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The Pandemic Changed Our Shopping Habits
When Michigan issued its stay-at-home order in March, 2020, and an even tougher one in April, 2020, many of us had to reassess our shopping habits.
Long ago, I stopped running out for one thing, finding I could save time and use less gas if I grouped my errands in a single trip. In the first months of the pandemic, that became a safety measure.
Now, almost two years since the first Covid case was detected, many of us have permanently changed our shopping habits, according to a sweeping study from consulting firm Alix Partners.
It surveyed 7,131 consumers around the world, including 1,015 in the U.S. I’m going to share the U.S. findings, but they are echoed in Canada, the U.K., and elsewhere.
Overall, 36 percent of American consumers say they are sticking with habits that changed during the pandemic. What are these?
Some 37 percent of consumers are trying different restaurants than in the before times, and 25% of consumers are trying new food and grocery brands.
Among younger consumers age 18 to 34, two-thirds percent say they are changing their spending habits — either spending more, trying to save money, or switching within product categories.
“We are seeing the rise of ‘the intentional consumer’—a consumer that in some cases plans to spend less and, in all cases, plans to be much more deliberate about how and where to spend,” says David Garfield, the global leader of consumer products at Alix Partners, who leads the Americas business unit.
The survey demonstrates how people are using their money. Among those that have spent more, 47 percent did so by switching the expense from other categories. About 43 percent drew from savings, 27 percent took money from increased income (such as additional gigs).
Only 13 percent went into debt, and interestingly, only 13 percent used the money from government assistance.
What is and isn’t essential
Among people who are trying to spend less, 39 percent said they decided the spending wasn’t essential, and 35 percent found they could get by on less. Twenty-three percent said they cut back because they had less money, 21 percent said their income dropped and 20 percent said they didn’t want to draw from savings.
The “it’s not essential” thinking was especially prevalent among high-income and middle-income consumers, where 45 percent and 40 percent respectively said they could live without things.
Among the lowest-income consumers, the most cited reasons were concerns about future income (32 percent) and decreased income (30 percent).
Here’s a particularly interesting slide (the typo is in the survey).
Groceries are the only category where people expect they will spend more money post-pandemic. That’s understandable, because grocery prices have been steadily rising for months, due to product shortages and supply chain issues.
And this slide demonstrates a growing environmental awareness, which is only amplified by the recent COP26 conference in Scotland.
Brands and owners who want to reach this intentional consumer must also become more intentional, the Alix Partners study says. They need to know exactly who they are trying to serve, and how to do so profitably.
Organizations have to challenge their historic models, and eliminate excess costs that consumers no longer will pay for. And they must seamlessly balance catering to online and in-person customers.
“Every sale will be critical in a world in which consumer habits are changing like never before,” the study concludes.
Celebrating A “Different” Baker
This week, the Great British Bake Off held Free Form Week, in which bakers were not permitted to use animal products or conventional flours. It seemed like an interesting idea, since so many people are baking with alternative ingredients.
But the star of this week’s show wasn’t the ingredients: it was baker Lizzie (in the center of the photo). Stop now to avoid spoilers.
In British medical terms, she is SEN (special educational needs) and is dyslexic, dyspraxic (DCD), has ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and concentration disorder.
Despite all that, she landed on Bake Off and made it to the quarter finals, charming the audience with her unusual (to American ears) Scouse accent, commonly heard in Liverpool.
“It’s going to be my brain”
During the most recent episode, Lizzie shared her story,.
She told Paul and Prue that her showstopper cake would reflect “my celebration of being different.”When Paul told her she needed to show finesse, she answered, “It’s going to be my brain. There won’t be any finesse to it.”
In fact, she turned in a memorable cake that reflected her way of looking at the world. Paul and Prue seemed delighted by her ingenuity, with Paul declaring, “I would eat that on my 40th any day - when it comes around.”
Then came a moment that revealed something the show has hitherto denied. During the deliberations, the judges said Lizzie and fellow baker Chrystelle were neck and neck for elimination.
“I think you’ve got to look at it as which one deserves a place in the semi final?” Paul said.
Through the entire run of the program, the judges have long insisted that they are assessing the bakers’ performance in only that one episode.
They’ve repeatedly said that the body of work across a season doesn’t matter. Indeed, we’ve seen talented bakers kicked off the show after a subpar episode, and multiple star baker winners fail to take home the coveted glass cake plate.
That comment tipped Paul’s hand, and it was obvious who would get the nod.
Inspiring other bakers
The judges booted Lizzie, and it felt like a missed opportunity.
British charities were excited to see someone like Lizzie on Bake Off. Lizzie’s social media accounts have abounded with warm messages of gratitude.
She truly will inspire people, but she could have been even more inspiring as a finalist. Think the visibility Nadiya Hussein has received as a winner who is an observant Muslim.
Lizzie looked on the bright side. “It has been amazing meeting the most fabulous people and learning so much off them all,” she wrote in her farewell letter.
She added on Instagram, “I’m made up that people felt represented and could relate to my brain fuzz cake. I honestly see my differences as a positive as they let me look at life in a different light. I hope people can start to see their differences as a positive, too.”
We Have A Winner
The winner of Taste Makers is someone I know very well: my literary agent, Irene Goodman. (I swear it was a random drawing.)
Irene is the founder of the Irene Goodman Literary Agency, which represents clients across all media platforms.
She was the brainchild for Satisfaction Guaranteed, inspired by her two degrees from the University of Michigan and love for the Zingerman’s mail order catalog.
Irene will receive a copy of the book, and some cool CulinaryWoman swag.
Our next giveaway will be announced this week, and I am planning mote as the holidays approach. To be eligible, upgrade to a paid subscription and join the CulinaryWoman Community.
Congratulations, Irene!
A Cookie For Your Thanksgiving Table
Gerald and Betty Ford were only in the White House from 1974 to 1977, but they left their mark on culinary traditions.
President Ford began the hokey presidential rite of pardoning the official Thanksgiving turkey. (You might say he had experience in pardons.) Betty Ford bought double chocolate cookies to the White House Thanksgiving table.
First ladies have shared cookie recipes in the past, but they don’t generally make them part of Thanksgiving dinner. Dessert is often pie, although Eleanor Roosevelt liked Indian pudding.
The name is actually a misnomer: They’re triple chocolate, containing melted chocolate, cocoa, and chocolate chips. And when was the last time you put sour cream in a cookie?
As you read the ingredients, it occurs to you why the Fords were known for their zeal for skiing, regardless of the president’s alleged clumsiness. They’d have to hit the slopes to burn off these cookies.
Find the recipe in my story at The Takeout. Trust me. People will devour these, snd you should be sure to hide some, because your guests will want to take them home.
Keeping Up With CulinaryWoman
You can pre-order Satisfaction Guaranteed from any major bookseller or from your favorite independent bookshop. My schedule is starting to fill up with events when it’s published on Feb. 22.
If you’d like your local group or bookstore to host me, feel free to suggest it to them — and if you have a contact, you’re welcome to send it to me at culinarywoman at gmail dot com. It takes a village to create a best seller!
I’m always excited to welcome our new subscribers and CulinaryWoman Community members. Please follow @culinarywoman on Twitter and Tik Tok, and I’m @michelinemaynard on Instagram.
This week, I got my booster vaccine. I had a sore arm for a few days and felt a little groggy, but I’m glad to have the protection that’s available right now. Many drug stores and health departments take walk ins, so be sure to get yours ASAP.
Please stay safe, and see you next Sunday.