As a Gen X-er, growing up in the 70’s & 80’s, grocery stores were strictly utilitarian – the place you went to buy food to put on the table. Grocery shopping was “a chore” that my mother never particularly enjoyed. Back then, food was simply functional – a satisfier of hunger, a means of getting your daily nutrition, and an opportunity to get the family around the table to catch up on the day. Boy, how things have changed!
Fast forward 40 years, grocery stores have become so much more; they’ve become an experience, a destination if you will. In a blog by FMI’s Steve Markenson, he offers insight that I whole heartedly agree with – “the food industry is continuing to advance through its evolution into a modern grocery experience.”
For me and many others I talk to, “the grocery experience” is a creative outlet, a place to let your inner chef out. In my mother’s later years, she marveled at how I looked forward to crafting the family menu for the week and heading out to my favorite local markets to find new and unique ingredients, always expanding the international flavors I’d bring home to prepare. Inspiration coming from the many summers I worked in restaurants during college opening the door to curiosity, discovery and exploration, coupled by “market days” during my 2-3 year stint living in Europe where seasonal, fresh, and local dictated what was available for purchase. Today, grocery shopping has become almost a hobby for me, a passion I thoroughly enjoy.
However, as a consumer, aka the “end user”, it’s easy to lose sight of the many challenges facing the food industry today – as FMI President and CEO Leslie G. Sarasin recently pointed out from The Food Retailing Industry Speaks 2025
” …the broader trend of a sharp rise in costs associated with regulatory actions at the federal and state levels and their impact on the food industry…the uncertainty of how the current immigration and deportation policy changes will impact the significant progress made in workforce stability, including recruitment, retention, and talent development.“
Food retail profit margins are already razor thin at 1.7%, and with the shifting landscape of domestic and trade policies, grocery chains recognize the need to create experiences within their stores.
The silver lining: “While shoppers remain concerned about food prices, FMI’s recent consumer trends research found customers are willing to invest in key needs related to “eating well,” including health, entertainment, exploration and convenience. “…our [FMI] members are reimagining the grocery store as a destination and one that reflects how today’s shoppers want to live and eat,” Sarasin said. “From expanded fresh offerings and wellness hubs to foodservice solutions and seamless omnichannel experiences, they are focused on delivering quality, personalization and loyalty-driven value at every touchpoint.”
