Survey: Consumers shopping multiple stores for grocery deals

U.S. shoppers remain concerned about rising food prices, but they are less likely to cut back on the number of items they purchase.

That’s according to a survey of grocery shoppers’ spending habits and attitudes by FMI — The Food Industry Association, conducted by The Hartman Group.  

Only 32% of shoppers in February 2023 reported buying fewer items as a strategy to address rising prices, down from 41% in October 2022. Shoppers did, however, continue to look for deals across multiple channels, including supermarkets, mass retailers, club stores and online, to mitigate the impact of higher food prices on their budgets.

Food price concerns cut across shopper demographics, but boomers are more worried about rising food prices than any other group, with 80% showing concern in February versus 69% in October. Millennials were close behind, with 76% saying they are concerned, which is 5% more than one year ago.

 Increased concerns about food costs coincide with an increase in spending in this inflationary environment. In February, on average, consumers spent $164 per week on groceries, up from $148 in both October and February of 2022.

FMI’s U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends survey also revealed the following:

• Sixty-eight percent of shoppers report spending more on groceries than one year ago; 7% say they spend less.
• Households with children reported the greatest increase in grocery spending year over year.
• More than half (55%) of those polled are concerned with rising prices at restaurants, up from 50% in October.

Overall, shoppers report fewer channels — consumer food industry channels include retail supermarkets, club stores, mass retailers, and online shopping — but more stores in their rotation, suggesting increased competition for shoppers’ dollars within channels.

• In February, shoppers visited on average 5.2 different stores, up from 4.9 in February 2022. Meanwhile, shoppers used 3.6 different channels per month, down from 4.0 in February 2022.

• Online shoppers have reduced the number of channels they shop online. While supermarkets and club channels have lost some of their online users, mass retailers have not.

“Our national survey reveals persistent consumer concern about food and beverage prices, as the weekly spend for groceries increased in late 2022 and early in 2023,” said Leslie G. Sarasin, president and CEO of FMI. “To address higher prices, shoppers are visiting more stores and seeking deals to stretch their dollars but are now less likely to cut back on the number of items purchased compared to six months or a year ago.”