According to an article in Grocery Dive a couple weeks ago, grocery shoppers are venturing toward discount stores as they feel battered from rising prices and expensive gasoline. For instance, an Aldi executive reported that the chain saw 2.5 million new customers in recent weeks, most of whom were middle- and high-income consumers.
However, traditional supermarkets still seem to be fairing well. According to Placer.ai, second quarter foot traffic at companies like Acme Markets, Weis Markets and Publix is trending well above what they saw three years ago before the pandemic.
This traffic data indicates that while traditional grocers aren’t as hot as discounters, they are still benefiting from at-home eating trends spurred by inflation and the ongoing pandemic.