Twenty-eight percent of subscribers in our most recent annual supermarket survey said they had fired a nearby grocery store. Forty-five percent did so in search of lower prices. Three in 10 gave a store the boot because of poor selection, long lines, lousy food, or cleanliness concerns. Around one in five stopped shopping at a particular store because of rude employees.
Whether it's because of more shopping options or lower tolerance for stores that don't meet their needs, consumers are less loyal to any one particular supermarket than ever before, according to the Food Marketing Institute, a trade group. Instead, they're cherry-picking individual stores to take advantage of their particular strengths: prime produce, succulent seafood, marvelous meats. They're also turning to other outlets--restaurants, convenience stores, food trucks, farmers markets, and even drug stores--to satisfy their food needs on any given day. In addition, conventional grocers are feeling heat from burgeoning retail concepts built around wellness that cater to those interested in a fresh approach to eating. Sprouts Farmers Market (mostly in the West) is a prime example of a niche market going mainstream. The 200-store chain specializes in fresh, organic, and homemade foods "at reasonable prices," perhaps a not-so-subtle dig at rival Whole Foods, which is known for its enormous smorgasbord of store-made foods-to-go, but is equally famous for its high prices.
