For some, grocery shopping is merely checking off a weekly or biweekly chore. But for others, it’s a destination for the culinary senses to experiment with new flavors and specialty products.
Where does H-E-B land when it comes to wealthier shoppers’ spending habits? A June report from YouGov analyzed the shopping choices made by higher-income Americans as well as middle-and-lower-income spenders to see how their supermarket preferences and spending behavior varies.
When it comes to Texans’ favorite grocery chain, H-E-B held equal weight among the wealthiest shoppers as well as middle-and-lower-income residents. YouGov’s analysis found 4% of higher-income shoppers and 4% of middle-and-lower-income shoppers each frequented the San Antonio-based grocer, maintaining a healthy middle ground among the Texas masses.
Which companies catered largely to the wealthiest Americans? Costco and Kroger ranked the highest among high-income shoppers, with 11% and 10% of those customers prioritizing the two companies for their main shopping needs. Walmart Supercenter trailed behind with an 8% shopping concentration among wealthier buyers, with the chain largely catering to middle-and-lower-income shoppers. From that shopping clientele pool, 20% of middle-and-lower-income customers prioritized Walmart Supercenter as essential within their shopping rotation.
As for shopping behavior, higher-income Americans are more likely than their middle-and-lower-income counterparts to make more frequent grocery trips. Among the wealthiest customers, 39% of them shopped once a week compared to 36% of middle-and-lower-income Americans; that percentage gap grew when comparing shoppers who made several grocery store trips a week, with 34% of higher-income Americans and 25% of middle-to-lower-income Americans falling into that category.
Middle-and-lower-income Americans were more likely than their more affluent counterparts to shop only a few times each month, with 24% subscribing to that shopping behavior.