For years, studies have concluded consumers love the experience of shopping for food but despise the hassles and inconvenience in buying them. Of course, many of them don’t have a choice.

Many delivery systems charge a fee that price-sensitive folks on a budget aren’t willing to pay. Moreover, bargain hunters like scouring supermarkets for deals and using apps to get $1 online coupons. Additionally, many supermarkets offer three-day or even daily specials with discounts to draw shoppers into their brick-and-mortar stores.

Maybe that’s why nearly 50% of them visited multiple stores on their most recent grocery trip, according to “Food Shopping in America” by The Hartman Group.

“That’s a crazy big number when you think about how busy people are and overscheduled,” Christina Bowden, senior director of consulting, The Hartman Group, recently told Karlee Renkoski, associate editor, for Baking & Snack’s July issue.

Ms. Renkoski noted this multi-retail trend isn’t entirely new. Phil Kafarakis, president, Specialty Food Association, suggested that consumers have cherry-picked for years to get different experiences in varied environments. Consumers may make a stock-up run where they buy most of their products, then supplement it with unplanned fill-in sprees to pick up odds and ends during the week. For buying food, especially fresh baked foods, vegetables, meat and impulse snacks, personal preferences play a roll. Even online consumers might get off their computers to shop for themselves instead of letting someone else do the picking and choosing.

One-stop shopping and everyday low prices are great concepts that lure consumers, but for most of them, a really good bargain — even today — can’t be beat and remains the best motivator for getting people out of their houses and into the store.