My post did not “recommend that poor people do their grocery shopping at Walmart”. Instead the post stated that Walmart is by far the highest market share grocer in the United States, and Walmart shoppers skew towards lower income. The point was that many middle and lower income persons use discount grocers – not just wealthy persons.
Regarding Walmart grocery offerings, ~80% of Walmarts are supercenters with full grocery offerings, including a produce area with a wide variety of offerings – not a “cardiovascular nightmare.” I expect the bulk of persons doing grocery shopping at Walmart are doing so at one of the ~80% of Walmarts that has a full grocery.
Walmart was an arbitrary example. Many use other discount grocers besides just Walmart, including less traditional services, such as Amazon Fresh.
I have been shockingly suprised by the quality and price of amazon fresh. The prices are similar to BJs and much less than our local chain supermarket.
I understand the differences in Walmarts. When we were in NJ the Walmart near me had just a few rows of groceries. Where I live now in MA, the nearest Walmart is amazing. A full grocery store with everything, deli counter, bakery, meat section, frozen foods, fresh produce, etc. The prices are excellent and the quality is good to very good.
I hate overpaying for groceries and have always clipped coupons (physically or now electronically) and shop sales. I stock up when something is on sale (I live in a small apartment but still will buy 3-4 of something on sale). I check the flyers each week and go to different stores to get items on sale. I know I am very fortunate in having a lot of grocery stores within 15-20 minutes of my home - shaws, wegmans, stop and shop, Walmart, big y, whole foods, trader joes, roche bros, market basket, Aldi, etc. (the opposite of a food desert).
I think it is very worrisome how lower income people can afford their groceries!
I’d consider myself middle income. I now live in a household of one. For all my adult years food shopping (for years either for a married couple, a family of four, or single), I admit to not checking prices in the store and buying what I need or want. While I might check sales when it comes to items like clothes, etc., I don’t really do that with food. I know I am lucky. That said, I have noticed the total amount each time I shop has gone up and I buy similar stuff each time pretty much. It hasn’t changed what items I purchase at the market, but I do think it is costing more. I shop at two grocery stores on each excursion: Trader Joes and a regulur supermarket (here it’s Shop Rite). I live in a city.
And yet every time I buy sunscreen or paper towels at Walmart I see people with full carts loaded with frozen breakfast sandwiches and the other processed stuff. Are you seriously contending that the families stuck with one of the 20 percent of Walmarts which don’t sell fresh food can create a healthy diet out of bacon and donuts? In an area where Walmart has run the small independent grocers out of business?
I hate to step into this argument, but I don’t think that the Walmarts with small grocery departments have been able to run the small guys out of business. I would also think that those small guys, could not offer the discounts that the big guys can. Grocery stores work on a very small margin and the big chains are the ones who can offer the best prices. In some cases, the big chain in town in Costco, in some cases it is Walmart.
I had a nice evening with family and am now catching up on this thread as the OP.
I don’t really want to discuss it more myself at this moment - this REALLY disturbed me today seeing these prices and understanding how limiting the food experience is and how it will be worse for many.
But I appreciate the posts here that aren’t stuck in “typical” CC mode and for those who perhaps can take themselves out of the equation and consider what the struggle of higher prices for limited groceries will continue to be for many.
Most of us are pretty lucky. Some here will never have to worry about their grocery cart or grocery bill. But those with less are going to have to make do with even less. I have a hard time swallowing that.
There have been few specific numbers about how affordable groceries are and whether that has changed.
The USDA publishes how much it costs to purchase a standardized basked of “healthy foods” from groceries each month at USDA Food Plans: Monthly Cost of Food Reports | Food and Nutrition Service . They have 4 cost levels – thrifty, low, moderate, and liberal. A summary of costs below for the “moderate” plan is below. Low and thrifty are much lower. Liberal is much higher. I list costs for adult male age 19-50 and adult female age 19-50. I also list % of the median monthly household income during corresponding periods, using Motio reported household income for 2019+, and US census for 2000. From a historical standpoint, this “healthy” food basket doesn’t appear to be less affordable than in the past for median income households.
USDA “Healthy” Grocery Costs, Median Income Household
May 2025: Male = $385 (+2%), Female = $324 (+1%), 10.2% of income
May 2024: Male = $378 (+1%), Female = $320 (+1%), 10.7% of income
May 2023: Male = $374, Female = $316, 10.7% of income
…
May 2019: Male = $302, Female = $257, 10.5% of income
…
May 2000: Male = $200, Female = $171, 10.6% of income
However, half of households earn below the median income, and food usually composes a larger portion of spending for this group. Less precise estimates for bottom quartile income are below . This pattern is different. “Healthy” groceries seem to be getting more affordable for typical lower income families in recent years, which partially relates to more rapid wage growth among lower income than median income during post-COVID period, with wages outpacing the 1-2%/year food cost increases in recent years. The reverse pattern occurs during the longer 2000 to 2019 period, with food prices outpacing lower income wage growth.
