Online Grocery Sales - Changed Consumer Habits Permanent?

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SamSpade
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Online Grocery Sales - Changed Consumer Habits Permanent?

Post by SamSpade »

Amazon, Kroger, Walmart boosted by 'once in a lifetime' convergence of online retail, grocery buys
Interesting chart in the piece that's worth a look. Always be careful about forecasts, say I. :)
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Re: Online Grocery Sales - Changed Consumer Habits Permanent?

Post by storewanderer »

SamSpade wrote: February 10th, 2021, 4:45 pm Amazon, Kroger, Walmart boosted by 'once in a lifetime' convergence of online retail, grocery buys
Interesting chart in the piece that's worth a look. Always be careful about forecasts, say I. :)
At first I could buy into this theme. As time has gone on, I do think there will be some impact but it will be less and less over time. The grocers have also failed to develop home meal replacement programs out any further than they were pre-COVID. This is a huge missed opportunity; I understand the timing wasn't great to be adding labor into preparing food in store but now customers will just go back to restaurants and fast food as more businesses open up again.

One thing I wonder is how bars will be impacted long term. While the social element will drive people back to them as they reopen, I do think people may "drink at home" more long term. And those added liquor sales should help the grocers (until the customers discover a Total Wine). Still, it is a lot easier to mix drinks than it is to prepare meals.
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Re: Online Grocery Sales - Changed Consumer Habits Permanent?

Post by Brian Lutz »

One trend I think will be a lot more likely to stick is that of people using curbside pickup and not going into the store. I know my parents now use Walmart's curbside pickup almost exclusively for their grocery shopping, and I suspect that even after the current Covid restrictions end they will continue to do so.
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Re: Online Grocery Sales - Changed Consumer Habits Permanent?

Post by BillyGr »

storewanderer wrote: February 10th, 2021, 5:21 pm One thing I wonder is how bars will be impacted long term. While the social element will drive people back to them as they reopen, I do think people may "drink at home" more long term. And those added liquor sales should help the grocers (until the customers discover a Total Wine). Still, it is a lot easier to mix drinks than it is to prepare meals.
May help some grocers in some places, it all depends on what each state allows (like here in NY the grocers can sell beer and some other items like the hard seltzers/wine coolers that used to be around, but not actual wine or liquor).
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Re: Online Grocery Sales - Changed Consumer Habits Permanent?

Post by SamSpade »

storewanderer wrote: February 10th, 2021, 5:21 pm One thing I wonder is how bars will be impacted long term. While the social element will drive people back to them as they reopen, I do think people may "drink at home" more long term. And those added liquor sales should help the grocers (until the customers discover a Total Wine). Still, it is a lot easier to mix drinks than it is to prepare meals.
It must be nice to live in a "control-free" state. . . (although WA did not see that much improvement, as far as I can tell)
:-)

Oregon's liquor retailers aren't terrible, though. I kind of like the hybrid model we have (OLCC distributes/prices, independent business owners operate with state set minimum hours of operation). Utah or Idaho are much more difficult.
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Re: Online Grocery Sales - Changed Consumer Habits Permanent?

Post by storewanderer »

SamSpade wrote: February 11th, 2021, 12:10 pm It must be nice to live in a "control-free" state. . . (although WA did not see that much improvement, as far as I can tell)
:-)

Oregon's liquor retailers aren't terrible, though. I kind of like the hybrid model we have (OLCC distributes/prices, independent business owners operate with state set minimum hours of operation). Utah or Idaho are much more difficult.
Spending most of my time in NV/CA I really forget all of these odd liquor laws in surrounding states since the liquor flows very freely in NV and in CA.
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