices (hes better at calculating tax so constantly teases me when i say, "well this $2.99 thing will probably be like three bucks"), but mostly he says he likes to stay home (right now due to where he lives and the fact hes diabetic he stays home) and lets other people do his shopping.

Very slowly - I hate grocery shopping like cooking - blue apron fan

I leave all the shopping to my mother, both because she has it easier but also because she won't let me do it. She's getting old though, and might not be able to continue doing it for very long. I've already had this conversation with her, but she'd rather bother my sister who doesn't even live with us than let me do it. In the rare occasions I went out to do some shopping I asked the staff to escort me, but now with COVID it's hard to justify the risk.

Online shopping would be great, but since unfortunately we don't have anything like the ADA here in Portugal, and the only blind association we have here doesn't really do much to fight for our cause, nobody really cares about providing accessible services. Fortunately services like Uber Eats are accessible and beginning to fill the void.

Grocery shopping is pretty functional and I think we'd do it online anyway.

There is a wider issue with shopping in general, browsing, wandering around to find out what's available, and that is something I cannot do and it is not great. That's one thing I miss and I will never sugar coat it.

I’m VI/partially sighted and honestly shopping in an actual shop is a nightmare to me. When they introduced grocery deliveries it was like a gift from the Gods. I can get by in a real store, but I struggle to check for prices, find what I’m looking for, pick the correct item, the correct version of an item etc etc. I just find it very difficult. I can make it happen, but deliveries are still infinitely better.

I have a list, I go to the store, I do badly at sticking to my list or remembering there even is a list. Pretty similar to most sighted people. ;)

I know recently facebook did a tech competition and the winner was someone who invented a google nest sized item and similar interface that is on the trolley of that specific supermarket and is programmed for that specific layout, you can sync your shopping list to it and it will tell you where on the aisle things are. Would be great of that rolled out

Walk in store. Demand they help me. Haha! Okay not demand rather ask for help but you could almost perceive it like demanding I have a very bold out there assertive sort of pushy personality. Some stores they literally take centuries and you have to be assertive and say something and push for it target and walmart is the worse. I can be very on your ass so I get someone. If you push enough people will work for you. I’ve directly brought up the ADa at some of the tougher stores. Some of the vons chains a pavillians I go to can be really difficult to get help. Last time was the quickest and the guy was decently friendly.

I demand I must go with them sometimes I ask you have this in store right. Sometimes they want to run off and it’s like no I will go with you. So we go.

We pick out items I sometimes ask so how do you sell this how much is it. What is the expiration date. Most are friendly enough and will pick out the latest one some will look and just tell you. But if it’s too soon they’re like let me find one that is later. Do you want me to get one that’s later. If fruits I ask them to look at it and is it good quality does it look fresh most of them are honest and pick out the best basket of fruit or whatever produce it is.

Most of them do this well sometimes there’s really obscure labeling. We have a fairly good time we do casual talking or I will make jokes when there’s problems. I joked about the obscure labeling. I keep getting the same guy at sprouts and we joke about that he lives there and I will demand for him because I know it’s sprouts he lives at. Sometimes we talk about the food and how good it is. I have a good appetite and very sensory and pragmatic. I know how to eat. I can make them hungry for sure haha!

Rins and repeat. That’s how I shop.

Then we go check out I say I am done or I joke well I don’t need to buy out the store/dessert/drink isles anymore. Or I don’t need to run the bank. Hahaha! So we check out I give my card to them at the check out they swipe it and then I get them to help me to the door before the virus sometimes a bus stop.

To answer your nonblind question yes literally. Stores are set up as a sales tactic visually. Why do they put the good stuff in very accessible places to the eye. Yes literally for you to see it and buy it up. They put the goodies and snacks and stuff at the front for that reason. Advertising sales tactics. I think I learnt this in my com class persuasion section and about advertising I think.

It recognizes all print. The colors make no difference when reading

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I do Wal-Mart pickup and love it. I can browse for what I want and don't need to worry about getting dragged around a store. I can shop at my own pace and pick a time to pick up that works for me and the person that takes me to get it.

I hate shopping in a store as I can no longer browse. Online I can read everything I need from descriptions to the nutrition facts. When I still had partial sight that is different but now that I am totally blind this is what works best for me.

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I guess this has been beat to death, but my husband also uses assistance. He has some vision and can find some things by memory. We always buy the same products, and always shop at the same couple of stores. He hates when they change packaging, or don't label low-fat or whatever well. We have thrown away multiple pounds of unsalted butter. We shop together always, he drives the cart because it gives him a way to be useful and then the only person he has to pay attention to is me. He picks up the heavy stuff.

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