Scientists say Christmas food shop in-store can be as stressful as watching a horror film or sitting an exam. A study undertaken by Ocado Retail, and analysed by Professor Charles Spence, Professor of Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford, found that shoppers’ heart rates spiked by 44%, reaching 115bpm, when food shopping in a busy supermarket during the festive period.
This is the same level of stress as watching a horror film (up to 110bpm), taking a stressful exam (up to 115 bpm), facing tough questions in a job interview (up to 115 bpm) or going on a blind-date (106 bpm)4.
The study found that online shoppers’ heart rates peaked at 82bpm, 29% lower than those in-store.
Long check out queues were the top trugger, followed by crowded stores and empty shelves. The study found that on average, Christmas shoppers spend one hour and 53 minutes on their festive food run, with most needing more than two trips to ensure they have all of the essentials. Many still find themselves making last-minute dashes for milk, bread, and potatoes.
When shopping online, participants had an average heart rate of 79bpm during their Christmas shop, which is comparable to practising yoga or stroking a pet.
Laura Harricks, Ocado Chief Customer Officer said: “It’ll be no surprise that we’re firm believers in the benefits of online shopping at Ocado, but it’s fascinating to see the results of the research and just how much of a difference it can make to seasonal stress levels. However people choose to shop this Christmas though, we hope this research will help them recognise and avoid some of the biggest festive shopping stress triggers and so find a little more peace this holiday season.”
Professor Charles Spence, University of Oxford, said: “Heart rates increase when we encounter stress, as adrenaline pumps through the body — and there’s nothing like the chaos of Christmas shopping to get it going. The experiment showed that in-store shopping during the festive season can send heart rates and stress levels soaring, while online shopping offers a much calmer experience.
“As further consumer research highlighted key triggers like long queues and crowded aisles; it’s no surprise that so many Brits would rather scrub their bathroom5 than brave the supermarket.”