Five Trends Driving Grocery Shoppers to Mass Retailers

Mass retailers have caught up with supermarkets as Americans' primary grocery store, attracting younger shoppers and families with value, convenience and a strong online shopping experience. 

By Debbie Walyus, Manager, Web and Digital Communications, FMI 

My son has a very specific preference for chicken nuggets. He is loyal to one brand, and it’s definitely not the cheapest option in the freezer aisle.  

Like many families, we focus on value when grocery shopping, so I started comparing prices. I discovered I could buy his favorite nuggets for less at a nearby mass retailer. As I explored the store further, I realized I could also purchase many of our family's specialty foods and snacks there, and my grocery shopping habits began to shift. 

According to FMI's 2026 U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends report, many American shoppers are making a similar shift, particularly younger shoppers and families.

Here are five trends from the research:

Mass retailers have reached parity with supermarkets.

For the first time, shoppers now go to a mass retailer just as much as they do to supermarkets when shopping for food. When shoppers were asked where they spend the most on groceries, 37% named a mass retailer as their primary store, compared with 36% who chose a supermarket. This gap has been narrowing over the years, and the preference for mass grew six percentage points over the previous year.

Younger shoppers love to buy their groceries at mass stores.

Younger generations are driving the shift toward grocery shopping at a mass retailer. In fact, 42% of Gen Z and 44% of millennials choose mass as their primary grocery store, compared with just 27% of Boomers. Gen Z shoppers often split their loyalty between mass and supermarket, while millennials are more likely to make mass their primary grocery destination.

Families favor mass retailers for grocery shopping, too.

Households with kids are now twice as likely to shop at a mass store for groceries as they are at supermarkets. Everyday low prices and the convenience of one-stop shopping are key reasons mass has become increasingly appealing to families.

Mass leads omnichannel grocery shopping.

Mass retailers have become the leading destination for omnichannel grocery shoppers. Nearly three-fourths of Americans (72%) now shop for groceries online at least occasionally, and mass attracts the highest share of shoppers placing online orders. Among all shoppers, 45% placed an online order with a mass retailer in the past three months, versus 30% with a supermarket.

Grocery shoppers spend more at mass compared to supermarkets. 

Mass grocery shoppers report higher weekly grocery spending than supermarket shoppers. In 2026, households that identified a mass retailer as their primary grocery store spent an average of $173 per week on groceries, compared with $165 per week for households whose primary store was a supermarket, a difference of $8 per week.

For supermarkets to compete as mass retailers gain more traction, small changes can go a long way. For younger shoppers, demonstrate how to create delicious, budget-friendly meals using products available in your store, using digital channels like TikTok and your own website. For families, convenience is key. Curated snacks and ready-to-go meal solutions make it easier to meet busy schedules. Across all generations, focus on what supermarkets do best: providing fresh produce and quality meat.

Our family still shops at supermarkets regularly, but mass has become part of our grocery routine. We're not alone. Like other families, we're drawn by the selection, the prices and the ease of ordering online. At this stage of life, our list gets split between grocery stores, and my son’s chicken nuggets play a large role in deciding where to shop that week.

Download FMI's 2026 U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends report to explore the data behind these trends.

Explore the U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends Report