Map Your Local Store

Mapping your store is the foundation of everything Map Your Store does. Once you have a map, Map Your Store can calculate optimized routes, match items to aisles, and guide you through the store. This guide walks you through the entire process from start to finish.

Prerequisites

• A Map Your Store account
• Basic familiarity with the store you want to map (you should know the general layout)
• A desktop or tablet is recommended for the drawing tools, though mobile works too

Steps

1. Create a new store. From the Stores page, tap "Add Store." Enter the store's name (e.g., "Kroger on Main St") and its street address. Map Your Store will place a pin on the map at the store's location.

2. Draw the store boundary on the map. Use the drawing tool to outline the perimeter of the store. Click or tap to place points along the outer walls, then close the shape. This boundary tells Map Your Store where the store begins and ends. It does not need to be perfect -- a rough outline works fine.

3. Add aisles using templates or custom shapes. This is where you lay out the interior of the store:

   • Templates -- Map Your Store includes 10 pre-built aisle templates for common layouts (standard aisle, produce section, deli counter, etc.). Select a template, then place it on the map and resize as needed.
   • Custom shapes -- Use the line or polygon drawing tools to draw aisles in any shape. This is useful for irregular layouts like curved produce sections or L-shaped deli areas.

4. Label each aisle with its name and category. After placing an aisle, give it a descriptive name (e.g., "Aisle 3" or "Bakery Wall") and assign a category from the list: produce, dairy, bakery, meat, frozen, beverages, snacks, canned goods, and more. These categories help Map Your Store match your shopping list items to the right location.

5. Set aisle types. Each aisle can be one of three types:

   • Regular aisle -- A standard shopping aisle or section.
   • Entrance -- Where customers enter the store. Mark at least one entrance so Map Your Store knows where your route starts.
   • Checkout -- The registers at the front of the store. Mark these so your route ends here.

6. For multi-floor stores: add floor transitions. If the store has multiple levels, add floor transitions to connect them. Place elevator or staircase markers at the locations where customers move between floors. Map Your Store will include these transitions in route calculations.

7. Optional: overlay a store floorplan image and trace over it. If you have a floorplan image (from the store's website or a photo of the directory sign), you can overlay it on the map:

   • Upload the image using the Image Overlay tool.
   • Position and resize it to align with the map.
   • Trace over the aisles in the image for an accurate layout.
   • Remove the overlay when you are done.

8. Save and test by running a route optimization. When your map looks complete, save it. Then add a few items to your shopping list, select this store, and run a route optimization. Walk through the generated route visually to make sure it follows sensible paths. If anything looks off, go back and adjust your aisle placements.

Tips

• Start with the boundary, then entrances and checkouts, then aisles. This gives you the frame of the store before filling in the details.
• You do not need to map every single shelf. Focus on the major aisles and sections. Map Your Store can still generate good routes from a simplified map.
• Use the grid overlay to help align aisles in a neat, evenly-spaced layout.
• Undo and redo are available if you make a mistake while drawing. Use them freely.
• Community contributions: If your store is marked as public, other shoppers can propose edits and improvements through the proposal system.

What's Next

• Optimize Your Route -- Put your new store map to work with route optimization.
• Track Prices -- Start logging prices at this store to build a history.
• Share Lists with Family -- Share your shopping list with others who shop at the same store.