Shopping
Every day thousands of us take a trip to the shops to get our weekly groceries. Over the course of a year a tremendous amount of time and effort is spent on this mundane chore. We have found ways for you to get more from your trip.
- Golden Rules
- Getting there and back
- Choosing your goods
- Save waste (coming soon)
- Packing Tips
- Advanced Trolley Techniques
- Paying (coming soon)
Visit the Shopping discussions area on our blog here.
Golden Rules
Don't shop when hungry
This is pretty much the number 1 "Don't". You will end up buying more food than you planned to get because you will be distracted and tempted to make unplanned mouthwatering purchases!
Use a shopping list
By making a list you will give yourself the best chance to get everything that you need which is better than making a number of impulsive trips to get a few items at a time. Try and plan the meals for the week ahead, this will also help you decide the things to buy so you don't have to work it out when you are at the shops. Also get into the habit of writing down things you need or are running low as soon as you realise. A good tip is to stick one of the many available magnetic backed shopping list notepads on the fridge which also help keep a pen to hand!
Use your loyalty card and vouchers
Okay, some people would argue against allowing Big Brother to know your shopping habits. The truth is that you will benefit by giving up some of your shopping habit details because you will earn loyalty points which can be converted to savings or even entitle you to exclusive offers with your store.
If you have savings vouchers, use them! But avoid using them on things that you wouldn't normally buy. This is the supermarket's trick to tempt you to try new goods. If you have no need for them before, you won't have a need for them now.
Don't assume premium brands are the best
It is worth trying a lower end product or the store's own brand every once in a while to see if your regular brand is worth paying extra for. You may be surprised at the similarities in quality. Multiply this over a number of regularly purchased goods, you could be saving lots in a large shopping trip.
Double Check Special Offers
Increasingly you can now find "Buy one get TWO free" promotions being used by many supermarkets. Don't be easily swayed, sometimes the single item price of these deals are heavily inflated and may not be such great deals. When you see offers always check the effective deal price and compare with the non-promotional goods to see if the deals are really as good as they are made out to be.
Check your till receipt
With so many Buy One Get One Free (BOGOF) and discount offers available, you should alway check your receipt to make sure you were given the discounts you were expecting as well as being charged correctly for your regular items. You may have accidentally grabbed a different branded item which did not qualify for the given promotion. In such and similar cases go to customer services to get the problem rectified. All supermarkets are more than happy to deal with customer concerns in order to retain customer loyalty.
Getting there and back
Prepare Prepare Prepare
If you need to travel a reasonable distance, take some cool bags with you so frozen and chilled foods stay in good condition on the return trip. Putting cardboard boxes in the boot of the car will help prevent bags from rolling around. Do take some used shopping bags to save using new bags.
Don't forget to take a coin with you if your supermarket needs one for their shopping trolleys. 
Finally don't forget that all important shopping list that you have been carefully been keeping.
Use Quiet Periods
It drives me crazy when I am forced to go at the weekends or at the end of a working day. It's during these times when the shops are most packed with people, shelves run empty, checkout queues are long and stress levels run high! Better to go late in the evenings or during working hours if possible.
Don't take Kids
If you need to do a large shop and want a stress free experience then leave your kids at home with someone! Kids get bored easily and will also pester you into buying things you don't need. They will also have a tendency to run around, possibly risking injury to themselves and getting in the way of other shoppers.
Fuel Up
Why not combine your shopping trip with a fuel stop. Most supermarkets these days have their own fuel station at competitive prices, so doing both will save on one unnecessary separate trip.
Choosing your goods
Buy in bulk
You can get great value by buying in larger quantities whenever possible. Bulk purchasing of regularly used non-perishable items such as toilet paper, soap powder, tinned and dried products can save you a lot of money, as long as you have space to store them all! For perishable items such as meats, pack and store the extra in your freezer until you need them. They'll keep for a good few months.
Avoid applying the same rule to snack consumables because you will find yourself eating more that you would normally!
Avoid Prepacked Fruit/Vegetables
The price of the preselected/prepackaged fruit and vegetables are often much higher than the loose stuff. Is it worth the extra money to have waste packaging to throw away and uniformly shaped tomatoes? Better to pick your own loose items, that way you only pay for what you need and get what you want.
Check the "Best Before" and "Use By" dates (Pro)
If you are well organised and keep you shopping trips to a minimum, it makes sense to buy foods that have as long a shelf life as possible. Supermarkets rotate their goods when stocking shelves, bringing the older stuff front and putting the new to the back. If you are unlikely to use something soon then choose one from the back of the shelf where it will have a later "Best Before" or "Use By" date.
Save Waste
Coming soon
Packing Tips
Keep your items separate
Your preparations for packing start as soon as you put your first item in the trolley. By separating your goods into groups, you'll be able to bag them together appropriately during checkout. I tend to separate my goods roughly as follows and which are placed in the same order on the checkout conveyor belt:
- Frozen goods
- Raw meats
- Fresh fruit/veg
- Tins, jars, cartons, bottled
- Cooked meats and chilled items
- Household goods and cleaning stuff
This way as the items come through, all the raw stuff can be packed together and placed alongside bags of the chilled/frozen goods. The rest can sit neatly in bags which are also kept separate to avoid cross-contamination.
Advanced Trolley Techniques
Choosing a trolley
Choose one near the supermarket entrance to save yourself wheeling it across the car park. The trolleys near the entrance are usually sheltered and are likely to be dry if it is raining. Once you've chosen one, check the wheels spin easily in the correct direction and without any squeaking. If you picked one to carry a baby or young child, make sure it is clean and free from dirt before placing your infant in. Dispose of any rubbish you find in one into another trolley or nearby bin.
Load Heavy Items at the Rear
Keep light items at the front and put the heavy goods at the back. That way you can turn your trolley more easily around corners.
Don't Park like an Idiot
If you are going to take some time to look for something, better to leave your trolley to one side while you search on foot. Don't do what some people do and leave your trolley in the middle of the aisle or do a U-turn just to grab an item a few metres back! Likewise, don't stand with your trolley in the middle of the aisle to chat with someone you just bumped into, better to pull into a quiet spot where you can have a natter without being disturbed or get dirty looks.
Keep your Trolley Moving
As with the above advice, don't just stop in the middle of the aisle when you suddenly realise you need something. Keep moving and pull your trolley over to one side. You wouldn't stop your car suddenly in the middle of the road if you missed a turning would you?
Return your trolley
Do the right thing and return your trolley into the designated bays after unloading. Not only does it make collection easier for the staff, it also prevents runaways which take up valuable parking spaces or even damage cars.
Paying
Coming soon