Decision Making and Habit in Shopping Times.

Demand variation has some benefits for retailer. Fluctuations in demand invite two types of response from management: first, to adjust the supply of the service to the level of demand. Supermarket managers do this on a regular basis by varying staffing levels and by opening and closing checkouts to fit the daily and weekly patterns of demand and second, to try to influence the timing of demand. In some services this is achieved using reservations or price differentials. In supermarkets, promotions have occasionally been used to raise traffic in off-peak periods. A mail survey on use of supermarkets and post offices explored a number of the questions raised above. The results supported the patterns of store usage and also showed that the majority of people claimed to have regular times for shopping by day and time of day. This study divided respondents according to whether they disliked waiting at the checkout or not, there was evidence that people who disliked waiting were less likely to shop in the busy period in the morning, suggesting that some people may try to avoid congestion.