The Morrisons store in Holloway Road in North London is sandwiched between a Waitrose and a Marks & Spencer, but that did not stop it doing a roaring trade yesterday afternoon.

Christina McCulloch, a party organiser, who has lived in the area for 19 years, used to venture into the supermarket only rarely. “I would go in maybe once or twice a year,” she said. “I live right next door to Waitrose and I prefer it there.”

When first asked, Ms McCulloch said that her shopping habits had not really changed in response to the rising food prices of the past few months. But after a moment’s thought, she realised that her infrequent trips to Morrisons — usually to buy organic stock cubes, which she uses a lot and which are far cheaper there — had turned into weekly shops almost without her noticing.

Pomegranates and, indeed, most fruit and vegetables were cheaper in Morrisons, she had noted. “I never used to bother at all with the prices but I do now,” she said. “I am paying far more attention to special offers than I used to.”

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While Ms McCulloch loses little sleep over what she describes as the “exaggerated” credit crunch, and is confident that property prices will bounce back, the cost of food is one area where she has noticed the difference.

She has not completely forsaken her local Waitrose after more than a decade of loyal shopping, however. “I like the customer service there,” she said.

Morrisons’ success is also a problem. “Sometimes it is just too busy, so I don’t go in.”

At the other end of the country, David and Amanda Ward have also switched to Morrisons. The Wards, who live in Newcastle upon Tyne with their two young children, have made big changes to their spending habits and lifestyle, but still spend £100 a month more on food than they did last year.

They now try to take full advantage of “buy one get one free” deals and have switched recently from Tesco to Morrisons to save money.

“Morrisons is good for day-to- day essentials because it is cheaper, even though it is farther to travel,” Mr Ward says. “If we go to Tesco we try and bulk-buy staples like soups, canned tomatoes and baked beans when they are on offer.”

The days of treating himself or the family to little luxuries are over. “I occasionally shopped for food at Marks & Spencer or something from Tesco’s Finest range but not now.”

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