Grocers got a big Turkey Wednesday lift this year

Grocers got a major Turkey Wednesday lift this year.

Grocery stores saw 92.5% more visits on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving than they did, on average, during the six weeks prior, according to data released Monday by foot traffic research firm Placer.ai. The day is widely considered the busiest of the year for grocers.

That’s the biggest jump in at least four years, and traditional grocers like Albertsons, Kroger, Meijer and H-E-B saw the biggest boost, the report said.

“Though value grocers and limited-assortment chains have done exceptionally well this year, on the day before Thanksgiving, people seek out one-stop shops where they can quickly grab everything they need for the holiday,” Placer.ai noted.

By comparison, grocers saw an 88.7% spike in visits on Turkey Wednesday in 2019, pre-pandemic, the researcher said.

The Thanksgiving holiday upends the typical grocery pattern, Placer.ai said. During most weeks, grocery visits peak on Sundays and trail off mid-week. Before Thanksgiving, though, visits continue to increase after the weekend, with the Tuesday of the holiday week also seeing a significant boost.

Grocery visits start tending upward in the weeks before the holiday, too, with food retailers seeing a 6.2% jump in visits the week of Nov. 13 compared to the previous week, Placer.ai said.

Albertsons saw the biggest Turkey Wednesday boost this year, with visits up 108% over the prior six weeks. The grocer was followed by Safeway, where visits rose 95.3%, Kroger (89.7%), Meijer (84.8%), H-E-B (82.7%), Aldi (46.5%), Grocery Outlet Bargain Market (41.9%) and Trader Joe’s (36.3%).

Visits to Albertsons, Safeway, Kroger, Meijer, Aldi, Trader Joe’s and H-E-B were all higher this year than on Turkey Wednesday 2022, while visits declined about three percentage points at Grocery Outlet.

Many grocers played up their value-priced offerings this Thanksgiving, looking to woo inflation-pressed consumers.