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Seven ways to speed up your shopping trips the next time you're in Aldi, Lidl and Tesco

Making a shopping list and using the contactless payment method can all help reduce your shopping trip time

[When Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Lidl and Sainsbury's stores will be open on May Bank Holiday]

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Shopping can be a long and arduous task(Image: western mail)

There are better ways to spend time than wandering up and down the aisles in a supermarket as you conduct your weekly shop. According to the Time Use Institute, the average shopping trip takes around 41 minutes, which is around 53 hours per year.

For many people, that's far too long to spend buying groceries. But despite it being a relatively simple task it can still feel complicated and take too long.

So spend your precious time doing things you enjoy instead of wasting time in your local supermarket. Here are our top seven tips on how you can save time in the supermarket and all it takes is being organised and prepping like a boss.

Read more: Top tip costing just 1 to stop greasy hair

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

Not only are you saving time, as youre not having to think about dishes and recipes as you loiter in the aisles. You may also save money as youre not impulse-buying.

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. Dont 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, 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 youre 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 youre packing, the order is already sorted and youre 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. The UK contactless card limit is currently 100, which increased last October from 45. 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 small number of items. Use wisely and remember, a smile may help get the customer service desk cashier on side.

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