21+ Grocery Shopping Statistics for Every CUSTOMER in 2024

Teodora Mitova
17 Min Read

We all go grocery shopping.

(Bill Gates doesn’t, but he reads a lot.)

We fill the shopping cart.

We push the shopping cart.

(Careful with those kids running around you!)

On the way out of the supermarket, we may ask ourselves:

  • How many items are there in my shopping cart?
  • How many people have the same grocery shopping habits as you?
  • How much money do I actually spend on groceries every year?

Grocery shopping statistics won’t fill our carts, but they will open our eyes.

Let’s have a peek at some of the most interesting facts:

Fascinating Grocery Shopping Statistics (Editor’s Pick):

  • The average shopping trip takes 41 minutes.
  • 64% of US consumers have done grocery shopping online.
  • As of 2021, the size of the US grocery market is $758.5 billion.
  • Saturday is the most popular day for grocery shopping.
  • The nation’s top grocery chains accounted for over 48% of 2020 sales.
  • Millennials are the largest generational cohort shopping for groceries online.

Amazing!

It certainly seems that grocery shopping, both in-store and online, is thriving.

Now, let’s dive right into all of the grocery store facts and stats to learn more.

Grocery Shopping Facts & Numbers

1. The US grocery market size is $758.5 billion.

(Source: IBIS World)

The 2021 figure is 2.3% higher than in the previous year. Since 1992, the industry has more than doubled in size. It sure is growing rapidly!

What is even more impressive is the size of the global grocery market — over $12 trillion!

2. The mass-market players accounted for 48.1% of sales in 2020.

(Source: Research and Markets)

Wondering how many grocery stores in the US are operated by mass-market players? Well, there are around five times more chain supermarket locations than independent stores. There’s no doubt chain supermarkets dominate the US grocery retail market.

The top 10 American supermarket companies in terms of sales are:

  1. Walmart (Walmart and Sam’s Club)
  2. Kroger (Kroger, Harris Teeter and Smith’s)
  3. Costco
  4. Albertsons (Safeway, Albertsons, and Vons)
  5. Ahold Delhaize (Food Lion, Stop & Shop and Hannaford)
  6. Publiz Super Markets
  7. H.E. Butt Grocery
  8. Meijer
  9. Wakefern Food (ShopRite, Price Rite, The Fresh Grocer, Dearborn Market and Gourmet Garage)
  10. Aldi and Whole Foods

3. Walmart dominates the sector with a 16.3% market share in 2020.

(Source: Research and Markets)

Although not categorized as a supermarket, Walmart sells more groceries than any other US retailer. In FY 2021, ended January 31, the company reported revenues of $559.151 billion. This marked a 6.72% increase from fiscal 2020.

4. Grocery store food prices rose 3.5% in 2020.

(Source: USDA)

This may not sound a lot, but it’s actually 75% above the average inflation of 2% in the past 20 years.

The food price increases in 2020 were primarily a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The health crisis caused supply chain disruptions and consumption pattern changes.

5. The average time spent grocery shopping is 41 minutes.

(Source: Credit Donkey)

According to the Time Use Institute, each food shopping trip takes about 41 minutes. And the trip per week average is 1.5. Sounds fair.

When you multiply those, it turns out we spend more than 53 hours of each year of our lives just grocery shopping. More than two whole days… Well, put like that, that sounds like quite a lot of precious time lost!

But… isn’t it worth it if you’ve got yourself something yummy to munch on?

6. Saturday is the most popular day for grocery shopping.

(Source: Credit Donkey)

About 41 million Americans prefer to shop on Saturday. It’s far from surprising – that’s when people aren’t usually at work.

So, naturally, shopping trips take the longest during the weekend. On Saturday or Sunday, you might spend an average of seven minutes more in the store. And midday or evenings are the worst. Personal experience and statistics can agree on that.

OK, but what is the best day to go grocery shopping then?

7. Grocery stores in the US are busiest Monday through Thursday.

(Source: Insider)

US grocery stores average 29-30 million shoppers each day Monday through Thursday, compared to 33-41 million from Friday to Sunday.

Considering these shopping facts, it’s simple – go on the weekdays if you can. Preferably Monday through Thursday, as it’s less busy.

And the best time to go grocery shopping is early in the morning or midday. If you go during the typical working day, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., you’re bound to enjoy a significantly less crowded store.

According to grocery store statistics, on weekdays, stores get busier between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. as people leave work around that time. Meanwhile, on the weekends, traffic is at its highest between 11 a.m. and noon.

Finally, truly the best day of the week to go grocery shopping is Wednesday, early in the morning. While new deals will be starting, old deals will probably still be in place too. Plus, you’ll have access to fresh products and a quiet store – what more could you want?

A piece of advice for the night owls or early birds out there – no matter the day, the supermarket will be empty if you go super early in the morning or late at night. However, if you’re there late, you won’t have much of a choice regarding the products. Early in the morning, however, you can expect more and fresher goods.

An alternative is online grocery shopping.

8. 64% of US consumers have shopped for groceries online.

(Source: BusinessWire)

That’s certainly one way to save yourself the trouble of going all the way to the store. In fact, according to online grocery sales statistics, 29% of US shoppers place orders every week.

If you also prefer to shop online, have a look at our selection of credit cards for online shopping.

9. US online grocery sales totaled $95.8 billion in 2020.

(Source: eMarketer)

This is 12% of total sales and a 54% increase year-on-year. And according to online grocery shopping statistics, the market value would surpass $100 billion in 2021.

And the pandemic’s lasting impact on people’s shopping behavior is expected to spur further growth.

Check out the next entry!

10. Online grocery sales in the US are estimated to reach $187.7 billion by 2024.

(Source: eMarketer)

Online grocery shopping trends are certainly going upwards. Both established retailers like and new market players are improving their curbside pickup and delivery options.

