SAVVY SHOPPING

There has been dramatic growth in deep discount food retail locations over the past several years. While the economy appears robust and unemployment is at deep lows, the phenomenon of SAVVY SHOPPING is gaining a toehold.
What is savvy shopping? It is a mindset of reduce-reuse-recycle applied to the acquisition of goods and services. Oatmeal purchased at Aldi or Lidl will cook the same as oatmeal purchased at Whole Foods. It is an option that conscious customers choose to be good stewards of their personal resources. Just because you can shop at the gourmet specialty market doesn’t mean that you will shop there. As more and more unique food items go mainstream, you will be able to find them in discount venues.

This savvy shopping movement runs counter to the widely subscribed economic model of upward mobility. With more resources comes the ability to shop at increasingly more prestigious emporiums – however, the savvy shopper gravitates to the location which provides the greatest value, not the highest status.

Price pressure is prevalent throughout the supply chain. This savvy movement will not only increase the need for faster-cheaper-better, but will spawn disruptive innovations in traditional retail models. Tiffany’s, Sam’s Club and Kay’s all sell Valentine’s Day jewelry. If the diamond is GIA certified does she care where it came from?