Supermarket stress: 92% of Australians taking action to save at the checkout
The number of Australians struggling to afford their groceries has risen dramatically, according to new research from Finder.
A staggering 42% of Aussies – equivalent to 3.9 million households – admit their grocery bill is one of their major financial stressors, according to data from Finder's Consumer Sentiment Tracker.
That's up from 26% – or 2.4 million households – 2 years ago.
This comes as 92% of Australians have implemented shopping strategies to save money at the checkout, according to a new Finder survey of 1,002 respondents.
The research found more than half of shoppers (53%) are bulk buying kitchen staples to save, while 61% – equivalent to 5.6 million households – visit multiple grocery stores to keep costs down.
More than 1 in 3 (38%) use coupons to snag discounts.
Graham Cooke, head of consumer research at Finder, said millions of Australians are in need of reprieve.
"Many are struggling to afford the bare necessities and don't want to pay more than they need to for food.
"The cost of living crisis is putting a lot of pressure on budgets and we are seeing a resulting rise in financial stress reported by Aussie families.
"Shoppers are fearful of getting to the grocery checkout – worried about what the total will come to."
The average Aussie household spent $188 per week on groceries in January, up $10 a week compared to 2 years prior.
That's a $520 increase per household over 12 months, or $4.8 billion more nationwide based on Australia's 9.275 million households.
Cooke said prices fluctuate greatly between stores so it's best to shop around.
"Do your grocery shopping less often so that you have fewer opportunities to make impulse purchases.
"Opt for generic brands where possible and take inventory of what you already have at home before you get to the store.
"Download the online shopping apps from the big supermarkets – you can use them to check local pricing," Cooke said.
| Which of the following do you do to save money on groceries? | |
|---|---|
| Visit multiple stores | 61% |
| Bulk buy | 53% |
| Coupons | 38% |
| Other | 13% |
| I do not do anything to save money on groceries | 8% |
| Source: Finder survey of 1,002 Australians, December 2023 |
Click here for more tips on how to save money on your groceries.