MARTIN SLOANE | Supermarket Shopper Questions test your supermarket I.Q.

Are you a savvy shopper? Do you know the most popular cut of beef or the supermarket's busiest shopping day? Here are a few questions to test your supermarket I.Q.:
1. How much does the average household spend each week on groceries?
A. $57.
B. $73.
C. $87.
D. $103.
2. The busiest day at the supermarket is:
A. Friday.
B. Saturday.
C. Sunday.
D. Monday.
3. The most popular cut of beef sold in supermarkets is:
A. Boneless chuck steak.
B. T-Bone steak.
C. Stew meat.
D. Strip Steak.
4. If you change your mind about purchasing an item, you should:
A. Put it back where you found it.
B. Ask a clerk to put it back.
C. Give it to the cashier.
D. Put it on a shelf, any shelf.
5. The most popular ice cream sold in supermarkets is:
A. Breyers.
B. Dreyer's/Edy's Grand.
C. Haagen Dazs.
D. Blue Bell.
E. The supermarket house brand.
6. Supermarkets have been increasing their private label house brand products. Which statement is correct?
A. The quality is not as good as the national brands.
B. There is only a slight difference in price compared to national brands.
C. The labels on private label packages contain less information.
D. One out of five items purchased by supermarket shoppers is private label.
7. Approximately 60 million households receive coupons inserts in their Sunday newspapers. How many grocery coupons will each household receive in 2003?
A. 540.
B. 750.
C. 990.
D. More than 1,500.
8. In 2002, the percentage of manufacturer dry grocery coupons that required the purchase of more than one item was:
A. 18 percent.
B. 23 percent.
C. 28 percent.
D. 46 percent.
9. If your supermarket has self-scan checkout lanes, what should you do if you want to try it for the first time?
A. Tell the station cashier it's your first time.
B. Read the instructions.
C. Buy a few items for your first experience.
D. Be able to identify your produce.
E. All of the above.
10. Which is correct about the job of the supermarket cashier?
A. It is repetitive, often boring work.
B. It is physically demanding.
C. Cashiers deal with "difficult" shoppers.
D. Customers rarely show appreciation.
E. All of the above.
Here are the answers:
1. "C" is correct. Larger households of five or more people spend an average of $125 a week, according to the Food Marketing Institute.
2. "B" is correct. According to Progressive Grocer magazine, 22 percent of the grocery shopping is done on Saturday. The slowest day is Tuesday, an excellent choice to avoid crowds and long lines.
3. The answer is "C." Stew meat is most frequently selected cut in the meat case. Strip steaks rank second in popularity (Source: Cryovac, NCBA Meat Case Study, 2002).
4. Answers "A," "B," and "C" are all correct. Answer "D" is incorrect, because it does matter. Abandoned items, called "orphans" increase the supermarket's costs, which we all end up paying. This is especially true for orphan, refrigerated and frozen items that may have to be discarded.
5. Did you select "E & quot;? It outranks No. 2, Breyers, by a wide margin. Dreyer's/Edy's Grand is in third place according to Information Resources, Inc.
6. "D" is on the money. One-in-five items sold is private label, according to the Private Label Manufacturers Association.
7. The answer is "D." If you receive two inserts, as most households do, the coupon count for 2003 will be well over 1,500.
8. According to the CMS 2003 Trends report, the correct answer is "D." This confirms the belief of many coupon clippers, especially singles and seniors, that grocery coupons have become less useful.
9. The answer is "E." If you do all of the above, your first self-scan experience should be successful.
10. "E" is correct. All of the above, which are good reasons for shoppers to show consideration and give the cashier a smile and a thank you.
How well did you do?
Eight or more correct is an excellent score!
XSend questions and comments to Martin Sloane in care of The Vindicator. The volume of mail precludes individual replies to every letter, but Martin Sloane will respond to letters of general interest in the column.
United Feature Syndicate