The Meijer chain of supermarkets concentrated in Midwest states recently commented on the effects of COVID restrictions on changes to shopping patterns.  Major differences from 2019, pre-COVID included:-

• Home delivery and pickup services doubled over a twelve-month period
• Meijer customers increased their use of Shop and Scan technology at checkout to avoid standing in lines
• Sales of Grab n' Go meals increased including sushi, rotisserie chicken, premade menu items supplied by partner restaurants
•  Sales of items to decorate homes, bicycles, grills and exercise equipment increased in volume
• Home entertainment in the form of video games, puzzles were in demand as customers spent more time at home
• Customers purchased more items per visit to a supermarket and reduced their frequency of trips
• Customers purchased more food and fruit items considered to be "healthful"
• Items for cleaning including sanitizers were in demand
• Meijer recorded a sharp downturn in fuel sales as commuting to work and other leisure activities were curtailed

The 24-hour Meijer Express locations experienced extra sales for nighttime snacks and other food items.

During the past year, specialist organizations conducting customer surveys and defining trends have documented profound changes in buying patterns in response to COVID restrictions.  The question is whether shoppers will resume pre-COVID 2019 buying habits or will retain some of the changes that evolved in 2020.