diff --git a/BACKLOG.md b/BACKLOG.md
index b4fa163..d570c98 100644
--- a/BACKLOG.md
+++ b/BACKLOG.md
@@ -15,14 +15,6 @@ Prerequisite for the product catalog and unit catalog work — both rely on a `F
 - **Bootstrap migration for the existing single-family deployment:** at upgrade time, auto-create one `Family` from the current `FAMILY_CODE` env value, assign all existing rows to it, and migrate the env var off. Flag explicitly in the runbook so deployment isn't a surprise.
 - Auth changes: JWT carries `FamilyId` claim. `OnTokenValidated` rejects tokens whose user has been removed from the family.
 
-### Toast / notification component (foundational)
-- App has no toast system today; current error UX is `alert()` on `stores/+page.svelte` delete failures. Several tracked items depend on this:
-  - Duplicate store name → toast (Stores section)
-  - Block create-list when no stores → toast (Lists section)
-  - Confirm-before-delete error surfacing (Stores section)
-- Build a small reusable Svelte component (success / info / warning / error variants, auto-dismiss with timeout, optional action button for "Undo"), expose via `$lib/toast.ts`.
-- Migrate existing `alert(e.message)` call sites as part of landing it.
-
 ### Account & session lifecycle
 - **Password reset.** Currently no flow, no email infrastructure. Required before multi-family launches publicly. Needs SMTP config, email template, single-use token table, rate limiting on the reset endpoint.
 - **JWT refresh tokens.** Today's tokens are signed with HS256 and (per `Program.cs`) likely have no refresh path; they expire and the user gets bounced to login. Add refresh tokens with rotation + revocation list.
@@ -221,8 +213,7 @@ Replace free-form `Quantity` strings with a structured `(Quantity, UnitOfMeasure
 
 ### Block create-list flow when no stores exist
 - A shopping list requires a `Store` (see `ListSummary.store` and the `newStoreId` state in `lists/+page.svelte`), so the create-list flow shouldn't be available until at least one store exists.
-- Behavior: if user tries to open the create-list UI (or hits the create-list page directly via URL) with zero stores, surface a toast or modal that says "You need to create a store first" with a CTA linking to `/stores`. Don't render the empty/broken create form.
-- Belongs with the toast-component work above.
+- Behavior: if user tries to open the create-list UI (or hits the create-list page directly via URL) with zero stores, surface a `toast.warning()` (or modal) that says "You need to create a store first" with a CTA linking to `/stores`. Don't render the empty/broken create form.
 
 ## Stores
 
@@ -239,12 +230,11 @@ Replace free-form `Quantity` strings with a structured `(Quantity, UnitOfMeasure
 - Add a modal confirmation prompt before deleting a store (currently one click → gone, no undo).
 - Disallow deletion of a store that has any active shopping lists associated with it.
 - Backend status: `StoreEndpoints.cs` DELETE already returns 400 with `{error: "Store has shopping lists. Remove them first."}` if any list references the store. Consider switching to 409 Conflict for semantic correctness.
-- Frontend status: `stores/+page.svelte` `deleteStore` currently shows the backend message via `alert()`. Replace with the new confirmation modal that also surfaces this error inline.
+- Frontend status: `stores/+page.svelte` `deleteStore` currently surfaces the backend message via `toast.error()`. Replace with the new confirmation modal that also surfaces this error inline (or as a toast on confirm-action failure).
 - Open question: what counts as "active"? Backend currently blocks on *any* list. Decide whether archived/completed lists should still block deletion.
 
