Most Brits do one ‘big shop’ at the supermarket a week – and those that write a list usually save more money

THE nation’s supermarket shopping habits have been revealed – with 74% still doing one “big shop” a week.

Research of 2,000 supermarket shoppers found 45% will top up their main shop throughout the week for odd items as needed. 

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Six in 10 will spend time prepping for their shopping excursion in advance by writing a list to ensure they get everything they require – or at least the bulk of it.

And this organised approach extends to how they select what to buy with price (68%), quality (57%) and how long food will last (51%) all considerations.

But despite their best intentions by planning in advance, the study commissioned by Nectar found a third still tend to forget to buy products they’d meant to get.

While 26% regularly leave their reusable bags at home, and 12% often forget to take advantage of money-saving loyalty scheme promotions.

Sam Burston, director of customer relationship management & Nectar at Sainsbury’s, said: “Ensuring that we’re offering our customers great value is something we really prioritise.

“But we also understand that busy lives can often mean there is little time left to plan the food shop or take advantage of all the deals on offer.”

The study also found 26% enjoy discovering new products as they go about their shop – eager to mix things up and try out new consumer goods.

While 38% like to stick to what they know and are very much creatures of habit, “always” opting for the same types of foods.

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But both of these approaches could be leaving them out of pocket – a fifth admitted they frequently spend more than they had budgeted for when shopping.

Which might explain why 28% they wish they were savvier when purchasing food.

However, 42% of shoppers consider themselves adept at finding good deals and will actively seek out offers.

Carried out through OnePoll, the study also found 66% believe writing a list in advance means they get their shopping done in less time than those who don’t.

And those who take this approach typically take just 24 minutes to get everything they intended to buy.

Three in 10 shoppers may want to adopt this tactic if they don’t already, because they claimed to have tendency to spend ‘too long’ wandering down aisle when out shopping.

List writers may also spend less money than those who don’t – those who use this method believe they save an average of £11 per shop by having one in hand.

This works out to be a potential saving of £572 per year.

Of those who write lists, 57% prefer to use pen and paper, 22% note down their shopping list on their phone, and five per cent simply rely on their memory.

However, 47% admit they sometimes forget to take their list with them, while a third have forgotten to buy items despite having jotted down.

It also emerged those aged 25 to 34 are most likely to tot-up their total spending as they go.

With seven in 10 of the opinion this helps reduce the chances of them buying goods they don’t really need.

This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk