Questionnaire Results: Shopping Habits of the Elderly

After creating a comprehensive questionnaire, we subsequently visited a local community centre, Onnely House in Harborne, for over 50 year olds. The questionnaire was disbanded between 5 community members, and the results formalised.


1. What is your age group?

Laachmann -> 70 - 80
Alfred -> 80 - 90
Margrett -> 80 - 90
Judy -> 70 - 80
Robert -> 60 - 70

2. What is your marital status?

Laachmann -> Widowed
Alfred -> Married
Margrett -> Married
Judy -> Widowed
Robert -> Divorced

3. How many people do you shop for?

Laachmann -> 5
Alfred -> 2
Margrett -> 2
Judy -> 0
Robert -> 1

4. Do you do your own shopping?

Laachmann -> Yes
Alfred -> Yes
Margrett -> Yes
Judy -> No
Robert -> Yes

5. How many times do you visit the supermarket?

Laachmann -> Once a week
Alfred -> Once a week
Margrett -> Once a week
Judy -> N/A
Robert -> Once a week

6. How much do you spend on average on a supermarket trip?

Laachmann -> £30-40
Alfred -> £10-£20
Margrett -> £10-£20
Judy -> N/A
Robert -> Below £10

7. What medical conditions do you suffer from?

Laachmann -> Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, High Cholesterol, Poor Eyesight
Alfred -> Arthritis, Glaucoma, High Blood Pressure
Margrett -> Asthma, Arthritis
Judy -> High Blood Pressure, High Cholesterol, Poor Eyesight
Robert -> Overweight, High Blood Pressure, High Cholesterol

8. How do you travel to the supermarket?

Laachmann -> Car
Alfred -> Bus
Margrett -> Bus
Judy -> N/A
Robert -> Bus

9. What technological items do you use?

Laachmann -> Computerised Massage Chair/Orthopaedic Bed, Diabetes sugar level tester
Alfred -> None
Margrett -> Digital Camera, Mobile Phone
Judy -> Mobile Phone
Robert -> Computer, Mobile Phone

10. Which of the following have you used?

Laachmann -> Remote Control, Computer Keyboard
Alfred -> Remote Control, Computer Keyboard
Margrett -> Remote Control, Computer Keyboard
Judy -> Remote Control, Touch Screen, Computer Keyboard
Robert -> Remote Control, Joy Stick, Computer Keyboard, Touch Screen

11. Do you own a supermarket store card?

Laachmann -> Yes
Alfred -> No
Margrett -> No
Judy -> No
Robert -> Yes

12. How do you pay for your shopping?

Laachmann -> Credit Card
Alfred -> Cash
Margrett -> Cash
Judy -> N/A
Robert -> Credit Card

13. If you do not use a Debit or Credit card would you consider shopping?

Laachmann -> N/A
Alfred -> No – I don’t know, maybe, they’re too much hassle
Margrett -> No – Don’t trust those blasted cards
Judy -> N/A
Robert -> N/A

Summary of Findings:

The questionnaire session was very valuable; we attained some very helpful information from the potential users. We outlined that many elderly people that attended the centre live on their own or just as a couple, resulting in them having to do their own shopping. It came to light that the community centre offers computer literacy classes, and that many of the elderly people in the community centre have used a computer.

One of the main questions which was very emphasised by the elderly people was the medical conditions question, which highlighted the fact that many of them have health issues and poor eyesight, and it was an all round consensus that they all found it very difficult and time consuming sifting through certain products on a supermarket shelf ensuring certain aspects which are bad for there health, especially with their poor eyesight, most of them struggling to read the required information.

It was found that a couple of the elderly people did not use Credit or Debit cards, the reasons for this mainly fell under the extra hassle of depositing their pension into a bank, and also not trusting credit cards.