Although there has been a rising trend in media coverage of "foodie" usage of trendy grocers like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's, the true economic trend seems to be toward people getting their groceries in one-stop-shopping stores like Target and Walmart.
According to Forbes, a recent study by King Retail Solutions points to the growing trend of people getting their food and sundry items at big box stores. In a sample group of 1,200 people, 77 percent said they had done grocery shopping at a non-grocer in 2013. A whopping 96 percent said that they would most likely be buying groceries from a non-grocer in the upcoming year.
Target and Walmart were the top two non-grocers picking up a grocery clientele. Both stores have trended toward having more grocery items available in their stores, and the results are obvious. CVS, Walgreens, Costco and Dollar General are the next most popular. Food stalls and farmers markets only make number seven on the list.
Oddly enough, consumer wealth indicates that the more money the person has, the more likely they are to do their grocery shopping at a non-grocer. Those who make less money, specifically less than $25,000 a year, are less likely to shop outside of a grocer for food items.
Target and Walmart also beat out Safeway, Kroger, Whole Foods and Trader Joe's as the most popular places to purchase pre-made food items. With this trend growing, and the big box stores catering, it could easily spell the end for the specialty grocer as we know it.
