American Shoppers Fall Into 7 Types

Until now, I thought food shoppers fell into two camps: those who hate it and those who love it. And I figured there were a lot more of the former than the latter.

But at its recent Bake-Off in San Francisco, the Pillsbury Co. released the findings of a yearlong “How America Shops” study. It divides us into seven shopping styles, defined by how much we plan and prepare, how much we care about savings, what kind of stores we shop and whether we enjoy or detest the whole experience.

You’ll probably find yourself in one of these categories:

Born to Shop shoppers - 15 percent of you - think grocery buying is great fun. You plan well, use coupons, keep an eye on your budget, visit different grocery stores and look for new products. At home, you enjoy cooking and love to try new recipes and ingredients. You spend more on food shopping than other groups, about $414 a month.

Savvy Game Players (16 percent) live to beat the system. You adore coupons and deals, though you don’t have budget worries. And you’ll go anywhere you can to save a few cents. At home, you enjoy cooking, prepare a variety of foods and tend to pay attention to nutrition and health. Monthly grocery bill: $358.

Practical and Systematics (16 percent) view shopping as a responsibility. You’re organized and see planning as the key to savings. Inside the store, you want to move efficiently; you’re unlikely to stand around calculating the lowest per-ounce cost of canned peas. You buy routine items, cook balanced meals and don’t try a lot of new foods. Your spending: $388.

It’s Just Groceries shoppers (14 percent) are busy and plan little for grocery trips. Coupons and price-shopping aren’t worth your time, but you’ll stock up on good deals when you find them. At home, you’re proud of meals when you make them, are likely to skip meals and like takeout and delivery services. You spend $356 a month.

Budget Weary shoppers (14 percent) aren’t having fun. You want and need savings but view coupons and other price gimmicks as a hassle. You shop sales but hate it. You don’t like cooking but don’t buy much takeout food. To you, grocery shopping is a stressful chore - one that costs you $363 a month.

Haven’t A Plan shoppers (13 percent) aren’t fulfilled at the grocery store. You feel disorganized, think planning is ineffective, and believe savings and deals are too much trouble. You tend to cook on weekends, try unsuccessfully to eat healthfully and often snack and buy takeout. Still, your bill is $390 a month.

Want Out of It shoppers (13 percent) despise grocery shopping. You don’t plan, care nothing about deals and will shop just about anywhere that’s convenient. You like buying convenience foods. But your monthly bill still adds up to $374.

One thing leaps out: No matter how much we work and plan, we still spend a lot for groceries. So we might as well try to enjoy it.