General Discussion

dalton99a

(96,688 posts) Thu Jul 16, 2026, 09:41 AM 5 hrs ago

U.S. grocery slowdown deepens as shoppers buy fewer items, raising pressure on food companies

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/16/us-grocery-spending-slows-in-hit-to-food-companies.html

U.S. grocery slowdown deepens as shoppers buy fewer items, raising pressure on food companies
Published Thu, Jul 16 2026 7:00 AM EDT
Brandon Gomez

...

Shoppers are buying fewer items than a year ago, and grocery sales are declining as weakening unit sales are now outweighing rising prices. That is according to new analysis from Bain & Company using NielsenIQ grocery data shared exclusively with CNBC.

Grocery units, which refer to individual items or products sold, fell 1.8% in June from a year earlier, a sharp reversal from the 0.1% year-over-year growth recorded in June 2025. While prices continue to rise about 2% to 3% year-over-year, that inflation cushion for the industry is no longer enough to keep overall sales growing.

“That big grocery stock up trip that costs you $300 in 2019, now costing you $400,” said Kurt Grichel, head of Bain’s Americas retail practice.

Grocery prices are roughly 33% higher than they were in 2019 and fuel costs have spiked. Many lower-income households have also had to cut back spending due to reduced SNAP benefits and tighter program eligibility.

Bain’s U.S. Consumer Pulse Wave survey conducted in May found 80% of Americans are still trying to spend less, while 28% are actively cutting back on grocery spending. Among those shoppers, 56% said they are trading down to cheaper brands, 49% said they are buying fewer items and 44% said they are relying more heavily on coupons and promotions.

...

7 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

U.S. grocery slowdown deepens as shoppers buy fewer items, raising pressure on food companies (Original Post) dalton99a 5 hrs ago OP

There are left-overs, discounts, soon-to-expire items too bucolic_frolic 5 hrs ago #1

Grocery stores are now nothing more than Trump-marts. ""Fuck affordability" seems to be the new norm. RedWhiteBlueIsRacist 4 hrs ago #2

I buy using the Giant app. badhair77 3 hrs ago #3

It doesn't take a doctorate in math DFW 3 hrs ago #4

Fortunately for me, my diabetes has already steered me away from many "non-essentials" 31j20b3 3 hrs ago #5

The prices for most products I pay attention to at Aldi have not gone up significantly these past few months. Intractable 3 hrs ago #6

They've made it an easier decision to eat healthy newdeal2 2 hrs ago #7

bucolic_frolic

(56,555 posts)

1. There are left-overs, discounts, soon-to-expire items too

Reply to dalton99a (Original post)

Thu Jul 16, 2026, 10:02 AM

5 hrs ago

I was in a Grocery Outlet last week. ... they had pound of ground beef ... 93% ... grass fed .... $3.99. They had a boatload of it.

Lot's of last chance stickers in major supermarket retailer. This all puts the squeeze on retailers.

RedWhiteBlueIsRacist

(2,512 posts)

2. Grocery stores are now nothing more than Trump-marts. ""Fuck affordability" seems to be the new norm.

Reply to dalton99a (Original post)

Thu Jul 16, 2026, 10:34 AM

4 hrs ago

badhair77

(5,267 posts)

3. I buy using the Giant app.

Reply to dalton99a (Original post)

Thu Jul 16, 2026, 11:33 AM

3 hrs ago

If it’s not on sale or given as a reward I’m not taking it home. I tailor my purchasing to the cheapest healthiest foods and reliable products. And I’ve limited what I buy. No more impulse buys.

DFW

(60,963 posts)

4. It doesn't take a doctorate in math

Reply to dalton99a (Original post)

Thu Jul 16, 2026, 11:45 AM

3 hrs ago

If prices go up 30% and after-tax income goes up 3% over the same period of time, people can afford less.

Somehow, I don't think that will earn me the Nobel Prize in economics.

31j20b3

(323 posts)

5. Fortunately for me, my diabetes has already steered me away from many "non-essentials"

Reply to dalton99a (Original post)

Thu Jul 16, 2026, 12:04 PM

3 hrs ago

like deli-breads and buns, and everything with sweetness that gives a little joy to life

I watch the prices going up, but the little neighborhood store I shop in has maintained it's history as a place to get more reasonably priced produce.

Being of German Slav (Wendish/Sorbian) background on my father's side had that grandmother training me that anything that looks like a sausage is very OK and Wurst Salad (julienned bologna, knockwurst, bratwurst and kielbasa with home canned fermented pickle spears) mit Kartoffeln Rezepte is a pretty cheap prep for three to four days of lunches per week. Peanut butter on celery stalks filling in the missed days.

Intractable

(2,673 posts)

6. The prices for most products I pay attention to at Aldi have not gone up significantly these past few months.

Reply to dalton99a (Original post)

Thu Jul 16, 2026, 12:15 PM

3 hrs ago

I noticed the prices of eggs and beef fluctuated.

The prices at Publix have gone up. Costco, too.

The everyday price for spinach and many other produce items at Aldi is half that of Publix.

newdeal2

(5,718 posts)

7. They've made it an easier decision to eat healthy

Reply to dalton99a (Original post)

Thu Jul 16, 2026, 12:27 PM

2 hrs ago

All the branded food aisles and sodas are outrageously expensive and poor quality. No thanks.

Reply to this discussion