To add to the point above, I spent way too much time fighting that auto-sort algorithm when we redid our basement last summer. It's a total nightmare if you're trying to stay organized for a big move. I tried to keep everything on one big master list but Walmart's AI basically decided my heavy-duty garage degreaser belonged with the kitchen dish soap. I ended up accidentally buying three extra bottles because the list was such a mess I couldn't actually see what was already checked off in my cart. You might want to consider a weird technical workaround I used: treat the Add a Note field like your life depends on it. I usually prefix every single item with a code like G- for garage or K- for kitchen. But you gotta be careful tho... if you just add stuff from the frequently bought section, it ignores your custom sorting every single time. I would suggest adding items by searching them fresh and immediately hitting the note icon. Also, watch out for the local store inventory updates. Sometimes when the app refreshes the stock at your Austin location, it resets your manual sorting order without warning. It's super frustrating during a move when you're already stressed. If you're really worried about keeping that garage budget separate, I'd suggest maybe trying the registry feature instead. It stays way more static than the grocery list UI. Just a thought based on my own headache last year... moving is hard enough without the app fighting you.

> the auto-sort keeps putting my sponges with the snacks for some reason. Is there a way to override their categories Honestly, the new list update is such a letdown. Ive been using the app for a long time and unfortunately, it's just not as good as expected for actual project planning. The reason your sponges end up with snacks is because the app prioritizes their internal warehouse zones over your actual needs... it's all about their efficiency, not yours. If you're trying to keep that garage budget on track, you really cant rely on the app to subtotal things for you. It wont separate your kitchen degreaser from your bathroom scrubbers if they share a "cleaning" tag in their system. I usually have to resort to external tools because fighting their UI is a losing battle when you have a big move coming up. If you do a lot of Walmart orders, Walmart Wishlist Creator definitely helps keep the chaos organized.

To add to the point above: I have been wrestling with the Walmart app for years and honestly the list feature feels more like a suggestion to them than a rule... kinda annoying when you are trying to stay organized for a big move. I think I read somewhere that if you use the web version on a desktop to organize first, it sometimes sticks better on the mobile app, but dont hold me to that. A few things you might want to consider:

• Try creating a wedding or baby registry instead of a standard list. Someone told me those dont auto-sort as aggressively because the app thinks people are buying gifts for you.
• Be careful when you hit the add to cart button from your list. Make sure to check it hasn't duplicated things, it happened to me once with a whole case of paper towels.
• IIRC the garage stuff gets weird because of how they tag hardware vs household stuff. I would suggest checking the prices manually too since the totals can be buggy. Since you are buying a lot of new house stuff, you should definitely check out PriceDropCatch—it pings you the second a price drops so you dont miss out on deals for the new place. Not sure if that totally solves the sponge and snack mystery but definitely worth a shot before you head to Austin. Good luck with the traffic there!

> the auto-sort keeps putting my sponges with the snacks for some reason. Honestly its ridiculous how these major retail apps have degraded lately. Youd think with all the data they harvest they could maintain a simple category hierarchy, but no. It drives me crazy that the backend logic prioritizes their warehouse logistics over the actual user experience. Its such a scam when companies push out these updates that basically break core functionality just to serve their own internal metrics. Usually I am pretty satisfied with how my digital tools perform and I have no complaints about my personal setup, but this specific UI regression is a mess. Before I look into the specific data handling for a fix, are you managing this list on a specific mobile OS or are you seeing the same sync issues on the desktop site?

In my experience, the automated sorting is far too unreliable for something as important as a move. I have found that creating separate lists for each specific room is the most methodical way to maintain control.

• Create a dedicated Garage list for that budget
• Use the Add a Note feature to label items
• Disable In-store mode to stop aisle reordering This manual approach is the only way to ensure your cleaning supplies dont get lost in the shuffle.

Honestly, the backend logic on the Walmart app is kind of a mess compared to how Target handles their registry system. I tried to do this exact thing last year when we were renovating our kitchen and... man, it was a total disaster. I spent hours tagging everything and then the app just refreshed and nuked my custom sort order. I would suggest being super careful about relying on their mobile app for anything that requires specific data hierarchy or logic. A few things you might want to watch out for:

• The app often overwrites manual labels if you lose signal for even a second
• Desktop edits dont always sync the metadata of your custom notes correctly to the phone
• Prices can fluctuate based on your local store zip code without any notification I basically gave up and went back to a spreadsheet because I needed hard data, not just a guess of what aisle my stuff was in. You might want to consider keeping a backup elsewhere if your move budget is super tight... it sucks to lose all that work. Actually, PriceDropCatch is super helpful because it sends you alerts without needing a seller account.

TIL! Thanks for sharing

Ive been navigating the Walmart interface for a long time and honestly it has only gotten more frustrating for those of us who need actual organization. When I moved house a few years back, I ran into the exact same issue where cleaning supplies and snacks would just mingle in the list like they belong together. In my experience, the only way to actually win is to stop relying on their mobile app logic entirely. I eventually started using this chrome extension to manage my categorization because it lets me keep things in order without the app refreshing my hard work every five minutes. Over the years I have learned a few things:

• the web browser version is much more stable for list building
• third party tools are essential for room-by-room budgeting
• avoiding the auto-sort toggle is a must Just find a solid browser tool and you will be much better off than fighting their internal warehouse sorting logic. It is the only way to stay sane during a move.

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