On taking a trip to the supermarket

One of the FMI U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends 2007 looks at the trip to the supermarket, dissecting it nine ways to Sunday. One easy-to-digest number is that the average number of weekly visits to shop for food has declined to 1.9 in 2007, down from 2.1 in 2006 and 2.2 in 2005.

Before I get into that highly technical research, I would like to define what makes a trip to the supermarket a pleasant affair for me:
1. I have a short list of items (my wife makes the list) and I know where they are.
2. They are playing my tune; background music - typically good time hits of the 60s, 70s and 80s - is helping me pass the time.
3. Free food: sampling back in the meat or cheese department, perhaps?
4. Helpful smile in every aisle - and especially the checkout aisle: I am not a fan of the self-checkout system. By the way, FMI offers insights into self checkout and seems to focus only on why people "like" self-checkout (i.e., like when only purchasing a few items, like because it is faster, like because of greater privacy). There is no table showing why people detest self-checkout.

Back to the FMI research:

Who are those among us that "very much enjoy" the main stock-up shopping trip (28% overall)?
Spend more than average (32%)
Shopped aged 65 or older (34%)
Lower income (36%)
Satisfied with nutrition at store (38%)
Don't trust restaurant food (44%)
Organic/specialty store shoppers (61%)

That 61% number for organic/specialty store shoppers is more than double the overall average. Whole Foods and Wild Oats simply offer a better experience than other stores.

On the issue of store satisfaction: On a scale of 1 to 10, the average satisfaction score consumers gave their primary store is 7.9, down from 8.0 in 2006 and 8.1 in 2006. More troubling is the fact that 19% of shoppers rate their primary store at 6 or lower, up from 13% last year and 9% two years ago. The FMI says those most satisfied at "matures" (8.4) shoppers in the Midwest (8.3) , those who are loyal to organic/specialty stores (8.4) and those who like to shop for groceries (8.6).

Among about 1,100 surveyed, here is a table that shows where consumers purchase produce:
Supermarket 63%
Supercenter 19%
Warehouse club 3%
Discount store 1%
Organic/specialty 3%
Limited assortment 5%
Somewhere else: 6%