Yeah I’m trying to remember how we used to do it (the last time I went through a normal checkout with a full shop was probably 10 years ago) and this seems right.
Gotta have the heavy stuff handy so you can put it straight into the bottom of the bags. Anything else is wasting time!
Unfortunately that link doesn’t help much. Currently among the list of “recommended instances” (followed by a claim that it “doesn’t matter” which of these you choose) are a French-speaking instance, a crypto instance, and an anime instance. Hardly welcoming places for your average person, unless you happen to be a French crypto bro looking for porn in which case you are definitely well catered for.
OP might not have all the details worked out but their point is a good one, and it’s an issue on Mastodon as well. It’s all well and good having a one-liner description about each instance but it can be quite a trawl to find the actual important info you need to make a decision.