One’s grocery receipt might seem like an uninteresting piece of paper to many. However, if your receipt was given to a complete stranger, they with a discerning eye would be able to deduce a considerable amount of information about you and your family.

For example: your shopping will give away your social background. If you’re middle-classed, your shopping will reveal this fact by your purchases. The middle classes are more apt to buy better quality and branded foods, and more fresh vegetables and a greater number of fruits. They are less likely to buy much in the way of junk foods.

If you are poor and on welfare, your grocery receipt will give this information away because you may be tempted to buy more store-labelled foods as these will be cheaper than branded goods. You may cook with vegetable oils rather than the more expensive olive oils. You might buy white breads rather than the more expensive multi-grained breads. In fact your basket may be crammed with unhealthy foods because unfortunately they are cheaper than fresh vegetables and fruit.

If you’re vegetarian this too will be reflected in your grocery receipt. Your grocery receipt might tell a stranger that you have a DVD player or a cell phone if you have bought a film or topped up your phone. Your grocery receipt will also tell the stranger something about your credit standing if you have used a credit or debit card to settle the account. Poor people are more likely to use cash as cash is easier to budget. Poor people may also not have access to credit or debit cards.

Your grocery receipt will also give away your attitude to the environment if you have made certain purchases like buying free-range eggs or purchasing organic vegetables. Your grocery receipt may even have something to say about your general state of health if you have things like aspirin, multivitamins or garlic tablets in your basket. Your grocery receipt will give information away about your pets, whether you have a cat, dog or a bird.

It is hard to believe just how much a tiny slip of paper can say about one. The above is just a taste experts can glean even more information from your grocery receipt about you and your family. It is amazing such an innocuous document can say so much about you.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/daydreaming/2008/07/what_does_your_grocery_list_sa.html

http://www.yelp.com/topic/austin-what-does-your-grocery-basket-say-about-you