Yahoo Finance Sipping and clicking: 1 in 3 Canadians report shopping while drunk
Canadians are apparently fans of shopping under the influence.
According to a survey of 1,213 Canadians by Finder.com, a financial comparison website, nearly one in three Canadians (31 per cent) admit to shopping while drunk. That amounts to approximately $2.15 billion in intoxicated purchases, Finder estimates.
Men are the biggest enthusiasts for alcohol-induced purchases, with 40 per cent of men saying they’ve perused products while inebriated compared to just 23 per cent of women. Men also report spending more – an average of $256 – than woman, who drunkenly dropped an average of $188.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the main thing both men and women shop for while drunk is food and more alcohol. Otherwise, men and women differ in their tipsy shopping habits. The survey found that the third most popular category for women was shoes and clothing, followed by cigarettes, gambling, narcotics and movies. The third most popular purchase for men was cigarettes, followed by gambling, shoes and clothing, technology and narcotics.
The survey found that Saskatchewan is highest concentration of drunk shoppers, with 44 per cent of people in that province admitting to making purchases while under the influence, followed by Alberta (38 per cent), British Columbia (34 per cent) and Ontario (32 per cent). People from Saskatchewan are also the biggest spenders, with the average intoxicated purchase coming in at $415.
Generation Z, the youngest cohort in the survey, are the most likely age group to spend while drunk. Gen Z shoppers – the cohort after millennials commonly defined as anyone born between 1997 and 2012 – report spending an average of $312 per purchase. Gen X – the cohort sandwiched between baby boomers and millennials – appears to have a little more self control, spending an average of $112 while inebriated. Baby boomers say they spend an average of $163, and millennials spend the most, with an average of $356.
William Eve, a country manager at Finder.com, said in a statement that there are many things Canadians can do to discourage themselves from drunk shopping, which “has never been easier.”
“All it takes is a few clicks or a quick tap,” Eve said.
“If you want to make it harder to shop under the influence I recommend either uninstalling shopping apps or deleting your credit card information. These extra hurdles can make you think twice about whether you really want to make the purchase.”
The survey was conducted on behalf of Finder.com by PureProfile in October 2019. Nunavut, Yukon, Northwest Territories and Prince Edward Island were not included in Finder’s analysis due to a lack of responses.
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