Inflation-Era Shopping Habits Are Here to Stay, Report Finds
Consumers may be gaining purchasing power at the grocery store, but they're not giving up the value-driven shopping habits they adopted during the height of inflation, according to Acosta Group's inaugural "Affordability Tracker."
Rather than measuring grocery prices alone, the report examines affordability through the relationship between the cost of a typical grocery stock-up trip and median hourly earnings. While grocery affordability has improved from its low point in 2023 as wage growth outpaced grocery inflation, the research suggests shoppers continue approaching purchases with heightened scrutiny, actively seeking promotions, comparing alternatives and prioritizing value.
Acosta Group's "Typical Stock-Up Trip" — an 84-item basket of commonly purchased grocery and household essentials — now costs more than $366, roughly $78 (27%) more than it did in 2020. Today, a median full-time worker must work approximately 11.9 hours to purchase that basket, an improvement from the 12.6 hours required during the peak of grocery inflation in 2023, according to the report.
Among the report's other findings:
- Grocery affordability has largely plateaued after improving steadily between 2023 and 2025, suggesting future gains will likely be more incremental.
- While grocery purchasing power has improved, many consumers continue feeling financially constrained by rising housing, insurance, healthcare and transportation costs.
- The report suggests shoppers are increasingly settling into long-term habits shaped by the inflation years rather than waiting for economic conditions to return to pre-pandemic norms.
- Future growth for retailers and brands will likely depend more on effective pricing, promotions and value communication than on improving macroeconomic conditions.
The findings suggest retailers and brands should not expect shoppers to simply return to pre-pandemic behaviors as affordability improves. Instead, success will depend on adapting to consumers who continue to prioritize value and make more deliberate purchasing decisions.
