My theory is the mid scale full service grocery stores with huge footprints and multiple specialized departments is on the way out.
They are stuck with expensive legacy union employee contracts, while smaller and more efficient operations like TJs and Aldi and Lidl and Costco and Walmart and Winco eat all the consistent low margin sales, leaving the big grocery stores with only volatile high margin sales.
People per household has been trending down for a long time, which also impacts the amount/variety of cooking.
> People per household has been trending down for a long time
It was, but 2021-2024 was the first three year period that didn't end lower than it started since the 1960s (starting and ending at 2.51 average per household); it is possible that trend has arrested.
They are stuck with expensive legacy union employee contracts, while smaller and more efficient operations like TJs and Aldi and Lidl and Costco and Walmart and Winco eat all the consistent low margin sales, leaving the big grocery stores with only volatile high margin sales.
People per household has been trending down for a long time, which also impacts the amount/variety of cooking.