USDA “Healthy” Grocery Costs, Bottom 25th Percentile Income Household
May 2025: Male = $385 (+2%), Female = $324 (+1%), 20% of income
May 2024: Male = $378 (+1%), Female = $320 (+1%), 21% of income
May 2023: Male = $374, Female = $316, 22% of income
…
May 2019: Male = $302, Female = $257, 24% of income
…
May 2000: Male = $200, Female = $171, 17% of income
Here in Massachusetts, a lot of things are more expensive, but groceries can be gotten reasonably. People sometimes scoff at Trader Joe’s, but it’s much cheaper, particularly for produce, than other stores that appeal to the same demographic. Whole Foods is ridiculous, I agree. We also have Hannaford’s and Market Basket, which are much cheaper than e.g. the Von’s or Pavilion’s etc. I remember shopping at in the Los Angeles area. I imagine Stop & Shop is about the same as other places, but I don’t go there except occasionally to get a specific item. My favorite local store is Wegman’s, but I admit that they are pricey - they just have a great selection, including for delivery, including on harder-to-find kosher items.
I would go out on a crowded limb with many of you and say that on CC we are likely not representative of people who are making hard decisions about buying food, even when groceries cost a few dollars more or even a few dollars more per item.
However, the population of students i work with absolutely is in this demographic. Our school (at least until now) provides three meals per day year round. It is extremely well attended. My previous school had an on-site food bank, but I wasn’t there in the current political era so I don’t know what’s going on with that.
Same here. There was a small bump but I never saw a $12/dz price that some were claiming, unless your egg of choice was one of the bougie brands at Whole Foods. The regular grocery stores in my city never ran out of eggs but people were fighting each other for eggs at Costco.
I (and probably many people) shop with their wallet. I am a HUGE fan of Wal Mart for price and selection. It certainly can be region or city specific.
I get store brand cereal at WM - it is at least a dollar cheaper than the store brand at my other grocery store. Organic is not important to me, so I get what is there and looks good in terms of fruit and vegetables. I always look at the marked-down bakery and meats (even though I am a vegetarian I cook for a carnivore) and freeze for later. I get store brand for nearly everything.
I stopped going to a local grocery store that consistently was higher than WM and the other one I frequent, Meijer (a midwest chain). They are still pretty busy from the looks of the parking lot.
I don’t go to our local Aldi because I don’t like the selection, lol. Plus it opens at 9 a.m., which is after my morning errands.
There is a LOT of help in my area for people who need food. Like, a lot. Vouchers, free little pantries, food giveaways, summer lunch programs - my area has a surprising amount of options. Some of the people who “need food” on the local FB groups don’t respond to these suggestions when offered.
i think when a secondary school or university decides to create a food bank on site, that’s data enough for me to conclude grocery costs have outpaced incomes significantly enough to impact a significant number of homes. (Don’t get me started on our local university’s pride in their student-started, parent-stocked food pantry for students)
Raspberries are $8.00 a pint. Blueberries and strawberries similar. Oranges are $1 each. And when you can’t afford much, you don’t buy things that might spoil since they don’t fit in your rental’s undersized fridge.
Food banks get lots of canned goods. Donations of produce are harder to manage and take up much more space and volunteer hours. Grocery stores will crow about their donations, but a lot of the “donations” are not in condition to be handed out.I “sorted” 24 cases of fruit last week, nearly every single one was moldy but the store gets a tax write off for the donation by weight.
I just don’t think people should go hungry in a country that can put a man on the moon. It’s not prices, it’s priorities. End of rant.
I didn’t realize the main point of this thread was the effect of higher food prices on those of lower income which is why I attempted to separate that serious issue from our typical CC ranting:
I’m sure there isn’t a person here who doesn’t sympathize with the struggle higher prices pose for those less fortunate than we, but this comment seemed to be inviting the typical contributions:
And this seemed more like an afterthought:
The thread title invites the typical CC “rant.” If that’s not the purpose, perhaps the title needs to be modified.
My brother did the same at Trader Joe’s. It is the company he did his MBA thesis on in the 90s. He now gets benefits and a 20% discount. He loves his job.
My main grocery shopping is at Aldi/Sam’s/Costco. We make occasional trips to Walmart for the things we can’t get at the other three. I find produce prices fluctuate a lot based on what is in season. Strawberries are currently under $4 for two pounds. Out of season they are more than double that.
Our main local grocery stores are local family owned chains. They are overpriced so we don’t go there except for the occasional sale. Same with Whole Foods.
In general my impression is that food prices in grocery stores are still high and forget restaurants and fast food.
Actually the point is that it isn’t just a problem for the lower income - it’s becoming a problem for the MIDDLE income.
A good portion of us here are past needing to feed multiple mouths on our lower or middle income budget. If I look back 20 years and think of feeding my family of 5 on today’s prices, yikes it would be a challenge.
People are free to rant. Also appreciate some of the solutions. Also hope that some here will put some time into those solutions - like donating $ or products to food banks and/or participating in a community garden (more community gardens are a solution) that donates the food.
I’ll be honest, I often think that many CC’ers have blinders on or live such a lifestyle that they truly can’t understand or SEE how things like food prices and good food become unreachable for others. If that is not you, wonderful. But if presenting some rants or experiences of actual food disparity in our communities opens someone’s mind then the purpose of the thread has succeeded.
I see those of you here who are in tune to your communities and the need. Thank you.
The thread can take whatever route it likes. If someone wants to change the thread title, have at it. I’ve got to head out and go water my community garden plot where I donate my bounty to local churches and food banks that feed our needy community.
