Only if the Store is free of Zombies (the Store being defined as all 3 Rooms on the Mall Card) can you then freely pick up any or all of the faceup Search Cards that are beside your current Store’s Card. There are 3 types of cards that can be collected:

Weapons (Melee or Ranged): These are equipped to the slots on the bottom of the Player Card and the item is inserted into your ITEMeeple. Each Player may hold only 1 Melee and 1 Ranged Weapon at a time. During the “Collect Items” step, you may swap a Weapon you are carrying with one in the Store.

Backpack Items: These are placed on the right side of your Player Card. They can be used anytime during your Turn and are then discarded after use.

Pickup Items: These are used as soon as they are picked up and then immediately discarded.

At any point during their Turn, a Player may drop any Item Card they have. Drop it in the Store you are in and place it face up next to the Store’s Card. If a Player is in the Courtyard, place the Item Card beside any adjacent Store (unless fulfilling an Objective). This is the only way for Players to exchange Items: by dropping and picking them up.