 ### Duplicate store name → 500 + silent frontend (bug)
 - Adding a store with a name that already exists triggers the unique constraint on `Store.Name`, which leaks out as a 500 from `StoreEndpoints.cs` POST (no exception handling).
 - Frontend `addStore` in `stores/+page.svelte` swallows the error — the form just sits there with no feedback.
-- Fix: backend should pre-check (or catch the unique-violation) and return 409 with a helpful message; frontend should display a **toast** (e.g. "A store named 'Kroger' already exists") rather than a silent failure or a blocking `alert()`.
+- Fix: backend should pre-check (or catch the unique-violation) and return 409 with a helpful message; frontend should display a `toast.error()` (e.g. "A store named 'Kroger' already exists") rather than failing silently.
 - Same pattern likely affects PUT (rename to an existing name).
-- Note: app does not currently have a toast system. This work probably needs a small reusable toast component before the duplicate-name handling can land — worth adopting it across the app (the existing `alert(e.message)` calls on delete failures should also move to toasts).
diff --git a/src/frontend/src/lib/Toaster.svelte b/src/frontend/src/lib/Toaster.svelte
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d5c9aa0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/frontend/src/lib/Toaster.svelte
@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+<script lang="ts">
+	import { getToasts, dismissToast, type ToastVariant } from '$lib/toast.svelte';
+
+	const toasts = $derived(getToasts());
+
+	const variantClasses: Record<ToastVariant, string> = {
+		success: 'bg-primary text-white',
+		info: 'bg-gray-800 text-white',
+		warning: 'bg-amber-500 text-white',
+		error: 'bg-danger text-white'
+	};
+
+	const roleFor = (variant: ToastVariant) =>
+		variant === 'error' || variant === 'warning' ? 'alert' : 'status';
+</script>
+
+<div
+	class="pointer-events-none fixed inset-x-0 bottom-20 z-50 flex flex-col items-center gap-2 px-4 toaster-safe"
+	aria-live="polite"
+	aria-atomic="false"
+>
+	{#each toasts as t (t.id)}
+		<div
+			role={roleFor(t.variant)}
+			class="pointer-events-auto flex w-full max-w-md items-center gap-3 rounded-lg px-4 py-3 shadow-lg {variantClasses[
+				t.variant
+			]}"
+		>
+			<span class="flex-1 text-sm font-medium">{t.message}</span>
+			{#if t.action}
+				<button
+					type="button"
+					onclick={() => {
+						t.action!.onClick();
+						dismissToast(t.id);
+					}}
+					class="rounded px-2 py-1 text-sm font-semibold underline-offset-2 hover:underline"
+				>
+					{t.action.label}
+				</button>
+			{/if}
+			<button
+				type="button"
+				aria-label="Dismiss notification"
+				onclick={() => dismissToast(t.id)}
+				class="text-lg leading-none opacity-80 hover:opacity-100"
+			>
+				×
+			</button>
+		</div>
+	{/each}
+</div>
+
+<style>
+	.toaster-safe {
+		padding-bottom: env(safe-area-inset-bottom);
+	}
+</style>
diff --git a/src/frontend/src/lib/toast.svelte.ts b/src/frontend/src/lib/toast.svelte.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0bce981
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/frontend/src/lib/toast.svelte.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+export type ToastVariant = 'success' | 'info' | 'warning' | 'error';
+
+export interface ToastAction {
+	label: string;
+	onClick: () => void;
+}
+
+export interface Toast {
+	id: number;
+	message: string;
+	variant: ToastVariant;
+	action?: ToastAction;
+}
+
+export interface ToastOptions {
+	variant?: ToastVariant;
+	/** Auto-dismiss after this many ms. Pass 0 to keep the toast until dismissed manually. */
+	duration?: number;
+	action?: ToastAction;
+}
+
+const DEFAULT_DURATION_MS = 4000;
+
+let toasts = $state<Toast[]>([]);
+let nextId = 0;
+const timers = new Map<number, ReturnType<typeof setTimeout>>();
+
+export function getToasts(): Toast[] {
+	return toasts;
+}
+
+export function showToast(message: string, options: ToastOptions = {}): number {
+	const id = ++nextId;
+	toasts.push({
+		id,
+		message,
+		variant: options.variant ?? 'info',
+		action: options.action
+	});
+
+	const duration = options.duration ?? DEFAULT_DURATION_MS;
+	if (duration > 0) {
+		const handle = setTimeout(() => dismissToast(id), duration);
+		timers.set(id, handle);
+	}
+
+	return id;
+}
+
+export function dismissToast(id: number): void {
+	const handle = timers.get(id);
+	if (handle !== undefined) {
+		clearTimeout(handle);
+		timers.delete(id);
+	}
+	toasts = toasts.filter((t) => t.id !== id);
+}
+
+export function clearAllToasts(): void {
+	for (const handle of timers.values()) clearTimeout(handle);
+	timers.clear();
+	toasts = [];
+}
+
+export const toast = {
+	success: (message: string, options: Omit<ToastOptions, 'variant'> = {}) =>
+		showToast(message, { ...options, variant: 'success' }),
+	info: (message: string, options: Omit<ToastOptions, 'variant'> = {}) =>
+		showToast(message, { ...options, variant: 'info' }),
+	warning: (message: string, options: Omit<ToastOptions, 'variant'> = {}) =>
+		showToast(message, { ...options, variant: 'warning' }),
+	error: (message: string, options: Omit<ToastOptions, 'variant'> = {}) =>
+		showToast(message, { ...options, variant: 'error' }),
+	dismiss: dismissToast
+};
diff --git a/src/frontend/src/routes/+layout.svelte b/src/frontend/src/routes/+layout.svelte
index f9a2973..b307374 100644
--- a/src/frontend/src/routes/+layout.svelte
+++ b/src/frontend/src/routes/+layout.svelte
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 	import { page } from '$app/state';
 	import { clearToken } from '$lib/api';
 	import { initAuth, isLoggedIn } from '$lib/auth.svelte';
+	import Toaster from '$lib/Toaster.svelte';
 	import { goto } from '$app/navigation';
 	import { onMount } from 'svelte';
 
