With Memorial Day here, consumers have flocked to stores and made purchases to celebrate the holiday — which they’ll cap off with plenty of grilling today.
A survey by Numerator showed 75% of Americans will be celebrating Memorial Day and 92% of those celebrators made purchases to celebrate the weekend with cooking or grilling, hosting a party, recreational activities or watching fireworks.
Food topped the shopping list (83%), followed by alcoholic beverages (46%), non-alcoholic beverages (35%), party supplies (16%) and decorations (11%).
“Memorial Day is the traditional kick-off to the summer season, and Kentucky’s retailers are prepared to help their customers find what they are looking for whatever their plans are,” said Tod Griffin, president of the Kentucky Retail Federation.
“This weekend is perfect for consumers to enjoy some shopping and take advantage of special sales at their local retailers.”
More than three-quarters of consumers expect rising prices to impact their Memorial Day as 82% will try to save money — with more than half (54%) of celebrators say they will buy items on sale, 28% will use more coupons, 28% will prepare budget-friendly foods, 20% will switch to store/private-label brands, 17% will shop at dollar stores, 12% will reduce their travel, and 11% will buy smaller items.
Memorial Day is also a busy travel weekend, and AAA projects 42.3 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home this weekend, a 7% increase over 2022. This year, 2.7 million more people will travel for the unofficial start of summer compared to last year, a sign of what’s to come in the months ahead, says AAA. Memorial Day road trips are up 6% over last year. 37.1 million Americans will drive to their destinations, an increase of more than two million.
Kentucky Retail Federation
