The traditional practice among many households, when it comes to stocking up on their essentials like food and cleaning supplies, is to visit the giant supermarkets closest to their area once a week/every two weeks (or whichever is more suited to their routine) and get everything they need in that one trip. This means that they make big purchases during the shopping trip, and that beforehand they need to prepare their lists and their budgets to ensure that nothing is forgotten and everything can be accommodated by the allotted budget.
While this can be considered the norm, whoever is in charge of grocery shopping in the family (often the mums) will need to set aside a significant amount of time and money to prepare for and actually execute the shopping activity. This helps them keep the pantry well-stocked so that they would not need to run back to the store in the next two weeks or so.
However, the emergence of more convenience stores signals the development of evolving grocery shopping practices among Australians. Locals have discovered the following benefits that they can enjoy from shopping at convenience stores instead of bigger chains:
1. You're very likely to find whatever you need in these stores. Designed to be somewhat smaller supermarkets, convenience stores carry the essential items that people are bound to need: bread, fresh milk, beverages, newspapers and magazines, chips, ice cream, confectionery, pet food, toilet paper, cleaning products, breakfast cereals, infant diapers, baby food, pasta and sauces, and the like. However, they will not have to browse through lengthy, gigantic aisles to look for these items — they can be easily found in the much smaller convenience stores.
2. You can get in and get out quickly. Because the items are neatly displayed and can be found quickly, shoppers won't have to spend hours finding everything they need before they can fall in line to pay for their items. And express lanes are provided so that people with only a few items can breeze through checkout, instead of waiting behind other shoppers with several shopping carts filled to the brim, which often happens in larger stores.
3. You can drop in at late hours instead of waiting for the next day's regular opening hours at the bigger supermarket. Different convenience stores will have different operating hours, with some operating 24/7, so there's no need to rush for supplies after work to make it to closing time. Shoppers can now opt to pay frequent visits to convenience stores, purchasing a few items at a time, instead of buying weeks' worth of groceries at one go because they are confident that the stores are easily accessible.
4. Owners and operators of most convenience stores keep in close touch with customers so they can discover what else they are looking for, and adjust their offerings accordingly. Some owners may ask their patrons about products they would like to see in the store, or perhaps products in bigger or smaller quantities, and maybe some promotional activities or app compatibilities that can make their shopping even more convenient. These strategies help make customers feel more taken care of by the stores, helping to build their loyalty.