Consumers who are finding they have less money for food due to the economic downturn are now resorting to end-of-the-month trolley dashes and promotional labels that coincide with payday in order to stock up.

This is the conclusion of Morrisons supermarket, which carried out research and discovered that customers spend 37 per cent more at this time of the month than during other periods.

Toiletries, cleaning products and toilet roll were the items most likely to be snapped up by shoppers when they get paid by their workplace.

Meanwhile, 32 per cent of consumers admitted to eating "weird" combinations of food before they got paid and a quarter said they had nothing at all left in their fridge prior to their wage packet going in.

Richard Hodgson, group commercial director at Morrisons, said the economic downturn could be signaling the end of the weekly shop in favour of a bulk buy around payday and small, top-up shops at random times.

Trade body R3 recently found that 51 per cent of shoppers are purchasing fewer non-essentials such as DVDs and 47 per cent are shopping around for the best deals on goods.

Denny Bros Ltd, 01 June 2011