The situation: Even as grocery prices have normalized over the past year—prices were up just 1.1% YoY in October—58% of US households in November were “extremely concerned” about inflation, per 84.51°, a retail data company under The Kroger Co.
The fact that nearly 3 in 5 US households continue to have inflation on their mind—despite it being at the second-lowest level in the past two years—is a clear sign that high prices continue to weigh on consumers at the grocery store and beyond.
Consumers’ shopping patterns reflect those concerns. Sixty-nine percent of shoppers in November said that over the past year, they have been looking for sales, deals, and coupons more often (up from 64% in January), 54% are cutting back on nonessentials like snacks (up from 52% in January), and 45% said they were buying fewer items on their grocery trips (up from 39% in January).
