London - Shoppers spend twice as long scouring supermarket aisles as they did ten years ago – because they want to find the best deals and healthiest foods, according to a study.
Researchers found we spend one hour and 26 minutes on the weekly shop, compared to the 38 minutes it used to take.
During that time shoppers are looking out for buy-one-get-one-free offers and checking that they are getting a good deal.
One in five of those polled said they work out how much they are spending as they go along using their phone’s calculator, while three-quarters tot it up in their heads.
More than half blamed the rise in the cost of living for their increasingly frugal habits.
And half of respondents said they have to cater for different tastes when doing the family shop, with fussy eaters taking up the most time. As a result they have to spend time reading food labels to make sure they are healthy and contain the right dietary requirements.
Chris deBoer, president of loan firm Lending Stream, which commissioned the study, said: “It’s clear that we are now more cautious with our spending and actually proud of our thrifty habits, such as checking for offers, which has to be a good thing, even if food shopping does take a little longer.
“Sticking to our budget and bargain hunting has become second nature to British shoppers. There’s a real satisfaction in getting the best deal and being thrifty with our money.” - Daily Mail