Help’s On The Way For Harried Shoppers

As supermarkets have spread out from the 15,000- to 25,000-square-foot range into airy realms of 40,000 to 70,000 square feet and sometimes larger, shoppers have been wowed with the diversity.

But hurried customers have also begun to complain about the difficulty of tracking down some basic necessities, as well as elusive delicacies.

Nearly three years ago, Arlington inventor George Plumly said he had the solution.

Now, Plumly is rolling out his ItemLocator, a tough, 2.5-inch-diameter, clear plastic cylinder that can be attached to the handle of any standard grocery cart.

Cheap 8-by-11-inch paper and advertising fliers are easily inserted and changed out in the cylinder’s two locked sections, and it rotates for easy viewing.

On one side, it can give the shopper an easy-to-read store aisle guide for up to about 500 generic product categories, Plumly says. On the other, it can be used as paid advertising space for national brands or store specials.