Americans are buying fewer groceries as prices climb

A “positive attitude” might start counting as something to legitimately bring to a dinner party. Food prices are rising so much that US shoppers are simply buying fewer groceries: Grocery unit sales, which refer to individual items sold, fell 1.8% in June compared to the same time last year, according to a new analysis from Bain & Company using NielsenIQ grocery data, reported by CNBC.In June 2025, grocery unit sales actually increased 0.1%, compared to 2024. The recent drop suggests that prolonged inflation, which has hovered between 2% and 4% year over year for the past few years, has finally forced shoppers to make changes to their shopping trips:Grocery prices are about 33% higher than they were seven years ago.About 66% of US shoppers think groceries are unaffordable, according to a Washington Post/Ipsos poll published yesterday. That’s a steep increase from the 45% of respondents who thought so in February.Americans are trying every trick in the book to lower the bill. More shoppers said they’re couponing, deal-hunting, or swapping out name brands for private labels, per the survey. Even credit card rewards points, typically used to fund vacations, are increasingly being deployed to pay for everyday staples, a separate survey shows.Big picture: Even though June’s inflation data was softer than economists’ expectations, energy prices, which got some relief last month, are expected to continue rising amid renewed tensions with Iran.—MM