Shopping list back amid tough times
The shopping list, packed lunch and weekly food planning are making a resurgence as increasingly sophisticated consumers battle squeezed budgets, a survey has suggested.
Asked how they had changed their shopping habits, if at all, 90% said they now write a shopping list before they leave home, 37% plan meals for the full week and 28% are now taking a packed lunch into work, the poll for Sainsbury’s revealed.
The supermarket’s report, called New Fashioned Values, claims that the behaviour and expectations of British shoppers are “undergoing deep and sustained change” as they carefully consider what they buy under the constraints of shrinking budgets.
Sainsbury’s chief executive Justin King said: “Our customers are recalibrating their spending but they’re not prepared to compromise their values.
“The credit crunch has not led to a values crunch. We’re seeing people from all backgrounds rediscovering some of the shopping habits of the past to ensure they can meet the values-driven aspirations of today.
“Although people have less, they actually care more. The downturn has led to a strengthening of values, irrespective of people’s income.
“We believe this is not a passing phase but a fundamental change that is here to stay.”
Despite the downturn, Sainsbury’s said it had sold 8.5% more sustainably-sourced food in the last 12 months, with more than £1 in every £10 spent on sustainably-labelled products from families on the lowest incomes.
While 64% of customers were seeking out more special deals and 22% were buying more dried, tinned and frozen foods, sales of fine wine had increased by 20% year-on-year and sales of top-of-the-range Taste the Difference Bistro meals had increased by 52% in the same period.
Mintel surveyed 2,500 parents of children aged 5 to 12 between June and September.
Do you make a shopping list, plan your meals for the week ahead and take a packed lunch to work?
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