The Weekly Shop: Top Hacks to save you time, money and stress

The weekly shop, an hour or so at the mercy of crafty retail tricks to make you spend more; coupled with the stress of forgetting your bags for life, screaming kids and not having a pound coin for the trolley. How lovely. But it doesn’t have to be this way!

I’ve worked for over a decade in retailing and shopper marketing; so here are my top tips to avoid the retail traps, keep to your budgets and have a stress free shop.

Tip 1. Have a plan

A hastily written list on the back of a receipt, or quickly typed out in the notes app isn’t a great place to start out. This plays into retailers hands as they try to tempt you into expensive impulse purchasing. Our top tip here is to spend a few minutes going through the kitchen to find out what you actually have, and what you actually need. So many times I’ve sworn that we’ve run out of something and brought it, only to find that there are 2 still at home in the back of the cupboard.

Even better is to plan all your weekly meals out on a calendar, then write down what you need for each. Take that list, then visualise walking around the shop and re write it in order of where things are. This will help you stay on track ( and on budget ) and you won’t have to be darting back and forth to opposite ends of the store.

Decide if you’re taking the kids or not. It’s okay to leave them out of the weekly shop trips, particularly when they are quite young. Retailers have done a lot to combat ‘pester power’ by removing things like sweets away from till areas, but when your 3 year old spots a paw patrol football in the mysterious ‘middle aisle’ of the German supermarkets, refusal to buy it can lead to tantrums, melt downs and one stressed out parent. Despite the fact that they already have the same one at home.

Taking the kids along ? Then let’s try to make it a fun and engaging experience for them. You could try making them a little list of their own, and ask them to help you locate the items. then letting them pop it into the trolley for you ( maybe not with the eggs though… ) With older kids grab a calculator and ask them to total your shopping up as you go. Points scored for every penny under or over the actual total is. Losing a child in a supermarket is a common occurrence, and hearing your name over the PA while a relief, comes with an amount of embarrassment. Having a Safetee label on your kids coat or t-shirt is a simple solution and can help you be reunited with them quickly and fuss free - The QR code on the label is scanned and the scanner can call you directly. You can get them here

Tip 2. Trolleys & Car Parks

Literally the worse part for many parents. Pulling into the car park to find that all the parent and child spaces are full of work vans, trolleys, or 2 seater executive sports saloons. Brilliant. Gripping the wheel just a bit tighter you manage to squeeze your car into a space with just about enough room to get the doors open by a fraction of an inch and squeeze out. with little ones clinging on, bags for life over one arm, baby bag over the other, car keys in one hand, and list in your mouth you amble over to the trolley bank to realise you’ve forgotten a pound coin. Literal nightmare. Who has coins these days anyway?

But did you know a normal house key will work in most slot operated trollies?

Video here : Youtube trolley hack

A true lifesaver, just be careful with the pointy end of the key now sticking out from the coin slot.

To address the parking situation briefly, often some supermarkets have a second area of Parent and Child parking, so it’s worth trying to find it as it usually empty albeit a bit further way. Trying to get as close to the main entrances seems to be the goal for most of us, but these areas are usually the busiest and most dangerous, especially with little ones in toe. Parking further way in a quieter area of the car park has its upsides. There’s less traffic, more room to get car doors all the way open and you can sometimes grab a trolley from the trolley return bays rather that at the supermarket entrance.

Tip 3. Don’t follow the crowd

Working for a decade in ‘Shopper Marketing’ I am more aware than most of how retailers set up their stores to get to to spend more. Every single item you see on shelf is where it is for good reason, every promotion is carefully crafted and curated, nothing is left to chance. Even the way stores are laid out has had millions of pounds worth of research done to find out how to best separate you from your hard earned money. I will add here that some of it is beneficial for us as shoppers, to help us find products easier, but some of it is designed to trap you into spending more.

One of the best things you can do is to walk around the shop in the opposite direction to the laid out flow. Stores are set up to have things like cut flowers, bakery items, and food to go right up at the front to get you in the ‘fresh mood’ and hungry. We all know we spend more on expensive snacks when you’re feeling a bit peckish, so make sure you have eaten before you go shopping.

Going to the other end of the store to start your shopping also has other benefits. heavy items like drinks and freezer foods are kept towards the back, and getting them in your trolley first prevents them from squashing the fresh veg you picked up when you came in.

Avoid the home ware, clothing sections and save the middle aisles to last. These sections of the store are normally quite close to the front, and by putting expensive items in areas where you will see them first it makes other things like a tin of beans seem cheap by comparison. The homeware and fashion sections tend to push your mind towards improving your home and having a nicer space to live in, upgrading your life - so you’re more likely with that in mind to splurge on expensive brand name products when you’re picking up food items.

Not sure if branded or own label is better ? Check the addresses on the packs. The majority of own label products are made by the very same brands they compete with on shelf. Have a look at the label and see if the addresses of where the product was produced are the same or similar. If they are, chances are the products will be basically the same. Maybe some slight formulation differences but overall the own label product will be just as good ( if not better ). Similar packaging is also a dead give away.

Be wary of multibuy deals, offers and items displayed on the ends of aisles and in cardboard display units, especially if they are from branded products. Brands pay huge sums of money to buy these promotion zones and units, so often the money off deals are not quite as good as they appear. Always check the cost per ml/gr to see if you really are getting a good deal. There are some nifty apps available such as Trolley.co.uk that will show you the deals and allow you to compare super market prices on the go.

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