Grocery shoppers cut corners

Pinching the family food dollar is getting to be just about the No. 1 American consumer activity. That's what showed up in a recent survey by Louis Harris & Associates made for the US supermarket industry.

Of those polled, 76 percent said they spent time stocking up on bargains; 73 percent were using coupons; and 72 percent were buying more generic or house-brand products than previously because of lower prices. Fifty-two percent of the respondents said they were eating out less, implying that funds saved may be spent in food stores and supermarkets.