5 Grocery Stores Millennials Swear By
Written by
Nicole Spector
Edited by
Molly Sullivan
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No generation is spared collective financial trauma, and millennials certainly have had their fair share of it. Many millennials entered the workforce at the peak of the Great Recession, when layoffs were rife and jobs were hard to come by. This generation is, overall, buried in student loan debt, struggling to afford homeownership and hold less wealth in their mid-30s than previous generations did.
No wonder millennials are so frugal. Various studies show that millennials are more likely to cut back on spending than other generations and are being proactive with their retirement planning and savings. But, like everybody else, millennials do spend money — and it turns out they spend an awful lot of money at grocery stores. According to an FMI report on generational spending habits, millennial households spend $615 a month on groceries — $65 more than Gen Z.
A recent study by YouGov that ranked the most popular grocery stores by generation, found that the following five are those that millennials love the most. Let’s have a look.
5. Piggly Wiggly
- Percentage of millennials who have a positive opinion of this grocery store: 61%
- Number of U.S. locations: 500
- Fun fact: Piggly Wiggly was at the center of a stock market scandal in 1923, when Wall Street speculators began shorting Piggly Wiggly stock, edging the price to fall. Piggly Wiggly founder Clarence Saunders then purchased all available Piggly Wiggly shares to force short sellers to pay more. Today, Piggly Wiggly is privately held.
4. Kroger
- Percentage of millennials who have a positive opinion of this grocery store: 61%
- Number of U.S. locations: 1,240
- Fun fact: Kroger was the first grocery store chain to open its own bakery and meat departments — astronomically augmenting the revenue-making potential of grocery stores.
3. Trader Joe’s
- Percentage of millennials who have a positive opinion of this grocery store: 62%
- Number of U.S. locations: 608
- Fun fact: Trader Joe’s was the first grocery store chain to sell reusable bags, introducing its totes all the way back in 1977.
2. Aldi
- Percentage of millennials who have a positive opinion of this grocery store: 65%
- Number of U.S. locations: 2,546
- Fun fact: Aldi may not have many locations compared to some grocers, but that’s about to change, as Aldi is the fastest-growing grocery store chain in the U.S.
1. 7-Eleven
- Percentage of millennials who have a positive opinion of this grocery store: 67%
- Number of U.S. locations: 9,457
- Fun fact: 7-Eleven ran its first commercial ad in 1949. This was a first for a convenience store. Oh, and 7-Eleven invented the Slurpee in 1965!
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