Consumers changing eating, shopping habits as inflation pushes up prices

A man shops for meat at a Safeway grocery store in Annapolis, Maryland, on May 16, 2022, as Americans brace for summer sticker shock as inflation continues to grow.

Jim Watson | AFP | Getty Images

The highest inflation in roughly 40 years is prompting people to shift their shopping habits, especially at the grocery store.

About 90% of Americans are concerned about food prices, according to a survey conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of Alpha Foods. The online survey questioned more than 2,000 American adults about their inflation concerns and shopping habits in two waves, March 18 to 23 and again May 6 to 8.

In that time, the cost of groceries also overstocked gas prices as Americans’ top inflation concern.

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How I Avoid Impulse Shopping

Typically, I do not shop in groups or in high-stress situations, like sample or archival sales, but when I do, the temptation kicks in. I’m not alone, either–impulse purchases are not rare. My colleague, Vogue Runway’s Fashion News Writer José Criales-Unzetta, recently purchased a pajama set from the Marni x Uniqlo collaboration sale that he was element of. “Everything was selling out, so I was like, ‘I must have it instead of other people,’ ” he says. “To be fair, I have already worn everything else from the collab I got.”

According to the Harvard Business Review, in a stressful situation—like a possibly once-in-a-lifetime archival sale—our brains react differently, forcing us to make reactionary decisions instead of thoughtful, rational ones. I was worried about missing out on a piece of that sought-after archival pie, even if it came in the form of something I didn’t necessarily want. It was

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Twitter is testing shopping reminders for upcoming product drops

Twitter is testing a new shopping feature for previewing upcoming product releases. The feature, called Product Drops, allows brands to tease items before they go on sale, and customers can sign up to be reminded prior to the release through in-app notifications.

The company shared how reminders would work in a blog post today. When brands set up product drops, shoppers can sign up for alerts by clicking a “remind me” button. Product drop tweets act like other posts on Twitter and can be liked, retweeted, bookmarked, and shared. Users who opt in to get reminders will get a notification 15 minutes before the time of the release and at the set time of the drop. When it’s time to purchase and users click the notification, they’ll be directed to a “shop on website” button leading to the brand’s site.

Image: Twitter

The test is currently limited to iOS users

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