Who has time to write things down on a pad of paper anymore?! When I need to add something to my grocery list I prefer to walk downstairs to the kitchen, rummage around in the junk drawer for my SmartShopper device, make sure it has fresh batteries, turn it on, press the record button, say “Apples,” say “Apples” again because it thought I said “Mantles,” and then make sure to remember to print out my list before I leave for the store.
The SmartShopper is an automated grocery list assistant that costs $149.99 and requires four, AA batteries. It can be mounted on your wall and it comes with three rolls of thermal paper (similar to receipt paper). You print out your list, which is categorized by grocery department, and save yourself up to 15 minutes at the store according to a testimonial on the SmartShopper Web page.
SmartShopper faces stiff competition from OfficeMax, who sells the Cambridge 6" x 9" Yellow Steno Book for approximately $147 less. It features extra-smooth heavyweight bond paper, a durable protective cover, 140 sheets of legal ruled paper, and a stiff back for easier writing. It doesn’t require any batteries or talking, but you will have to organize your list by grocery department manually.