The U.S. grocery slowdown is becoming harder to ignore.
Shoppers are buying fewer items than a year ago, and grocery sales are declining as weakening unit sales are now outweighing rising prices. That is according to new analysis from Bain & Company using NielsenIQ grocery data shared exclusively with CNBC.
Grocery units, which refer to individual items or products sold, fell 1.8% in June from a year earlier, a sharp reversal from the 0.1% year-over-year growth recorded in June 2025. While prices continue to rise about 2% to 3% year-over-year, that inflation cushion for the industry is no longer enough to keep overall sales growing.
9 Comments
PP_BOY_@lemmy.world · 15 pts · 18d
Gotta love the Kroger merger that they did to try to corner the market only for everyone to just go to Aldi instead
spaghettiwestern@sh.itjust.works · 12 pts · 18d
The prices at Kroger owned stores in SoCal are absolutely insane, regularly 30% more than Aldi and 20% more than TJ's. Occasionally I'll run in for a item or two and every single time feel like they've picked my pocket, pulled down my pants and pushed me out of the store while laughing at me.
velma@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 18d
It's interesting how different locations vary. Kroger is definitely one of the cheaper stores in Washington state. Safeway/Albertson's is astronomically expensive here.
spaghettiwestern@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 18d
A cursory check of a few items at Ralphs in SoCal vs Fred Meyer in Seattle show prices are substantially higher in SoCal for common items. For instance a jar of mayo is 15.5% more in SoCal. Other items I've checked have been at least 10% more expensive.
It isn't my imagination - they are laughing at us.
velma@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 18d
Now I’m curious how Safeway prices in Seattle compare to SoCal prices.
Our cost of living isn’t that different necessarily, though it’s been a while since I actually compared.
HeyJoe@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 18d
Isn't it always interesting how the most expensive stores are the closest ones... for me it's Stop n Shop. Aldi is like a 20 min drive for me along with the other lower priced stores. I try to plan it out so I do most of my shopping at them, but just like you say you always gotta hit the other one for a few items you may need, forgot, or missed and it sucks.
velma@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 18d
The Kroger/Albertson's merger was blocked.
PP_BOY_@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 18d
Had no idea tbh. Kind of assumed it went through when everyone stopped talking about it and the rest of the world went to shit anyway
velma@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 18d
Albertsons and Kroger immediately moved to sue each other over the lost money. They’re still scrambling to an extent and Albertson’s took a real loss.