When you go grocery shopping, do you buy everything from the same super market like Coles or Woolworth? Assuming that Coles has everything you need, would you buy different items from many smaller stores if they were right next to Coles and had what you want at a cheaper price?

I think most people will answer yes to that question, but many of those who answer yes are liars. For the sake of convenience, they buy everything at Coles because they can put everything in the same shopping trolley, and checkout at the same time. It’s inconvenient to drag around things you’ve already bought into another store. It’s inconvenient to go price comparing from store to store. It’s inconvenient when your favourite brand of pasta source isn’t available and you have to go to a different store. It is convenient when everything you want is all in one place.

I’m one of those people who would normally say, “yes, I would shop around a bit to find the best price”, but today, I found myself shopping for convenience. I went to Woolworth and brought groceries without checking the prices at a near by fruit and vegetable shop. As I walked passed the shop afterwards, I saw that the eggplants I bought at Woolworth were three times as much as the one in the local fruit and veggie store.

When it comes to big purchases like phones or laptops, I spend hours shopping around the Internet for the best price and the best products, but for mundane things like groceries, convenience seem to effect my purchase the most. It makes me wonder how much of a savings I could be making if I just spent 10 more minutes exploring near by stores first looking for better prices. I spend more on groceries and food than on anything else besides rent, but because they’re small purchases, I don’t usually notice that I’m spending too much.