Survey: Consumers Believe Larger Stores Offer Lower Prices

RESTON, Va. -- The vast majority of consumers (97 percent) report shopping at big box stores -- such as Wal-Mart and Target, and wholesale stores, including Sam's Club, BJ's and Costco -- according to a survey conducted by the American Consumer Institute.

Consumers chose shopping at larger stores due to price (49 percent), followed by convenience (30 percent) and choice (11 percent), according to the study, which was posted on www.ksbitv.com.

Non-whites (55 percent), low-income (54 percent) and senior consumers (51 percent) were most likely to cite price as the single most important reason for shopping at larger stores, according to the report.

Asked where they would expect lower prices, 86 percent of consumers believe that larger stores have lower prices than smaller stores.

When asked if these large stores were good for consumers, 73 percent of respondents said yes. Another 65 percent said that publicized criticism of these big boxes has had no affect on their decision to shop at these stores, according to the American Consumer Institute study. The survey results have an accuracy of plus or minus three percent.

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