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Brian Snyder / Reuters file
According to a survey, 52 percent of dads say they are the primary supermarket shoppers in the household.
There’s a good chance dad might be shopping for his own Father’s Day breakfast in bed this Sunday. No, he’s not in the doghouse, but apparently dads are doing more of the grocery shopping these days.
According to a survey released this week by brand marketing firm Cone Communications, 52 percent of dads say they are the primary supermarket shoppers in the household, and 35 percent of moms admitted fathers have more influence when it comes to grocery purchases.
“This research goes against all stereotypes of the ‘Father Knows Best’ dad who doesn’t concern himself with domestic responsibilities,” says Bill Fleishman, president of Cone Communications, about the online survey that polled 1,000 parents with children under 17.
The company’s research also found dad shoppers aren’t just winging their supermarket hunting. Dad’s polled said they:
- Create a detailed shopping list – 63% (vs. 65% of moms)
- Collect coupons or read circulars – 56% (vs. 62% of moms)
- Plan meals for the week ahead of time – 52% (vs. 46% of moms)
- Perform background research on grocery products – 24% (vs. 11% of moms)
And moms are more likely to spend more time in the grocery store than dads. While Cone’s study found fathers were doing more of the grocery shopping, Today Money Facebook fans we informally polled Friday largely said the opposite it true.
“If my husband went to the store we would be having frozen pizza and macaroni and cheese for dinner every night,” said Mariska Colbert of her husband Zac.
And Melissa Klement added, “Wish my hubby would do it.”
But Roberta Harwood Speller, who works in a grocery store said: “There are several men that shop each week there for their families. They do very well. Even have their kids with them.”
For those of us who just can’t accept father foragers in the supermarket, it may be time set aside your bias in the aisle.
“We’re finding that dads are not acting so differently from moms in their approach to grocery shopping,” maintained Cone’s Fleishman.
(Full disclosure: My husband does most of the supermarket shopping these days, but I have to write up the list.)
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I am a father of 8 children and, even though I am the sole bread winner (working 2 jobs), I do probably 90% of the grocery shopping. My wife works extremely hard and grocery shopping is something I am good at (I save the family a lot of $$$) and something I enjoy.
Observationally, I have noticed that there are more men shopping with children than women but I shop at night. I believe that men of my generation do more than double the work that men of past generations have done and yet we don't seem to be recognized for any of it.
They really should have broken down the responses by small age group segments. Someone with a kid 17 or under could be 20 or 70+. Demographically speaking I would bet that the under 30-40 group is drastically more balanced or maybe even slanted towards the father doing the shopping than the over 60 one. Most of the guys I know under 40 learned the basic household things like shopping, cooking, cleaning, etc., just as a matter of the generation they grew up in. Not so much from what I've seen of the older demographic. A lot of teenaged guys/early 20yos can do most of those things for themselves these days. It's not a bad thing, and it's pretty necessary for people to know all this stuff by themselves regardless of gender. If I told a woman to make me dinner/buy me groceries, I would fully expect to get punched...hard. That's just independence which is the only way to learn interdependence and should be a point of pride.
So for lesbian couples, does the more masculine woman go to the grocery store?
In my house, if Mom goes shopping we end up with rice cakes, bunny foo foo salads, perrier water and other healthy crap; Dad goes and we have cakes, cookies, chips, meat, frozen pizza, ice cream and other 'fun' crap.
Do away with father's day. It's meaningless...
I now what a great man my father was... rest his soul. A great man and the best father ever!! Love you dad!!
I realize that mothers insist on a pat on the head, acknowledgement, and a day off. Good for them.
As a dad... I can tell you I don't need that acknowledgement. I am a father because I want to be. I love my children and love my wife. That's all I need to be happy. No pats, public acknowledgement or special day needed. My wife and I share responsibilities on a fairly 50/50 basis.
Give it a rest folks...
The women you see shopping could be single women. Most of the single guys I know do not grocery shop very often. Single guys tend to eat out at fast food joints or take out most of the time.
Its because most women cant or wont cook.If a man wants a DESCENT meal he earns the money to buy the food,does the shopping,then cooks the meal.
Father knows best, and is less likely to be pressured by the kids.
Who gives a sh*t who does the shopping?
Didnt think that was even a gender related thing. Inevitably one person is better at certain financial aspects than their partner, and it just falls into place.
Why does the media feel the need to put non-issues under a microscope?
I do the shopping and have for all of our 18 years of our marriage. I am employed full-time, I have 3 college degrees, I pay may taxes and participate in the two-party political system; and I voted for Obama.
I also drive to work in my American-made pickup that is paid for because I get up and go to work every morning. Above all, I don't blame my poor-decision making skills on the media, the libruls or anyone else. If I mess up, it ain't nobody's fault but mine.
Media companies re owned and run by billionares including and especially FOX.. Keep your ignorant biases out of it. Go back to FAUX news.
THE HELP??????
Hysterical.
say...when are we gonna hear about PF editor Jean Chatzky sending her kid to a $40,000 a year high school? Which her ex is paying for?
Because Jean Chatzky needs a story idea. That's why.