Charts show Raleigh’s grocery store foot traffic, pre-pandemic to current levels
Foot traffic in Raleigh grocery stores has somewhat stabilized after sharp drops two years ago, according to numbers compiled by data company SafeGraph.
In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic kept many consumers from doing their own shopping inside stores, which also reduced operating hours. Many consumers began ordering groceries online for curbside pickup or home delivery.
The News & Observer used data from SafeGraph to examine grocery store monthly foot traffic in Raleigh over the last year, as well as data from before the start of the pandemic.
Note: SafeGraph defines a visit as a stay at the location lasting five minutes or more.
Here are some key takeaways:
▪ Walmart’s foot traffic levels were exceptionally higher in February 2022 compared to pre-pandemic levels in January and February of 2020
▪ Foot traffic at Harris Teeter and Food Lion’s foot traffic was lower in February 2022, compared to March 2020.
Remember, this data reflects foot traffic and not sales. In fact, demand for groceries spiked across the board during the pandemic and remains high, as people are preparing and eating more meals at home.
▪ Out of all the grocery store options via SafeGraph, Walmart had the highest foot traffic numbers. However, Walmart has much more than just groceries, so customers buying non-food items are likely included in this data.
▪ Walmart saw a significant spike in foot traffic from November 2021 to December 2021, then again from December 2021 to January 2022, coinciding with the holiday shopping season.
▪ Fresh Market and Trader Joe’s had among the lowest foot traffic in Raleigh grocery stores out of all the grocery store options provided by SafeGraph.
How do supermarket prices compare?
In January 2020, The N&O price checked 28 items across 16 national and locally owned grocery store chains and found that overall, Walmart has the largest selection and lowest prices.
But we also found that Wegmans — at least in the products we researched — had lower regular (non-sale) prices than Food Lion, Harris Teeter, Lowes and Publix on nearly every single item.
In many cases, Wegmans even matched (or came very close to) the super low-priced stores like Aldi, Lidl and Walmart on items like eggs, butter and milk.
