Gen Z hit hardest by corner shop convenience pricing
Gen Z are paying nearly twice as much as pensioners in corner shops, research suggests.
Younger consumers are paying almost twice as much as pensioners when buying snacks, nicotine products and other everyday items from UK corner shops, according to research commissioned by Two Wombats.
A survey of 2,000 UK adults by OnePoll found that 49 per cent of shoppers knowingly pay higher prices for convenience when purchasing products such as snacks, alcohol, vapes and nicotine pouches.
The study found that people aged 18 to 24 pay an average of £6.08 above standard retail prices per visit. By comparison, those aged 65 and over pay £3.23, a difference of 88 per cent.
Nearly half of Gen Z respondents, 46 per cent, said they had paid £5 or more above the usual price, and 17 per cent said they had spent more than £10 extra to avoid travelling to a supermarket.
Older shoppers were less willing to accept higher prices. Four per cent of respondents aged 55 and over said they had paid a markup of £5 or more, while 42 per cent of those aged 65 and over said they had never knowingly paid extra for convenience.
Across all age groups, shoppers said they were willing to pay an average of £5.04 above the standard retail price to save time.
Nearly half (49 per cent) of respondents were hit with a nasty surprise as they have bought a product that turned out to be expired from a corner shop.
London recorded the highest average markup at £5.83 per purchase. Northern Ireland followed at £5.63, with the North West at £5.37. The lowest average figures were reported in the South East at £4.40 and in Scotland and the South West, both at £4.46.
Consumers in the capital pay around 31 per cent more than those in Scotland for similar convenience purchases. Four in 10 Londoners also regularly pay markups of £5 or more, compared with 16 per cent of shoppers in the South East.
Cormac Folan, chief executive of Two Wombats, said younger consumers appear to have become more accepting of higher prices for convenience purchases.
Regions paying the highest convenience tax
- London – £5.83
- Northern Ireland – £5.63
- North West – £5.37
- West Midlands – £5.26
- North East – £5.06
- East of England – £5.04
- Wales – £4.84
- East Midlands – £4.77
- Yorkshire and the Humber – £4.62
- Scotland – £4.46
- South West - £4.46
- South East - £4.40