It’s official – now we’re all bargain hunters

In recent years voucher companies, money-off deals and discounted rates on everything from travel to food have boomed.
By The Newsroom
Published 13th Jun 2012, 06:50 BST

And new research proves the majority of Brits now can’t live without these deals and even take great pride in being able to ‘bag a bargain’ and then share their knowledge with others.

The survey by Southern Railway found that three quarters of us will only go to a shop, go for dinner or visit a venue if a voucher or discount is available, and that almost a quarter of us use vouchers or money-off opportunities once a week.

And to show how much getting a deal means to us thrifty Brits, 80 per cent admit that we resent paying full price for something.

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Historically, this culture of bargain hunting has increased significantly over the past five years. More than nine in 10 of us use discounts at supermarkets compared to just two in ten five years ago and more than twice as many of us get deals on travel now (36 per cent) compared to five years ago (17 per cent).

Nine out of ten of those surveyed said they feel cheated if they have bought something and then find it on sale a week later. In fact, as a nation we are more excited about getting a significant bargain than we are about a bank holiday weekend, with a third of us feeling a great sense of pride after getting a good deal and sharing it with our friends or colleagues.

Consumer champion and television presenter Dominic Littlewood, who is well known for spotting the best money-saving deals, says: “It’s no secret that we all like to save money and use a good deal, but the research by Southern shows just how much of a nation of bargain hunters we are. The fact that we now go out of our way to find an offer before we go out – 75 per cent of us in fact – is a telling sign of the times. We’ve become savvier and know we don’t always have to pay full price for things.

“My advice to anyone looking to save money and get the best price for something would be to shop around and do your research. If you’re part of that 80 per cent who resent paying full price for something, don’t pay it! There are plenty of great deals out there.”