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Drunk shopping report
Canada’s $2.15 billion dollar problem
Canadians have a drunk shopping problem. They’ve spent an estimated $2.15 billion dollars shopping under the influence (SUI), according to survey data from Finder.com.
The amount Canadians are spending while on the sauce might have something to do with the sheer volume of Canadians who are shopping while under the influence. According to data, almost one in three Canadians (31%) admitted to shopping while drunk at some stage in their life.
Men spend more while drunk than women
Let’s break it down starting with the battle of the sexes. Canadian men have spent far more than women while drinking, with men spending a total average of $256 in their lifetime. This is about 36% more than the $188 spent by Canadian women.
What are we buying?
If you’ve ever had a few too many, it may come as little surprise that we’re most likely to spend our loonies on food while drunk. Over half (56%) of those who said they’d made a drunk purchase did so. The next most common items bought while drunk included more alcohol (51%), shoes and clothes, (30%), cigarettes (29%) and gambling (28%).
More men buy tech products when drunk compared to women (19% vs 8%), with drunk men also more likely than women to buy cigarettes, food and gamble. However, drunk women beat out men for clothing and accessory purchases (38% vs 25%).
How does spending differ between the generations?
They may be the newest generation to walk the earth, but they’re also the ones most likely to spend it up big while on the booze, with generation Z spending an average of $312. They were followed by generation Y ($277), baby boomers ($235) and generation X ($147).
Interestingly, generation Z men outspent generation Z women at a rate of eight to one, which was by far the biggest gender discrepancy across all generations.
Which province has the most drunk shoppers?
In Saskatchewan, you’ll find the most drunk shoppers, with nearly half of people (44%) from this province admitting to making a purchase while under the influence. They also spend the most, with an average spend of $415. Canadians from New Brunswick and Manitoba have spent the least per person while boozed, with an average spend of just $104 and $106, respectively.
Methodology
Survey data is from a survey of 1,213 Canadian adults commissioned by Finder and conducted by PureProfile in October 2019. Northwest territories, Nanuvut, Prince Edward Island, and Yukon were not included in the geographic breakdown due to not having enough responses.
Past drunk shopping surveys
For media inquiries:

Susannah Binsted
Public Relations Manager
susannah.binsted@finder.com
Madeleine Gracie
Communications and Campaign Specialist
madeleine.gracie@finder.com
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