Grocery Shopping on a Student Budget: Smart Choices at the Supermarket

AUBG students are one of the most active consumer groups in BG Market’s stores as they try to find nutritious and affordable food items. There are a variety of options for them to choose from in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

BG Market’s Marketing Director Vladimir Milenkov acknowledged the importance of students as a customer group. “Students shop at our supermarkets given the higher education institutions in town. That is why we strive to offer activities that are suited to their needs and preferences,” he said. Examples of such include fresh product offerings and interactive social media games.

According to the results from a survey conducted among 50 AUBG students, 48% of the respondents shop 2-3 times a week and 44% do that once a week.

This tendency is confirmed by BG Market’s Marketing Director Vladimir Milenkov. “In Bulgaria, it is becoming more common that people shop “day by day” instead of “week by week”. The consumers tend to purchase more cooked meals during the weekdays, dealing with their fast-paced daily life,” he said. That is why all BG Market shops offer a storefront with hot meals that satisfy clients' needs.

Students prioritize certain factors when doing their groceries. According to the survey responses, the most important aspects when choosing a supermarket to shop at are the affordable price and wide variety of products. The next two factors in line are close proximity to where people live and accessibility. BG Market satisfies these needs as it has physical stores in various locations around Blagoevgrad.

AUBG Senior student Stefan Leon emphasized on BG Market’s offering of sushi which has been popular among students because of its good value for money. “This was the bravest choice they could have made,” he said. BG Market strives to present promotions and affordable product prices to its customers which does not remain unnoticed.

For Milenkov, the significance of these aspects depends on the customer groups and their specific preferences. “For some, it is important to come in-person to see and choose the products, for others this is the location, and for a third group - the variety of products. However, the most essential aspect for everyone is the service; more specifically that it happens in a quick and accessible way with the assistance of kind and helpful staff,” he said.

Milenkov added that “a certain tendency of searching and demanding individual approach and service towards the client’s personal needs is becoming more evident.”

People also want to maintain their health and well-being which impacts their product choices. “Consumers pay even more attention to the food’s origin and composition and search for higher quality ingredients, having in mind their own health. We notice that younger people search a lot more information about the benefits of certain products and how these impact the organism,” Milenkov said.

Because of young people’s interest in healthy living, BG Market offers products that are sought after by students such as fresh sandwiches, fresh juices, and smoothies. “We conduct regular games on social media with which we engage undergraduates in pleasant and refreshing activities and provide them with an opportunity to win vouchers for shopping in our online store,” Milenkov said.

The survey results show that students are very likely to choose a supermarket which is more affordable and works 24/7. This suits their demands to shop cheaply and at any time.

Leon agrees with the importance of working hours. “It’s [BG Market] the one grocery store that is open past 8 PM which is the best thing they could have ever done. It works on a student schedule as opposed to everything else in the city,” he said.

The survey also demonstrated that students do not consider the product’s availability for delivery through an online app to be that important. Nevertheless, there is a steady transition towards shopping online instead of at a physical store. People would like to save the time that is spent reaching the supermarket and going around the stands to find the necessary products.

Milenkov said that “the consumer is searching even more for the shorter path that leads to the desired products and satisfies their needs. We felt this back during the pandemic. That is why, as a consequence of it, this alternative method of shopping through digital channels has appeared and developed in the last few years.”

BG Market currently has 10 shops around Blagoevgrad with two of them being in close proximity to AUBG’s campus. The company also has a physical store in Bansko. Additionally, they offer products in their online shop https://bgm.bg/ and deliver them to the whole territory of Bulgaria.