October Retail Sales Americans Pare Down, Stay Home

In October, as global financial markets plunged amid multiple bank bailouts, U.S. consumers showed marked caution at the cash register, focusing their purchases at food, drug, and mass merchandiser stores on basic necessities: food, medicines, and other household items.

Edible essentials, like bread, milk, cheese, and fresh produce, were among the top retail categories for October, according to Nielsen. 

Discretionary items like carbonated beverages, candy, and snacks were also among the top sellers in October — but most of these categories showed year-over-year unit and dollar sales declines.

Top Categories: October 2008 (Dollar Sales: Food/Drug/Mass Merchandiser Sales)

Rank (by 2008 Dollar Sales)	Top Food/Drug/Mass Merchandiser Sales Categories (October 2008)	Dollar Sales: 4 Weeks Ending Nov. 3, 2007	Dollar Sales: 4 Weeks Ending Nov. 1, 2008	% Change (Year-Over-Year)
1	BREAD & BAKED GOODS	$1,290,938,580	$1,399,971,505	8.4%
2	CARBONATED BEVERAGES	$1,357,519,242	$1,353,136,144	-0.3%
3	CANDY	$1,202,786,146	$1,197,197,264	-0.5%
4	MILK	$1,277,923,416	$1,194,222,015	-6.5%
5	PAPER PRODUCTS	$1,070,803,654	$1,142,692,503	6.7%
6	SNACKS	$1,048,048,516	$1,128,709,667	7.7%
7	FRESH PRODUCE	$1,069,576,129	$1,115,999,283	4.3%
8	CHEESE	$928,000,074	$1,020,525,908	10.0%
9	PACKAGED MEAT	$954,377,692	$1,016,858,601	6.5%
10	PREPARED FOODS-FROZEN	$871,852,882	$918,782,551	5.4%
Source: The Nielsen Company (October 2007 and October 2008).
Note: Data includes UPC-coded products only.

Top Categories: October 2008 (Unit Sales: Food/Drug/Mass Merchandiser Sales)

Rank (by 2008 Unit Sales)	Top Food/Drug/Mass Merchandiser Sales Categories (October 2008)	Unit Sales: 4 Weeks Ending Nov. 3, 2007	Unit Sales: 4 Weeks Ending Nov. 1, 2008	% Change (Year-Over-Year)
1	CARBONATED BEVERAGES	708,655,391	670,846,579	-5.3%
2	CANDY	666,131,070	623,186,230	-6.4%
3	BREAD & BAKED GOODS	615,331,518	617,460,775	0.3%
4	SNACKS	499,438,878	493,832,857	-1.1%
5	FRESH PRODUCE	461,920,897	454,394,973	-1.6%
6	SOUP	423,664,142	435,504,210	2.8%
7	MILK	431,180,191	425,215,642	-1.4%
8	VEGETABLES-CANNED	431,952,857	423,169,047	-2.0%
9	PACKAGED MEAT	358,371,906	359,690,913	0.4%
10	YOGURT	346,426,145	347,690,618	0.4%
Source: The Nielsen Company (October 2007 and October 2008).
Note: Data includes UPC-coded products only.

Products geared toward at-home use — canning supplies, baking ingredients, and wine — were among the fastest growing food, drug, and mass merchandiser retail categories in October, according to Nielsen. 

That trend may signal a shift in consumer behavior, as Americans increasingly opt to save money by staying in and eating at home. 

Fastest Growing Categories: October 2008 (Dollar Sales Growth: Food/Drug/Mass Merchandiser Sales)

Rank (by 2008 Dollar Sales Growth)	Top Food/Drug/Mass Merchandiser Sales Categories (October 2008)	Dollar Sales: 4 Weeks Ending Nov. 3, 2007	Dollar Sales: 4 Weeks Ending Nov. 1, 2008	% Change (Year-Over-Year)
1	CANNING/FRZING SUPPLIES	$6,570,566	$10,062,285	53.1%
2	VEGETABLES & GRAINS-DRY	$80,136,141	$108,062,429	34.8%
3	PASTA	$121,456,953	$158,672,792	30.6%
4	FLOUR	$46,222,365	$60,365,773	30.6%
5	MEAL STARTERS-REFRIG.	$1,256,507	$1,558,324	24.0%
6	SHORTENING/OIL	$191,558,915	$230,171,249	20.2%
7	COUGH AND COLD REMEDIES	$358,619,985	$423,769,133	18.2%
8	MOTOR/VEHICLE CARE/ACCESSORIES	$109,194,105	$126,917,244	16.0%
9	CHARCOAL/LOGS/ACCESSORIES	$56,983,609	$65,826,241	15.5%
10	BUTTER & MARGARINE	$225,605,983	$257,569,147	14.2%
Source: The Nielsen Company (October 2007 and October 2008).
Note: Data includes UPC-coded products only.

Fastest Growing Categories: October 2008 (Unit Sales Growth: Food/Drug/Mass Merchandiser Sales)

Rank (by 2008 Unit Sales Growth)	Top Food/Drug/Mass Merchandiser Sales Categories (October 2008)	Unit Sales: 4 Weeks Ending Nov. 3, 2007	Unit Sales: 4 Weeks Ending Nov. 1, 2008	% Change (Year-Over-Year)
1	CANNING/FRZING SUPPLIES	1,769,780	2,480,355	40.2%
2	MEAL STARTERS-REFRIG.	418,437	460,873	10.1%
3	COUGH AND COLD REMEDIES	70,901,470	76,096,016	7.3%
4	WINE	56,599,330	60,637,073	7.1%
5	FRESH MEAT	53,545,853	57,119,011	6.7%
6	PASTA	109,011,722	114,346,746	4.9%
7	TABLE SYRUPS/MOLASSES	18,180,866	18,999,989	4.5%
8	PREPARED FOODS-DRY MIXES	245,251,379	255,855,902	4.0%
9	VEGETABLES & GRAINS-DRY	42,368,028	44,007,559	3.9%
10	VITAMINS	53,957,077	55,860,918	3.5%
Source: The Nielsen Company (October 2007 and October 2008).
Note: Data includes UPC-coded products only.

Learn more about global consumers’ responses to the current economic crisis on Nielsen Wire.