Brits spend £4.5 billion on drunk shopping

Brits have spent an estimated £4.46 billion on spontaneous drunk purchases, according to new figures.

Almost half of the British adult population (45.80%) who regularly drink alcohol admit to making a purchase while under the influence – that means that an estimate of over 15 million Brits have made drunk purchases in the past, according to a survey by price comparison site Finer.

On average, these people have spent around £291.07 each.

Just under a quarter of drinkers in the UK admitted to purchasing food while drunk, while a further 13.80% admit to buying shoes, clothes and accessories. Gambling came in at 10.44%, followed by the purchase of cigarettes with 8.51% doing so.

It may not come as a surprise that millennials are driving the drunk shopping trend. The majority of those born between the late 1980s and late 90s have dipped their toes into the world of drunk spending, with nearly 60% admitting to the indulgence.

Drunk smoking is a problem that is estimated to be more than four-times bigger in millennials than baby boomers, with 15.06% of drinkers having purchased cigarettes whilst under the influence compared to only 3.20% of baby boomers and 9.48% of Gen X.

Despite this, Gen Xers are the biggest spenders, with their average total spend sitting at £374.45, compared to £182.39 for millennials. Baby boomers sit comfortably in the middle at £317.09.

The drunk shopping phenomenon is well-documented, and online purchases are a major threat to boozers’ bank accounts. An earlier survey into sozzled Brits’ spending habits found that Amazon is the most popular website for drinkers.

While clothes, CDs and DVDs were the most common purchases, one person reported buying 10 lobster pots when drunk. Other items included diving gear, a folding ladder and a washing machine.