Yahoo Finance Busy Britons are ditching the big weekly shop - and the jumbo supermarket trolley is going, too
The era of the ‘big weekly shop’ is on the way out – and it could spell the end of the jumbo trolley.
More and more people no longer plan meals for the week ahead, with two-thirds of Britons now nipping to a supermarket more than once a day.
And one in 10 people decide what they fancy for an evening meal just a couple of hours before they eat it – often stopping to shop for the ingredients on the way home from work.
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A fascinating insight into the nation’s shopping habits also reveals that Britain now prefers blueberries to strawberries and sales of vegetarian ready-meals are on the rise.
The Waitrose Food and Drink Report 2017 says consumers treat supermarkets like walk-in fridges.
And as shoppers ditch the hours-long trudge around the supermarket on a Saturday morning, so shopping trolleys are shrinking.
Waitrose says: “Recent years have seen a seismic shift in food shopping habits.
“With fewer of us doing a weekly ‘big shop’ could this mean the supersize trolleys’ days are numbered? If recent trends continue then it looks likely.
“Just a few years ago, an average Waitrose would open with around 200 big trolleys and 150 shallow ‘daily shopper’ trolleys lined up outside.
“These days the tables have turned, with 250 shallow ‘daily shoppers’ and just 70 big trolleys needed.”
The report was based on feedback from people who use all supermarkets, not just Waitrose.
Researchers identified that people were more willing to search out a bargain and that cut-price alternatives to mainstream brands were increasingly popular.
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Some 53% said they were buying more products that had been marked down than they did five years ago. One in four said there was no longer any stigma to buying reduced price food.
Waitrose also identified this year’s ‘on trend’ foods and ingredients which included:
Turmeric overtaking cinnamon as the top-selling spice;
Sales of herbs rocketing, as people seek to add a “cheffy” touch to dishes;
Carbs are back – mac ‘n’ cheese, bulgur wheat and quinoa were among the year’s top picks;
Buddha bowls – nutritious and packed with fresh ingredients, the Instagram trend went mainstream in 2017;
Dark greens – broccoli and cabbage have been superseded by cavolo nero, chard or kale – one pack is sold every second;
Protein packed – we’ve all been powering up dishes with beans, seeds and nuts, and picking meat-based snacks like beef jerky;
Merry berry – blueberries are now Britain’s favourite berry – finally outselling strawberries.
In a nod to the social media age, three-quarters of Britons say dining out alone is more socially acceptable than it was five years ago.
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One in three people had eaten out solo in the last month and one in three 18- to 24-year-olds said their mobile phone was their dining companion.
Waitrose also predicts that 2018 will be the year of Indian street food and Japanese “dude food”, described as “the unctuous rich and surprising flavours of after-hours Tokyo”.
