Out of line: Scots spend 36 days of their lives stuck at the check-out
New research commissioned by Zoom Drinks reveals the astonishing amount of time Scots spend queueing in shops and travelling to get there - also shining light on a massive disparity in the distances they need to go to pick up the essentials.
The study shows people in Scotland dedicate 14 hours per year—equivalent to 2 days—simply waiting in line at the checkout, or 36 days throughout their lives.
When factoring in time spent walking to and from their local stores (13 hours per year) this rises to a staggering 10 months across their lives spent nipping to the local supermarket or convenience store.
Two thirds of us queue for at least five minutes every visit to the shop and a tenth make the trip daily.
Results show that people in Perth spend the longest queuing and residents of Stirling are the most efficient in the aisles, waiting at the tills for less than three minutes.
With walking the preferred mode of travel for nearly 75% of us, with just under 5% of us who regularly cycle when we need to stock up on food or drinks.
The survey, commissioned by Zoom Drinks Delivery, shows Dundonians need to travel the furthest to their nearest shop, an average of 6 km, while people in Glasgow have the most choice on their doorstep.
Zoom delivers over 800 drinks products directly to people’s homes at the touch of an app - from soft drinks, to wine, beer and premium spirits. Usings its own fleet of vans, it can drop off orders up to midnight each night, meaning no last minute dash to grab alcohol before 10pm.
Christina Boyle, Head of Operations at Zoom said: "It is really quite startling when you see just how much time we waste travelling to the shop or queuing once inside. All of those quick trips really mount up and that doesn’t even include hours wasted every month trying to find items or packing them into bags.
“Zoom offers deliveries right to your door, for maximum convenience and important, a little time back from a busy day.”