Survey: Consumers to prioritize in-store bargain shopping this year

Despite continued inflation and the potential of a recession, Americans are still shopping — and spending.

Sixty-seven percent of Americans plan to spend either the same or more in 2023 as they did in 2022 on retail purchases, according to a new survey commissioned by DailyPay and Dollar Tree. However, more than two in five (44%) are more likely to prioritize shopping for bargains in-store this year compared to last.

Signaling a continued increase in in-person shopping, about three out four respondents (73%) plan on shopping the same or more in-store in 2023 versus last year, the survey found.

 The survey also reveals Americans' preferences regarding purchasing particular items in-store versus online:

• Eighty-one percent of respondents prefer to shop in-store versus online for furniture;

• Sixty-nine percent prefer in-store for home goods;

• Sixty-five percent prefer in-store for apparel

• Sixty-five percent prefer in-store for sporting goods; and

• Fifty nine percent prefer in-store for electronics.

"It's encouraging to see that Americans' spending plans are trending upward with only a third planning to spend less this year despite these times of financial uncertainty," said Kate Cheesman, VP of customer Success, DailyPay. "With more people shopping in-store, retailers will be prioritizing retaining their top talent to maximize their in-store experience."

Dollar Tree, which operates more than 16,000 stores across the Family Dollar and Dollar Tree banners, said it is seeing similar trends to those revealed in the survey.

"Our customers are incredibly savvy and taking advantage of our value-price model to stretch their money even further during these uncertain economic times," said Mike Creedon, COO at Dollar Tree. "While discretionary purchases remained strong, we're also seeing an increase in consumables in Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores."

This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll from January 4-6, 2023 among 2,032 U.S. adults ages 18 and older. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within +/- 2.8 percentage points using a 95% confidence level.

Dollar Tree, operated 16,293 stores across 48 states and five Canadian provinces as of October 29, 2022. Stores operate under the brands of Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, and Dollar Tree Canada.