many consumers have changed their habits to limit the impact of inflation on their basket (AFP/Archives/BERTRAND GUAY)
“It’s a bit +Koh Lanta+”: faced with rising prices, Carine Barbe alternates between several supermarkets in search of the best offers. Like her, many consumers have changed their habits to limit the impact of inflation on their basket.
“I do my shopping almost everywhere: Aldi, Lidl, Carrefour… And I try to compare prices,” explains this 50-year-old teacher outside an Auchan hypermarket in Bagnolet (Seine-Saint-Denis) , where she came for batches of shower gel.
A tip that forces her to make purchases every two days, compared to once a week before, but which allows her to find good deals like “the three fruits for 99 cents in the Carrefour” near her home.
“Consumers do not hesitate to change their behavior with the idea of trying to deprive themselves as little as possible,” observes Emily Mayer, analyst at Circana, a panel which analyzes mass retail sales.
If some change brands, often in favor of “hard discount” and independents like E.Leclerc – which has gained 1.4% market share since February 2022 – they also often change brands.
– “The hunt for the top prizes” –
For his canned green beans and country pâté, Francis Bourreau, a 68-year-old retiree, now favors Auchan products: “It’s cheaper and it increases the loyalty kitty.”
A trend noted by Dominique Schelcher, general manager of Système U, where 32% of sales in supermarkets and hypermarkets are now made under private label (MDD), i.e. 2% more in one year.
32% of sales in supermarkets and hypermarkets are now made under private label (MDD) (AFP/Archives/Charly TRIBALLEAU)
This strategy “makes sense”, estimates Emily Mayer: “A private label is on average 35% less expensive than a national brand. By switching to a private label, you largely absorb inflation which is around 21.2% on two years”.
At Système U as elsewhere, “first price” products, a range below the private label, are also increasingly attractive, covered by several large distribution groups.
In a Carrefour supermarket in Montreuil, Jean-Pierre Magnes, 66, does not hesitate to “kneel down in the aisles” to “hunt for low-cost items” and, he explains, does not fill his basket only of products at 1 or 2 euros.
In one year, “we went from 41 to 45% of respondents who say they buy low-cost products”, underlines Franck Lehuede, researcher at Crédoc, the Research Center for the study and observation of living conditions.
And some consumers are abandoning organic, which is “between 30 and 50% more expensive,” notes Emily Mayer.
Before the wave of inflation, Clara De Barros bought organic apples and oranges.
“Now I go for the cheapest,” regrets this 61-year-old building caretaker, showing the contents of the plastic bag: three non-organic oranges.
– “Products that suffer” –
But when these strategies are not enough or do not suit consumers, they skip certain products or limit quantities.
If some consumers change brands, often in favor of “hard discount”, they also often change brands (AFP/Archives/DENIS CHARLET)
“The products that are suffering are above all non-food,” notes Dominique Schelcher, who does not see a “collapse” in consumption, but rather customer “arbitrations” on essentials.
If Magdelonne Decuq has reduced her purchases of fish, this 20-year-old student is especially cutting back on beauty products. “When my mascara starts to wear out, I put castor oil in it and keep it on for several years,” she explains in front of a Franprix in the 11th arrondissement of Paris.
“We reduce everything that involves aperitifs and sweets,” says Pierre Caillens, 45 years old. “But we don’t like to deprive ourselves too much so we always buy a little,” admits this employee of a DIY store.
Items “over 3.50 euros” such as fresh produce are also more easily left on the stalls, observes Emily Mayer.
“27% of those questioned say they restrict their diet,” observes Franck Lehuede and “8% say they cannot have enough to eat,” a rate “increasing crisis after crisis.”
“Before, I had meat for the whole month. Now it’s more for 15 days or even a week,” admits Anita Baumann, 59, leaving a Lidl in Bagnolet that she already frequented before the wave of inflation.
© 2023 AFP
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