Idaho Shoppers Have Become Bargain Buyers for Good Reason

People are buying day-old bread and meat.  I wouldn’t call it an opinion.  I’m a witness.  My schedule allows me to go grocery shopping early in the day: late morning, or early afternoon.  One store manager told me a few years ago that the bakery puts out the discounted goods after 9:30 a.m.  The bread and pies that didn’t sell the previous day.  One store I shop at has a section for discounted beef and pork.  It’s not unusual to see people backed up waiting to check the cuts.  A friend who worked at a grocery store told me once that he would take the discounted meat home, his wife would then cook it, and put it away in the freezer for later.

People are Diluting Soap to Save

Inflation has been a driver of the rush to discount.  The Wall Street Journal (behind a paywall) explains that some shoppers are watering down dish detergent and trying to squeeze every last measure out of toothpaste tubes.  People have become so astute at penny-pinching that companies like Procter & Gamble are noticing a drop in the bottom line.

We've Been Getting Smarter as Buyers

Here’s an opinion.  This began long before the post-COVID inflation.  There was a time in the early 1990s when it looked like malls would conquer America.  Then there was a sudden change in consumer preference, and big-box stores muscled in with promotions and discounted prices.

Check out the crowds at the local mall versus Costco late on a Saturday morning.  People aren’t enamored of fancy brand names anymore.  Value has become a cultural guidepost.