But do you know consumers prefer home delivery four times more than a curbside pickup? It makes sense since it’s far more convenient to have your groceries delivered to your door.

11. People tend to spend nearly $40 more when doing grocery shopping online.

(Source: OneSpace)

There is a significant difference in the average basket size for different types of grocery shopping. In-store, people would normally spend around $55.18. Online they could pay about $90.61.

If they order online to collect, they spend about $71.76 – somewhere in the middle.

So shopping for groceries in-store could save you money. We tend to go big when browsing an online store and not see how quickly our cart fills up.

More astounding grocery shopping statistics coming right up!

12. More than 60% of offline grocery shoppers consider buying new brands.

(Source: OneSpace)

In fact, 61.4% of offline shoppers and only 39.7% of online ones actively look at new brands.

And most importantly, 37.2% of offline grocery shoppers purchase influenced by packaging design or POS material, while online, that’s merely 16.3%.

This shows that the more interactive store environment is more persuading for consumers to try new products and brands. They are easier to influence by displays and packaging than those shopping for groceries online.

Food and grocery brands need to consider this and devise different strategies for online and in-store experiences.

Here is something else to consider:

13. Grocery shopping accounts for 39% of voice-based orders.

(Source: Wise Guy Reports)

‘Hey Alexa, what’s the future of voice ordering for groceries?’

The AI-enabled voice assistance is considered transformative technology. In fact, it’s perhaps the fastest-growing consumer tech innovation since the smartphone.

According to Google, 20% of all searches are already made via voice commands. Furthermore, the voice technology user base in the US accounts for 42.7% of the population.

Being able to purchase groceries online through Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant smart home devices certainly sounds convenient. Have you tried it?

14. 45% of Millennials do their grocery shopping online.

(Source: NCR)

And a recent study suggests that the number of Generation X shoppers buying groceries online grew considerably to 44% in 2020. Millennials are still in the lead, though.

Now, if we talk about traditional store aisles cruising, here’s the data:

Supermarket Statistics

15. Women are more likely to do most of the grocery shopping.

(Source: Credit Donkey)

According to supermarket statistics, 70% of primary shoppers for multi-person households are female. And women account for 53% of shoppers for the non-married too.

16. On average, grocery shoppers in the US are 44 years old.

(Source: Credit Donkey)

And the average age specifically for female shoppers is a bit higher, who are doing most of the shopping, is 47-years old.

But there’s more:

17. Women take longer to get their shopping done.

(Source: Credit Donkey)

According to grocery shopping statistics, women need, on average, 42 minutes to get their grocery shopping done. Men only need about 39 minutes to do the same.

Interestingly, shoppers under 30 need 43 minutes on average, while shoppers aged 30+ take only 40 minutes.

Experience matters!

Now, moving on to some more exciting grocery store facts.

18. Almost 25% of grocery shopping money gets spent on processed foods and sweets.

(Source: Credit Donkey)

No surprise here, if you think about it.

But the good news is that 25% of shoppers prefer locally grown food. So they support national agriculture, which might provide better quality food.

19. 83% of shoppers prefer going to traditional supermarkets to drugstores, supercenters, gourmet grocers, or warehouse clubs.

(Source: Credit Donkey)

Yet more than 40% of shoppers go to more than one store to look for the best deals and get everything they need. It must be exhausting, though.

Check out these curious grocery store sales statistics too:

20. 69% of women make a grocery shopping list beforehand, compared to 52% of men.

(Source: Credit Donkey)

Having a shopping list with you every time helps you save money.

Better make one so that you don’t buy too many unnecessary things and forget the one you need the most, right?

21. On average, multi-person households spend $121.50 for groceries every week.

(Source: USDA)

As of May 2021, a family of four spends around $121.50 on groceries every week. Meanwhile, single shoppers spend less than half of that – just $45 a week.

By the way, there’s a job you probably didn’t know existed – a professional grocery shopper.

22. Professional personal grocery shoppers earn on average about $27 per hour.

(Source: Grocery Shopping Business)

They usually charge a fee based on the grocery order – about $20 is typical for a $150 grocery order.

This is a good option for many people that are homebound with age and health issues, for example. Or if you’re someone rich, famous, and busy.

Next question:

How many stores are there in the US?

23. There are more than 42,505 supermarkets in the US.

(Source: IBIS World)

This number has increased by 0.9% since 2020.

And if you’re curious…

New York, California and Florida are the states with the most number of supermarkets and grocery stores in the US.

24. The average grocery store size in 2020 was 38,000 square feet.

(Source: Progressive Grocer)

Retail as a whole has focused on reducing footprints for a decade, chiefly to manage cost and profitability.

The average grocery store size is currently 38,000 square feet, with small formats ranging in size between 12,000 square feet and 25,000 square feet, and even smaller in urban markets.

Finally, do you want to know which are the commonly forgotten grocery items?

Toilet paper, paper towels, laundry detergent, razors, Kleenex, dish soap, shampoo, trash bags, coffee, milk, batteries, toothpaste, and so on…

See? You’re not alone!

All those little things we need constantly but always forget to buy…

Meanwhile, the most common grocery list items in the US are soda, beer, cereal, frozen dinners, salty snacks, milk, and bread. Nothing surprising here.

Wrap Up

After all this info on grocery shopping, now you know when to go shopping to avoid crowds. You can easily compare your grocery spending habits with other households.

Business owners can get useful insights from these stats and alter their strategies for the best. You’re welcome!

In any case, all of us need to do grocery shopping weekly and can benefit from these grocery shopping statistics. Or we can just have a good laugh while waiting in line to pay for that Kleenex.

Take care and happy shopping!

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