All lost in the supermarket

Shoppers are so stressed out by the sheer number of different brands, special offers and complicated instructions that they are missing out on the best deals, according to a new survey.

More than half the country's shoppers say they are angered or irritated when in the store and get into difficulties trying to compare value for money between different products. The switch to metric measurements has compounded the problem.

According to research conducted by Procter & Gamble. Britain has become a nation of "guesstimators", with 67 per cent admitting to guessing when making measurements. Sue Keane, a psychologist and consumer behaviourist, said: "The problem is that the majority of us want to make quick decisions, rather than spend ages comparing products and studying information ... which can lead to mistakes or even over-spending."