A study commissioned by Kroger and conducted by OnePoll has found that people use self-checkout to avoid judgment for their purchases. In addition, the survey of 2000 Americans found that 40% of Americans opt to buy healthy products to avoid at the checkout line.

Participants experience cart envy

The researchers looked at the study participants’ habits when grocery shopping. They found that 2 in 5 used self-checkout so the cashiers wouldn’t judge their purchases. However, the same number had experienced cart envy. This feeling caused them to leave the line to find items in other people’s carts.

About 78% of respondents admitted leaving the grocery store with items they hadn’t planned on buying. Moreover, 2 in 3 participants had spent over $50 on things they had not intended to buy.

Researchers find a connection between shopping lists and personality

Nearly 80% of the respondents said they made a shopping list before going to the grocery store. Researchers sought a connection between this and their personalities. They found that 73% of list-makers were likely to cry when watching a sad movie, compared to 53% of those who didn’t make shopping lists. About 72% of list-makers had also found satisfaction in their lives compared to 56% of non-list makers.

List-makers were also more likely to use recipes when cooking (32%) than 15% of non-list-makers. Moreover, about 54% of them considered themselves professional-level cooks compared to 26% of non-list-makers. In addition, more list-makers focused on healthy food options (46%) compared to 20% of those who didn’t make lists.

Researchers also looked into the personality of respondents who liked to examine each aisle while shopping (64%). They found that these respondents were more likely to consider themselves adventurous (40%) and early birds (42%). However, most of them also viewed themselves as introverts (37%) and were fans of horror movies (46%).

The study also concluded that 2 in 5 participants have tried to eat healthy since the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, about 1 in 3 have placed more stress on organic, vegetarian, and vegan items.

According to a spokesperson from Kroger, the company hopes to be helpful to those seeking to change their diets by providing options for everyone.