Following the Boston Globe story I posted earlier today that 76% of Americans regularly shop at five different stores for their household grocery needs, Retail Wire asks if the traditional supermarket could be replaced by specialty stores:
The trend is clear. The growth in the U.S. grocery sector today is not found in traditional supermarket formats but rather with specialty stores such as Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods and Fresh Market. There are further signs of life on the other end of the spectrum as there is also growth opportunities for smartly located “price” oriented stores, especially the smaller, quick in-and-out formats including Aldi and Save-A-Lot.
The product life cycle of traditional supermarkets is close to its end. For more than sixty years, this format has carried the load for grocery selling in the U.S. Current trends indicate that there is little doubt that the traditional supermarket needs a radical reformation, or they will go the way of the drive-in theater and the eight-track tape player. It should be no surprise to anyone. Incredibly, these stores are designed for shoppers that no longer represent critical mass. The whole concept of grabbing a cart and a shopping list and spending 45 minutes to an hour shopping for food is already a rare and dwindling behavior.
I think the supermarket will always be around, but the competition from smaller markets, pharmacies, specialty stores and even dollar stores will continue to cut into the supermarkets’ share, because people are extremely mindful of spending in the current economy, and many are shopping on price. The upside is that a supermarket does have a wide spectrum of items all in one place, which is a plus for convenience shoppers or people that don’t want to chase around. What do you think?
letsshop says
Makes you think ! I have seen so many changes in my 76 years .But the best change was when my daughter heard you on the radio .So I decided to do a few clicks and their you were .Making shopping so exciting couldn’t believe what you were saying . Feeding a family of 4 and thought to be a smart shopper ,Way smarter then the stores intended me to me .ha ha how stupid I was the stores had right where they wanted me .And it took all these years to learn all the tricks and now its all disappearing .The stories we could tell ! Where is it all heading ? Hope we still can have a little more fun at least till most people can get on their feet .
Frugal Skills says
Sounds interesting!