Savvy shoppers rely on bargains to feed families OUR age, address and nose for a bargain all determine when, where and how much we shop, a two-year study has found. Woolworths' latest Trolley Trends report shows budget savvy shoppers shop on a Thursday, older Australians are governed by routine _ shopping on the same day and spending the same amount each time _ while younger people have no allegiance to when they shop or how much they spend but tend to make far more trips. The supermarket giant commissioned Quantium to survey the shopping habits of 10,000 customers and while there were marked differences between demographics in terms of when, how often and how much people spent, there was one common motivator that dictated consumer behaviour _ price. ``Price has become the single most important driver of store choice for supermarket shoppers, outranking shopping experience and inspiration," the report said. ``Smart shoppers are clearly waiting for supermarket specials and shopping for value for money as a key priority. Budget conscious customers shop most often on a Thursday, which the report found was"`likely driven by the timing of weekly and fortnightly payrolls and government benefits." Pre-baby boomers shop on a Friday and baby boomers shop on Saturday along with Gen Xers, which the report found were most likely to have an established family. More than a third of items purchased at Woolies were bought on special, up 20 per cent in two years, with one-in-four customers now buying almost half their food and drink on special. Surprisingly however, it was the carefree Millennial shopper - those aged seven to 22 - who topped the promotional shopper rankings. "Their preference for promotional offers probably stems from a combination of low income and an interest in trialling new products, which are often on promotion to attract attention in store," the report said. Regional Australians were less likely to spend the same amount on each shopping trip but were more inclined to shop on the same day each week compared to their urban counterparts. Woolworths supermarkets Managing Director Tjeerd Jegen said he understood the financial pressures Australians were feeling. "We see it in our stores every day, as our customers manage their household budgets more closely than ever before," he said. Although this is a key theme for customers across Australia, it's important to understand that all of our customers are not the same. Factors including your age, geographic location, income and lifestyle all impact the shopping decisions you make and it's our job to provide for all of those needs.