Shoppers tend to stay longer in larger stores, according to fresh data from Placer.ai, which also highlights a surge in foot traffic for some grocery chains.
The data, shared exclusively with Supermarket News, shows that retailers with expansive store footprints, such as Costco, Walmart, and H-E-B, recorded the longest shopping times in 2024.
Costco led the pack, with customers spending between 37 and 40 minutes per visit, followed by Walmart at 32 to 35 minutes and H-E-B at 26 to 27 minutes.
By contrast, dollar store shoppers moved through their stores much faster. Customers at these smaller-format retailers typically spent just 15 to 17 minutes per visit, less than half the time of those browsing warehouse clubs, which saw an average shopping duration of 35 to 37 minutes.
While shopping times varied by retailer type, Aldi continued to dominate in foot traffic growth.
The German discount grocer sustained double-digit year-over-year increases for 11 months in 2024, peaking at a 22.9% rise in February.
By December, Aldi’s growth had slowed to 8.8% but still far outpaced H-E-B, the second-fastest-growing chain, which posted a 3.6% increase that month.
Meanwhile, Albertsons struggled throughout the year, reporting negative foot traffic growth nearly every month.
The only exception was in March 2024, when the chain managed a modest 0.2% increase.
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