Latest research shows fewer shoppers feel comfortable affording essentials as household pressures sustain the search for value.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Oct. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Just over half of shoppers feel comfortable affording groceries and household essentials, even as grocery purchasing power has improved slightly, according to the latest Acosta Group Affordability Tracker. The share expressing comfort fell from 68% in January to 53% in August, a 15-percentage-point decline that suggests modest economic gains have provided limited relief for households managing years of higher prices.

The second report in the series, launched in July, pairs Acosta Group’s measure of grocery purchasing power with proprietary shopper research to examine how affordability shapes consumer decisions. The findings show an affordability recovery that has largely stabilized, while shoppers continue adjusting where they shop and what they buy to manage essential spending.

For the four weeks ending Sept. 5, 2026, Acosta Group’s Typical Stock-Up Trip, an 84-item basket of commonly purchased grocery and household essentials, cost $366.42, up 3.5% from the comparable period a year earlier. Median hourly earnings rose approximately 4.6% year over year in the second quarter, reducing the work time needed to purchase the basket from 11.84 hours to 11.72 hours, a gain of roughly seven minutes.

That modest improvement comes against a much larger increase in shelf prices over time. The basket costs approximately 31% more than in the comparable four-week period of 2020, helping explain why incremental purchasing-power gains may be difficult for shoppers to feel.

“The affordability recovery has reached a point where small gains in purchasing power are offering little breathing room for households,” said Colin Stewart, executive vice president of business intelligence at Acosta Group. “Shoppers are weighing a grocery purchase against everything else their income needs to cover, and the habits they developed during the inflation surge remain practical ways to manage that pressure. For brands and retailers, the opportunity is to make value easier to recognize and give shoppers greater confidence in what they choose.”

Alongside the decline in shopper comfort, the share who felt uncomfortable affording groceries and household essentials rose from 17% in January to 26% in August. Housing, insurance, health care and other recurring expenses continue competing for household income, leaving grocery spending as an area where consumers can exercise more control through product choices, promotions and retailer selection.

Those adjustments are visible in the August shopper research. Looking back over the previous six months, 43% of shoppers said higher prices caused them to cut back on nonessentials, while 43% spent more time looking for deals. Another 38% bought more store brands and 35% shopped at stores with lower prices. The outlook also remains cautious. In August, 47% of shoppers said they felt confident they could afford groceries and household needs over the next 12 months, while 34% were worried.

The findings suggest retailers should make pricing, promotions and assortment easier to navigate, while brands should clearly communicate the quality and benefits that justify a purchase. Value extends beyond the lowest price to include convenience, package size and confidence that a product will meet the household’s needs.

The tracker combines NIQ Discover basket pricing with U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics earnings data to measure the work hours required to purchase a Typical Stock-Up Trip. This update uses pricing through Sept. 5, 2026, and second-quarter earnings data, alongside Acosta Group Shopper Community research. It provides a national purchasing-power measure rather than an assessment of every household’s finances.

The full report is available here.

ABOUT ACOSTA GROUP

Acosta Group is a collective of the most trusted retail, marketing and foodservice agencies empowering brands and retailers to win in the modern marketplace. By delivering transformative, commerce-focused solutions and more than a century of expertise, Acosta Group connects its partners with people at every point in the consumer journey.

Comprised of Acosta, ActionLink, ADW, CORE Away From Home, CROSSMARK, Mosaic, Premium Retail Services and Product Connections, Acosta Group understands and anticipates evolving consumer needs, fueling accelerated performance to connect tomorrow’s commerce today. For more information, visit acosta.group.

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SOURCE Acosta Group