Food Shopping and Cooking Cycles: ″Time″ – A Critical Dimension

Changes in female food shopping habits and in retailing locations have prompted a major survey investigation of food shopping by members of the University of Ulster. The survey, which included interviews with 300 women, was carried out at three out‐of‐town shopping centres in Northern Ireland. The findings reveal that many of the shoppers were employed and were constrained by “time”: time for shopping and time for cooking. Critical time pressures influenced the choice of retailer, shopping times and product purchases, thus sending a number of important signals to food retailers in Britain.