C-Store Shoppers Feel the Pinch as 51% Report Higher Prices, Datassential Finds

While consumers increasingly perceive rising convenience store prices, most retailers remain profitable despite uncertainty and shifting customer behavior.

Consumer perception has long been a concern for c-store retailers. In recent years, this perception has shifted in a positive direction as operators are ramping up foodservice programs, doubling down on loyalty and increasingly focusing on the customer experience as a key driver for sales.

One factor that is largely out of retailers’ control, however, is pricing. According to Datassential’s C-Store Quarterly Tracker from Q1, which taps into the pulse of the c-store foodservice industry using monthly survey data, 51% of respondents noted that c-store prices seemed higher than the previous month.

Forty-three percent said that prices seemed the same, while 6% said they seemed lower.

Generationally, the Baby Boomers are feeling the price increases the most heavily, with 61% responding that prices seemed higher. Fifty-six percent of Gen Xers said that prices seemed higher, with Millennials and Gen Zers coming in at 49% and 40%, respectively.

On the operator side, the majority of respondents reported that they are remaining profitable through this period of uncertainty and shifting customer perception.

Overall, 65% of retailers reported a profitable, average month, while 18% said they had an excellent, or “very profitable” month.

Eighteen percent noted that they had a “not very profitable” month, while notably, 0% said that they broke even or made a loss.

Looking ahead, operators are less than optimistic about traffic levels in their stores. Nearly half (47%) of respondents expect lower traffic levels in the coming month, with 35% expecting similar traffic levels and 18% expecting higher traffic levels.

Datassential’s report explores a range of macro factors including consumer financial health, spending confidence, price sensitivity, saving strategies and more.