Over the last few years, the way Americans buy groceries have changed dramatically. It used to be that you went to your local grocery store, then came the national chains, and now there are several competing formats of grocery shopping available to consumers.
Groceries at Wal Mart
The first big change has been the fact that big traditional retailers like Wal Mart and Target have both started carrying groceries in their stores. These strategies have brought most regular groceries to consumers at discount prices. These companies view it as a frequency/one-stop-shopping strategy. As a result, consumers have another choice for groceries, but be warned, these stores don’t have everything you can regularly find in a grocery store.
Small Box Imports
Another big trend in grocery has been re-converting grocery stores into a small format, like those offered by Tesco, who has opened several US locations. These stores try to offer a different variety of food, including many pre-done meals. You can also be saving money online at Tesco, but doing shopping online at these stores.
These stores are usually found in more urban areas, since the small format caters well to individuals and families that don’t have vehicles and need to carry their groceries home. The pre-done concept also is helpful for busy families on the run.
Online Grocery Shopping
The last big trend has been to offer grocery shopping online. Many retail chains have been offering it for the last several years, but the adoption has been slow. Consumers traditionally shop for fresh produce and meat by visually looking at it, and so it is a big change. However, online grocery shopping allows for more potential savings because you can use net voucher codes or other discounts.
You can also get some groceries online at regular stores like Amazon.com. This includes a lot of dry groceries, as well as pet supplies or paper goods that you would normally buy at a grocery store. So, next time you need to go to the store, you may want to look online first.
