MORE THAN FOUR out of every five people now shop around for their everyday groceries in the hope of getting better value, a survey has shown.

The figures from Checkout magazine suggest that our shopping behaviour as a nation is changing swiftly in the recession, with three-quarters of respondents saying their habits had altered since 2010.

Some 81 per cent of people said they shopped in more than one store every week to take advantage of sales and offers. Almost one in four expect their spending on food and household necessities to drop further in 2012.

Just over 40 per cent of the roughly 300 shoppers in the survey currently spend more than €100 a week on food and groceries. Some 18.6 per cent spending between €81 and €100 per week, while 12.5 per cent spend less than €40.

Stephen Wynne-Jones, the editor of Checkout magazine, said: “Shoppers are cannier than ever before about where they shop, and what brands they will remain loyal to. In the wake of one of the worst Budgets in living memory, it looks as if the focus is going to remain very much around ‘value’ as we head into the new year.”

However, he warned that the cost of grocery shopping could be set for a hike thanks to economic conditions. “Food prices continue to increase around the world,” he said.

Shoppers were most likely to look around for the best offers on toiletries (62 per cent), followed by meat (50 per cent) and alcohol (49 per cent).

Poll: Do you look for bargains when doing your weekly shop?>