Shopping at the supermarket can be cheaper if you do it alone

Researchers and money experts say that solo shopping eliminates the potential distraction of friends and family – especially children – by keeping you from thinking about work.

Studies abroad have shown that up to two-thirds of the purchases we buy have never been made, while local consumer groups say that couples who buy together often put more in their shopping cart because each person has his opinion on what is important.

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Paul Harrison, a consumer psychologist and senior lecturer at Deakin University, said that shopping with other people was a social experience and that friends might try to impress their friends.

"There are many studies showing that having children with you is probably not the best way to do it. They prevent you from making good decisions, "he said.

"However, shopping with a money-saving person might be a good thing."

If you shop solo, wear headphones. "Go shopping with soothing and soothing music. This will help you make better decisions than if you shop with death metal music, "said Dr. Harrison.

Queensland Consumer Association spokesman Ian Jarratt said it was often less expensive to shop alone, and that consumers should "stick to their list." and use the unit price to evaluate the value. "

Unit prices are mandatory for grocery products in Australia and indicate the cost of goods per unit of measure, for example 100 g or liter.

The rapid growth of online retail has made people more comfortable doing their solo shopping, although Mr. Jarratt has stated that it may not have made them more sensitive to the value.

"This is partly due to the focus on convenience and the limited ability to use unit prices because of imprecise search tools."

@keanemoney