Americans, It Turns Out, Would Rather Visit a Store Than Buy Food Online
Fear of contracting Covid-19 pushed shoppers to the web, but most still prefer to pick out their own steaks and bananas.
Shoppers enter a Walmart store in Torrance, California, on May 19.
Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon/BloombergBonnie Russolillo is one of millions of Americans forced by the pandemic to buy groceries online. The experience was better than she expected—the broccoli crowns were perfect and she was mostly pleased with the substitutions for out-of-stock items.
But here’s the bad news for companies that have spent billions building web supermarkets: Russolillo and shoppers like her prefer to walk the aisles themselves. “If I feel it’s safe, I’d much rather do my own shopping,” says Russolillo, who is 62 and lives on Long Island. “It’s much different than going online and looking at pictures.”