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Grocery shopping has changed dramatically over the past 50 years, and not everyone is happy about it
Baby boomers — generally defined as those born between 1946 and 1964 — are particularly frustrated by many of today’s grocery-store features Technology-driven shopping is among their biggest complaints, along with several other modern grocery-store changes
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No. 1: Self-checkout
When asked to choose between self‑checkout and cashier‑assisted checkout — each with equal lines — 62% of respondents to a YouGov survey aged 65-plus said they preferred cashier-assisted checkout, compared to 34% who said they like self-checkout
Fifty percent of respondents aged 45-64 said they preferred checking out with a cashier, while 44% said they would choose self-checkout. In the 18-29-year-old demographic, meanwhile, 52% said they prefer self-checkout, while 26% said they would prefer cashier-assisted checkout
The major hangups boomers have with self-checkout is weighting produce, the lack of human interaction and the feeling they’re doing free labor, The Takeout reported
Cleanliness and organization are what Baby boomers prioritize in grocery stores and report preferring traditional supermarkets over discount stores.(iStock)
No. 2: Bargain grocery stores
Cleanliness and organization are what baby boomers prioritize in grocery stores, a 2024 survey published by the Feedback Group found
Boomers have a strong preference for supermarkets (32%), the survey found, while Walmart (28%) was their second choice for grocery shopping. Gen X shoppers preferred Walmart (28%), followed by supermarkets (25%), while Gen Z opted for Walmart (23%), Aldi (20%), dollar stores (17%) and club stores (15%). Traditional supermarkets ranked last among Gen Z shoppers, with only 11% reporting this as their go-to store
No. 3: Searching for products
Grocery stores carefully arrange products to encourage shoppers to spend more time in the store and buy more items
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Frequent product relocations were another common complaint in the social-media responses highlighted by The Takeout
No. 4: Digital coupons
The share of people aged 65 and older who are tech-users grew in the last decade, a 2022 Pew Research Center poll found. Despite this trend, many baby boomers say digital-only coupons put shoppers without smartphones at a disadvantage
Trader Joe’s is an outlier, The Takeout noted, since the grocery-store chain doesn’t offer discounts or sales
No. 5: Neglected shopping carts
Shopping carts offer a “tactical maneuver” for some older adults who rely on them for mobility and stability purposes and as a rest aid
Some baby boomers expressed frustration at having to bag their own groceries, since many modern supermarkets lack a dedicated bagger.(iStock)
Several baby boomers reacted to a Facebook post asking about their grocery-shopping experience to say they value shopping carts with wheels that swivel easily and are easy to push
No. 6: Generic groceries
While younger generations are more likely to shop at budget grocery stores and buy off-brand products, a sizable number of baby boomers always go for name brands
More than one in four (26%) baby boomers “rarely or almost never consider switching from their favorite brand,” a Numerator survey on consumer trends found
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A Reddit forum featured many commenters expressing frustration with the older generation for spending more money for a comparable, generic product, The Takeout reported
No. 7: Sold-out products
Many Americans grew accustomed to encountering out-of-stock items when the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the supply chain. But baby boomers aren’t as accepting of the reality as others, according to social-media posts on the subject
Many retirees live on fixed incomes and rely on sale-priced products to help stretch their grocery budgets, meaning unavailable items can have a greater financial impact on older adults
Retirees on a fixed income who rely on sale items can be disproportionately affected when grocery items are out of stock.(iStock)
No. 8: Understaffing
Food retailers have faced recruitment and retention challenges in recent years, and it’s a pattern keenly felt by baby boomers
Social-media comments summarized by The Takeout suggest many boomers associate understaffing with longer checkout lines, slower service and fewer opportunities for personal interaction with employees
No. 9: No grocery baggers
Going hand-in-hand with frustrations over self-checkout and understaffed stores, many baby boomers also dislike the growing absence of dedicated grocery baggers
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Plenty of boomers complain on social media about this modern grocery-store, expressing frustration at doing their own labor
No. 10: Convenience foods
Millennials, those born between 1981 and 1996, comprise the generation most likely to spend money on prepared grocery meals, a U.S. Department of Agriculture survey found. Prepared meals often cost significantly more than cooking from raw ingredients because shoppers pay for the added convenience
According to research summarized by the Institute of Food Technologists from FMI’s (originally the Food Marketing Institute) U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends report, 29% of shoppers ages 65 and older reported buying prepared foods to save time, compared with 45% of shoppers ages 15 to 24
