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More than two-thirds of shoppers surveyed recently said they struggle with grocery costs.
In the Swiftly survey, 68% of shoppers said they were struggling to pay their grocery bills due to overall inflation and rising food costs.
“Affordability is a big challenge,” Swiftly co-founder and chief technology officer Sean Turner told USA TODAY. “Shoppers are suffering from inflation. To get the same amount of food and calories, they actually have to spend more money…to get the same basket.”
Additionally, nearly 80% said they trust local brick-and-mortar grocery stores to offer fair, personalized deals and offers over national retail giants like Amazon and Walmart.
Grocery shoppers are going way over budget
Turner said the percentage of shoppers who say they struggle to buy groceries has remained relatively high and stable over the past four years that Swiftly has been asking shoppers. Last year, 70% of respondents said they were having trouble paying for groceries.
Turner said consumers typically tend to save money or spend less at the grocery store by purchasing cheaper items to lower their overall costs. But consumer spending in raw dollars has remained relatively flat, or even increased with inflation as consumers “look for ways to get more value for the same dollar through coupons, loyalty programs, discounts, etc.,” he said. More than 45% of shoppers said they spend between $100 and $500 on groceries each week.
Shoppers said they are looking for more ways to stretch their grocery budget, with 55.71% saying they shop based on discounts and promotions. According to the survey, nearly 7 out of 10 people, or 69.31%, said they relied on point cards and their discounts, and 70.85% said they relied on coupons.
Approximately 38% of shoppers are willing to try a new brand if it offers a promotion or discount. Just over a third, or 33.23%, said they would be more likely to switch to a generic or private label brand if their preferred brand was too expensive.
Shoppers are cutting back on other budget areas
According to the survey, shoppers said they had to cut spending in other areas of their budget to buy groceries, with 75.22% of respondents saying they would cut back.
67.75% of respondents said they have reduced their spending on entertainment such as movies, concerts and shows, followed by 45.92% who have postponed or canceled travel plans, 45.23% who have bought new clothes less often, and 40.31% who have eaten out or had fewer drinks. Almost a quarter (22.62%) said they had cut back on personal services such as subscriptions, streaming, and salon or gym memberships.
Local grocery stores give more confidence to shoppers
Turner said Swiftly did not ask survey respondents why they trusted local grocery stores to offer fair and personalized deals more than national retailers. But Turner said it could be a general distrust of large institutions, or a reaction to large retailers adopting AI-based pricing strategies.
David Cutler, vice president of media relations and public affairs for the National Grocers Association, which represents local independent grocers, said local grocers are also members of the community.
“Shoppers trust independent grocers because they have deep roots in their communities and are accountable to the neighborhoods they serve every day, not their stockholders,” Cutler told USA TODAY in response to questions. “These are family-run businesses where relationships, service and fairness are important, especially as families work hard to stretch their grocery budgets as much as possible.”
Betty Lin-Fisher is a consumer reporter for USA TODAY. Contact her at blinfisher@USATODAY.com or follow her at @blinfisher on X, Facebook and Instagram and @blinfisher.bsky.social on Bluesky.. Sign up for our free The Daily Money newsletter, breaking down complex consumer and financial news. Subscribe here.
