Sunday Is The New Saturday For Shoppers

Customers are moving away from the big weekly supermarket shop

Sunday used to be the most sedate day of the week, when there was little to do except attend church and consume a traditional roast dinner. Entertainment was sadly lacking unless you had a soft spot for an old classic movie or embarked on that old Sunday favourite of a drive to the Blue Mountains. But  sadly, Sunday has moved from being a day of rest and has become a time to socialise, eat out and, above all, shop till you drop.

Woolworths has seen a boom in Sunday shoppers, with research by the supermarket chain claiming Sunday is becoming the new Saturday for trips to the supermarket.

Sunday has become more like Saturday because of changes within society – increased spending power, the fact that both partners in many families work and want to shop at the weekends, and a multitude of leisure activities available outside the home.

The growing secularisation of Aussies means that many no longer value the day’s religious meaning.

If shopping is the new religion, shopping centres are the churches we worship in, and we’re packing out their car parks every Sunday.

New research from Woolworths has revealed that Sunday is fast becoming the new Saturday for trips to the supermarket, and an increasing number of Australians are visiting the supermarket almost every day of the week.

Eighteen per cent of Australians now make Sunday their primary shopping day, up 3 per cent on 2012, making Sunday the fastest growing shopping day of the week.

Tjeerd Jegen, Managing Director of Australian Supermarkets and Petrol said while the weekends are the time when many customers visit the supermarket, Saturdays are becoming too busy with other activities.

“The weekend is when most customers have time to shop, and for families with kids, Saturdays are often busy with sport, kids’ activities and social commitments,” he said.

Saturday is still the most popular day of the week (20 per cent), but its popularity is decreasing – last year,
22 per cent preferred to shop on Saturday.

Sundays are the most popular shopping day for Gen Y.  Gen X prefer to do their main shop on either day of the weekend, and tend to avoid doing big shops Monday through Friday.

Additionally, the big weekly shop is becoming a thing of the past. On average, Australians spend just 34 per cent of their weekly food budget on their main shopping day. Some people visit their local supermarket every day of the week.

“For many busy households, it is impossible to plan meals seven days in advance the way our grandmothers did – our customers are doing smaller, more frequent shops. Australians want convenient and flexible meal solutions and will often drop into the supermarket on the way to or from work, school or gym.

“In response, Woolworths is tailoring our offer to make sure we have best range, price and service to suit their needs whenever and however they shop. Customers want convenient locations and trading hours, online shopping options and new, healthy and convenient meal solutions.

“At Woolworths, our obsession with our customers is at the heart of everything we do and we aim to provide them with the best range, convenience and More Savings Every Day,” Mr Jegen said.

What day do you normally grocery shop? Do you still do one big weekly shop? Share your thoughts with You and Your Money on our Facebook page…