How you go about your grocery shopping says a lot about your taste, your budget, and how much time you have.
Your shopping habits can also say a lot about the people who raised you.
Research conducted by YouGov on behalf of Aldi Australia found 45 per cent of Australians say they’ve inherited their parents’ grocery shopping behaviours when it comes to selecting their supermarket of choice, digging their heels in even more than when it comes to banks, cars and energy companies.
With the cost of living rising, and groceries an essential expense, the shopping preferences passed down from parent to child could have a major effect on your budget.
What habits are we picking up?
Gary Mortimer, Queensland University of Technology consumer and retail expert, said this sort of learned shopping behaviour is called ‘consumer socialisation’.
“Good examples would be, if you always shopped with mum or dad, and they started always at the fresh produce department, and they always bought bananas. As an adult, you’re more likely to start shopping in the fresh produce department buying bananas,” he said.
“If you grew up in a family that had health issues, particularly gut issues, celiacs, for example, or [they] had a passion about organics, consumer socialisation encourages you to follow those same practices later in life.
“I’m sure that there are families out there where mum and dad have always done their grocery shopping online. So as a result, later in life, we tend to shop online ourselves.”
Retail Doctor Group CEO Brian Walker said mimicked shopping behaviour could also come down to your personality – up to 60 per cent of which is thought to be inherited from parents.
With human behaviour largely driven by personality as well as habits, Mr Walker said these factors are likely at play in everything from what day and time you do your grocery shopping, your attitude towards spending, and your shopping values.
“For example, some people’s personality determines that they purchase largely influenced by the experience of others, some look for trust, warranty and guarantee on a product, some look for price and value, some look for prestige and status,” he said.
“And you see that if you look at coffee, for example, in a supermarket. You’ll see how it’s all playing out to those different personality segments [from] manufacturers who produce black bags versus white price-value bags and so forth.”
What habits should we pass on?
Not everything passed down to us from our parents is healthy, and there might very well be some long-held habits hurting your shopping experience – and your bank account.
If you find yourself stretching your finances due to your weekly shop, it might be time to cutting down on brand names and certain products, and instead look for better value.
Considering a product’s unit price can help with this, along with looking around different stores and fresh food markets for the best prices.
If you do decide to change your shopping habits, you won’t be alone; Aldi’s data shows more than three quarters of Australians have changed how they shop in the last 12 months.
But not all old habits should be forgotten.
For example, if you picked up frugality during your childhood, it might help you out in these tough economic times.
“Those post-war generations that lived through incredibly tough times and recessions learnt to do more with less,” Dr Mortimer said.
“As we move into this period of higher inflation, higher food costs, I think some of those values become really important to mimic.”
