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Seven simple ways to speed up your shopping trip the next time you're in Dunnes Stores, Tesco, Aldi and Lidl

The average shopping trip takes around 41 minutes, which amounts to around 53 hours per year

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Woman shopping(Image: gettyimages.ie)

There are many other ways people would like to spend their time rather than dragging themselves to the supermarket to do the dreaded weekly shop.

However, there are some valuable tips and tricks to help customers get around the isles in record time without forgetting any essential items.

According to the Time Use Institute, the average shopping trip takes around 41 minutes, which amounts to around 53 hours per year.

READ MORE: All the recalled products Irish customers need to throw out this week from meat and fish to sauces

That can appear like far too much time to spend buying groceries for most.

Although shopping is a relatively simple chore, it can feel a lot more complicated as you try to decipher what you need to buy to ensure there is enough food to get your family through a week of breakfast, lunches, dinners and snacks.

But with some simple tips, you can cut down the time you spend in the supermarket and spend it doing something you enjoy instead.

Here are seven useful tricks to help you:

Write a shopping list before you even set foot in the supermarket

Not only are you saving time, but you do not have to think about dishes and recipes as you loiter in the aisles. You may also save money as you're not impulse-buying, as LeicestershireLive reports.

Eat before you start shopping

Hunger pangs are a sure-fire way to get you to stray from your carefully curated shopping list. To avoid wasting time hunting for snacks and sweet treats, eat before leaving the house for your shopping trip.

Organise your shopping list by grouping similar items together

Group similar products such as yoghurt, cheese and butter together. Colour coding helps, so pull out those nifty highlighters to really turbo-charge your shopping trip.

The same goes for loose fruit and vegetables. Don't place spring onions in the same bag as loose tomatoes, as this will require the cashier to lift items out from the bag, sort them, and then finally scan them separately.

Leave multiple bulky items in your trolley

If you have multiple items of the same product, such as five crates of beer, place only one crate on the conveyor belt and let the cashier know about the other crates in the trolley. That way, you're not wasting time loading and unloading heavy items, and the cashier can quickly scan the item that is already in your trolley.

Size matters, place the heaviest products to be packed first

Arrange the heaviest items at the beginning of the conveyor belt. That way, when you're packing, the order is already sorted, and you're not wasting time rearranging items at checkout.

Pay using the contactless method

Paying using your debit or credit card by the contactless method takes seconds.. Inputting your PIN might take a few moments longer. However, every second counts if you really want to save the amount of time you spend in the supermarket.

Try the customer service desk if you only have a few items

Some supermarkets have customer service desks that allow check out if you only have a few items. Use wisely, and remember, a smile may help get the customer service desk cashier on side.

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