Survey Says: Big Boxes are Top Choice

American Consumer Institute finds price, convenience draw consumers to larger stores

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According to a survey conducted by the American Consumer Institute (Reston, Va.), 97 percent of consumers shop at big box stores, such as Wal-Mart and Target and wholesale stores Sam's Club, BJ's and Costco.

The institute, an independent consumer organization committed to providing information, analysis and policy research, found that consumers’ top reasons for shopping at these larger stores are: Price (49 percent), convenience (30 percent) and choice (11 percent). When asked where they would expect lower prices, 86% of consumers believe that larger stores have lower prices than smaller stores.

While criticism of big box stores has grown over the years, with a number of reports and special interest groups questioning whether such stores are good for local economies, 73 percent of survey respondents said these large stores were good for consumers. Furthermore, 65 percent said that criticisms have no affect on their decision to shop at these larger stores.

For detailed survey results, visit http://www.theamericanconsumer.org/