Savvy Shopping Brits

BIRMINGHAM, England, October 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

UK shoppers spend up to 130 days of their lives bargain hunting

Savvy shopping Brits spend up to 130 days searching for the ultimate deal during their lifetime, according to research revealed today by Poundland. Over 96% of the nation make up to 156 store visits each year in a bid to bag the best prices for their weekly shop, with 20% spending up to half an hour on each shopping trip.

The research of 2,000 UK consumers' weekly shopping habits looked at how we shop today compared with a decade ago, and there's no doubt we are going to extraordinary lengths to save money. Almost half (46%) of customers said they used to spend only five minutes checking and comparing prices 10 years ago, whereas now to get the best bargain:

• 96% of shoppers scour up to three stores each week
• 71% of customers wander slowly up and down every aisle
• 32% go shopping at certain times of day when they know prices will be reduced
• A cheeky 13% try haggling the price down
• And 5% would even damage an item to get a discount!

Jim McCarthy, CEO at Poundland says: "More than ever, the pressure is on shoppers to make their money stretch further as they spend increasing amounts of time and energy worrying about how to avoid a shock at the till point. Poundland attracts savvy shoppers who know what a real bargain looks like. With every item priced at just £1, we make the weekly shopping easier with no surprises at the checkout."

If savvy saving Brits are really going to get the best price though, they are going to have to be stricter on how they shop. Nearly half (44%) of families said they don't add up the total of their basket as they go around the store and "hope for the best" when they get to the checkout. The same percentage (44%) of shoppers said they write a list before a shopping trip - yet 90% of them don't stick to it. A small 9% take their bargain hunter role very seriously and take a calculator with them shopping to ensure the final amount does not go a penny over the weekly budget.

Data source: Onepoll October 2012, 2,000 UK women aged 30+ years old.

For more information contact Poundland PR team +44(0)1865-882988, or Abbie Dando, +44(0)7553344265 poundland@bottlepr.co.uk.