UK shoppers will spend a whole two months of their lives queuing in shops, according to new research released today.
During each trip to the high street, the average shopper clocks up over 28 minutes queuing to pay for goods. Just two shopping trips a month equates to 11-and a half hours per year waiting to be served.
This is exacerbated over the Christmas period, when stressed out shoppers spend an extra 87 minutes queuing to pay for presents. That's a further wasted fortnight over a lifetime of Christmases.
And the research, from shopping channel bid tv, also found that as well as the time we spend queuing, we also will average a staggering 11 miles of walking round shops on a typical shopping trip.
While men traditionally find accompanying their partners on shopping trips a chore, 89% do so at least twice a month - with 24% admitting they check out other women in stores while doing their duty! This in turn leads to that other great British shopping tradition - the argument!
"This study confirms the significant stress that can be caused by a session of shopping not only mentally but also physically," says relationship psychologist Corrine Sweet. "The increase in queuing time over Christmas and the potential negative emotions and aggression cannot only lead to increased stress for individuals, but also put pressure on relationships over the festive period."
And with Christmas sales starting early to beat the credit crunch, all this queuing, walking and arguments with the partner, add up to making the festive shopping period a stressful time.
'This needn't be the case,' says bid tv host Andy Hodgson. 'We're finding savvy shoppers are using TV shopping channels and the internet as the perfect stress buster.'
'Its staggering to see how much time people spend queuing for their purchases,' adds Andy. 'Coupled with the current financial climate, shoppers don't need the additional stress.'