---
title: "C-Store Shoppers Feel the Pinch as 51% Report Higher Prices, Datassential Finds"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/fe21b7f5-d514-4747-8196-12c91c697310
source: "CStore Decisions"
original_url: https://cstoredecisions.com/c-store-shoppers-feel-the-pinch-as-51-report-higher-prices-datassential-finds/
category: "C-store & fuel"
industry: "Retail"
segment: "C-store & fuel"
published: 2026-06-04T17:14:19.000Z
modified: 2026-10-31T13:18:53.811Z
image: https://cstoredecisions.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/customer-product-selection-NRS-.jpg
---

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

**TL;DR:** A Datassential report found that 51% of convenience store shoppers noticed higher prices, posing a challenge to brands working to improve consumer perception. Despite this, most retailers remain profitable, with 65% reporting a profitable month.

*originally published in CStore Decisions on 2026-06-04. [Read the original](https://cstoredecisions.com/c-store-shoppers-feel-the-pinch-as-51-report-higher-prices-datassential-finds/).*

## Story

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.

## Entities

- Retail (sector)
- CStore Decisions (publication)
- Datassential (company)
- convenience stores (topic)
- retail trends (topic)
- price increases (topic)
- consumer perception (topic)
- generational spending (topic)

---
Originally reported by CStore Decisions (https://cstoredecisions.com/c-store-shoppers-feel-the-pinch-as-51-report-higher-prices-datassential-finds/). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/fe21b7f5-d514-4747-8196-12c91c697310).