@@ -60,6 +61,8 @@
 	{@render children()}
 {/if}
 
+<Toaster />
+
 <style>
 	.safe-bottom {
 		padding-bottom: env(safe-area-inset-bottom);
diff --git a/src/frontend/src/routes/stores/+page.svelte b/src/frontend/src/routes/stores/+page.svelte
index fbbeb6e..ea7e12e 100644
--- a/src/frontend/src/routes/stores/+page.svelte
+++ b/src/frontend/src/routes/stores/+page.svelte
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 <script lang="ts">
 	import { onMount } from 'svelte';
 	import { api } from '$lib/api';
+	import { toast } from '$lib/toast.svelte';
 
 	interface Store {
 		id: number;
@@ -50,7 +51,7 @@
 			await api(`/api/stores/${id}`, { method: 'DELETE' });
 			stores = stores.filter((s) => s.id !== id);
 		} catch (e: any) {
-			alert(e.message);
+			toast.error(e.message);
 		}
 	}
 </script>
diff --git a/src/frontend/src/tests/unit/toast.svelte.test.ts b/src/frontend/src/tests/unit/toast.svelte.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..63a803e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/frontend/src/tests/unit/toast.svelte.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,115 @@
+import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, afterEach, vi } from 'vitest';
+import {
+	clearAllToasts,
+	dismissToast,
+	getToasts,
+	showToast,
+	toast
+} from '$lib/toast.svelte';
+
+beforeEach(() => {
+	clearAllToasts();
+	vi.useFakeTimers();
+});
+
+afterEach(() => {
+	vi.useRealTimers();
+});
+
+describe('showToast()', () => {
+	it('adds a toast with default info variant', () => {
+		const id = showToast('hello');
+
+		const toasts = getToasts();
+		expect(toasts).toHaveLength(1);
+		expect(toasts[0]).toMatchObject({ id, message: 'hello', variant: 'info' });
+	});
+
+	it('returns unique ids per call', () => {
+		const a = showToast('a');
+		const b = showToast('b');
+		expect(a).not.toBe(b);
+	});
+
+	it('auto-dismisses after the default duration', () => {
+		showToast('temporary');
+
+		expect(getToasts()).toHaveLength(1);
+		vi.advanceTimersByTime(4000);
+		expect(getToasts()).toHaveLength(0);
+	});
+
+	it('respects a custom duration', () => {
+		showToast('quick', { duration: 1000 });
+
+		vi.advanceTimersByTime(999);
+		expect(getToasts()).toHaveLength(1);
+		vi.advanceTimersByTime(1);
+		expect(getToasts()).toHaveLength(0);
+	});
+
+	it('does not auto-dismiss when duration is 0', () => {
+		showToast('persistent', { duration: 0 });
+
+		vi.advanceTimersByTime(60_000);
+		expect(getToasts()).toHaveLength(1);
+	});
+
+	it('attaches an action handler', () => {
+		const onClick = vi.fn();
+		showToast('undo me', { action: { label: 'Undo', onClick } });
+
+		const t = getToasts()[0];
+		expect(t.action?.label).toBe('Undo');
+		t.action?.onClick();
+		expect(onClick).toHaveBeenCalledOnce();
+	});
+});
+
+describe('dismissToast()', () => {
+	it('removes the matching toast and cancels its timer', () => {
+		const id = showToast('bye', { duration: 1000 });
+
+		dismissToast(id);
+		expect(getToasts()).toHaveLength(0);
+
+		// If the timer were still active and tried to dismiss again, no harm — just verify state stable.
+		vi.advanceTimersByTime(2000);
+		expect(getToasts()).toHaveLength(0);
+	});
+
+	it('is a no-op for an unknown id', () => {
+		showToast('still here');
+		dismissToast(9999);
+		expect(getToasts()).toHaveLength(1);
+	});
+});
+
+describe('toast.* helpers', () => {
+	it.each([
+		['success', 'success'],
+		['info', 'info'],
+		['warning', 'warning'],
+		['error', 'error']
+	] as const)('toast.%s sets variant to %s', (method, variant) => {
+		toast[method]('msg');
+		expect(getToasts()[0].variant).toBe(variant);
+	});
+
+	it('toast.dismiss removes the toast', () => {
+		const id = toast.error('oops', { duration: 0 });
+		toast.dismiss(id);
+		expect(getToasts()).toHaveLength(0);
+	});
+});
+
+describe('clearAllToasts()', () => {
+	it('removes every toast', () => {
+		showToast('a');
+		showToast('b');
+		showToast('c');
+
+		clearAllToasts();
+		expect(getToasts()).toHaveLength(0);
+	});
+});