Where Do Hill District Residents Shop?
Pittsburgh Hill and Homewood Research on Neighborhood Change and Health (PHRESH) Findings on Shopping Behavior
Starting in 2011, the PHRESH study has collected information about where Hill District residents shop through survey questions, as well as information about food stores by assessing local, frequently visited stores and collecting store-level information (price and availability of standard food items, store hours, and store environment).
We collected survey data on where people shop in 2011, 2014, and 2018. The table below shows how many people in each sub-group were surveyed. We note that primary food shoppers from households were randomly selected, which means that their home addresses were randomly chosen, and data collectors approached households to ask whether they would be willing to enroll in the study (starting in 2011). This approach limits selection of those residents who might be especially enthusiastic or willing to participate in a study.
Table 1. Hill District Participants—Sample Size by Survey Wave
| Group | 2011 | 2014 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|
| All Hill District (Full Sample) | 897 | 599 | 508 |
| Seniors (65 years or older) | 250 | 196 | 215 |
| SNAP recipients | 450 | 275 | 275 |
| Residents without access to a car | 410 | 250 | 197 |
| Households with children | 234 | 144 | 93 |
| Males | 220 | 128 | 95 |
| Females | 677 | 471 | 413 |
| Food insecure participants | 295 | 122 | 93 |
During each survey, respondents were asked to name their major food shopping store (and a secondary store where they bought food, if they used one), how often they shopped for food, as well as factors that influenced their store choice, actual time spent shopping, and how they got there (mode of transportation).
The following summary includes observations of key subgroups of Hill District respondents, including groups that may be particularly vulnerable to not having a supermarket in the Hill District. Participants may be included in more than one subgroup; that is, they are not mutually exclusive. We have also included preliminary results from the 2021 survey, which is still being fielded. Hopefully, these observations can provide a more comprehensive understanding of the shopping behavior of Hill District residents they prepare for a new grocery store to replace the Shop 'n Save.
Store Choice
The South Side Giant Eagle has consistently been the store most Hill District residents used for their main food shopping. In 2014, Shop 'n Save supplanted the Market District Giant Eagle as the second most used main food shopping store used by Hill District residents. Based on the market shares, it appears that most of those who primarily shopped at the new Shop 'n Save may have been former shoppers at the South Side Giant Eagle.
Table 2. Top 6 Stores Where Hill District Residents Do Their Main Food Shopping
| 2011 (n = 897) | 2014 (n = 599) | 2018 (n = 508) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Major Food Shopping Store | Market Share | Major Food Shopping Store | Market Share | Major Food Shopping Store | Market Share |
| Giant Eagle (South Side) | 49% | Giant Eagle (South Side) | 30% | Giant Eagle (South Side) | 34% |
| Giant Eagle (Market District) | 21% | Shop 'n Save – Hill District | 21% | Shop 'n Save - Hill District | 17% |
| Walmart Supercenter – West Mifflin | 6% | Giant Eagle (Market District) | 15% | Giant Eagle (Market District) | 14% |
| Walmart Supercenter – North Versailles | 5% | Walmart Supercenter – West Mifflin | 7% | Walmart Supercenter – West Mifflin | 7% |
| Giant Eagle (Shakespeare) | 2% | Walmart Supercenter – North Versailles | 4% | ALDI - Southside | 5% |
| Shop 'n Save - Lawrenceville | 2% | ALDI - Southside | 4% | ALDI - Friendship | 5% |
We measured use of the Shop 'n Save in two ways. First, we gauged this through our survey question about the primary and secondary major food shopping locations. We also asked Hill District participants how many times in the last month they had visited the Shop 'n Save (whether for major food shopping or not). In 2014 and 2018, similar percentages of participants (36% and 39%, respectively) used the Shop 'n Save as either their primary or secondary store. However, the percentage of people who visited the store at least once per month went from 70% in 2014 to 64% in 2018. By 2018, Food Insecure households and residents without vehicle access had the highest percentages using the Shop 'n Save as a primary or secondary store (52% and 47% respectively). In 2018, Food Insecure households also had the highest rate of monthly or greater use (74%). In that year, households with children were the least likely to use the store (29% used the store for their primary or secondary food shopping, while 60% visited the store at least monthly).
Table 3. How Did Hill District Residents Use the Shop 'n Save?
| Subgroup | Primary or Secondary Shopping Location | Shopped There at Least Once per Month | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 2018 | 2014 | 2018 | |
| All Hill District | 36% | 39% | 70% | 64% |
| Seniors (65+) | 36% | 45% | 66% | 65% |
| SNAP recipients | 35% | 44% | 68% | 66% |
| Residents with no vehicle access | 44% | 47% | 67% | 67% |
| Households with children | 29% | 29% | 72% | 60% |
| Male | 48% | 46% | 70% | 72% |
| Female | 33% | 37% | 70% | 63% |
| Food insecure | 42% | 52% | 71% | 74% |
In addition to the Hill District Shop 'n Save, several ALDI stores opened in the region between 2011 and 2014. The usage of any ALDI as a major food shopping store has increased among Hill District residents. By 2018, about 10% of residents used one of several ALDI stores for their main food shopping. The two most used ALDI stores are in the South Side and in Friendship on Baum Blvd.
Table 4. Where Do Hill District Residents Do Their Main Food Shopping (Store Brand)?
| 2011 (n = 410) | 2014 (n = 250) | 2018 (n = 197) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Major Food Shopping Brand | Market Share | Major Food Shopping Brand | Market Share | Major Food Shopping Brand | Market Share |
| Giant Eagle | 73% | Giant Eagle | 48% | Giant Eagle | 49% |
| Walmart Supercenter | 11% | Shop 'n Save | 22% | Shop 'n Save | 18% |
| SAVE-A-LOT | 2% | Walmart Supercenter | 11% | ALDI | 11% |
| Sam's Club | 2% | ALDI | 5% | Walmart Supercenter | 10% |
| Shop 'n Save | 2% | Sam's Club | 3% | Sam's Club | 5% |
In 2021, we asked respondents what types of stores they use when buying their food. Among the 388 respondents who have participated so far, almost all of them use full-service supermarkets (91%) at least sometimes or often, followed by supercenters (62%), discount grocery stores (49%) and meat/seafood markets (48%). Only 18% use specialty grocery stores. This suggests that residents are frequently using multiple outlets and multiple types of stores for their food purchasing needs.
Table 5. When Buying Food, How Often Do Hill District Residents Use the Following Types of Stores? (2021, n = 388a)
| Store type | Sometimes or often | Never or occasionally |
|---|---|---|
| Full-service supermarkets | 91% | 9% |
| Supercenters | 62% | 38% |
| Discount grocery stores | 49% | 51% |
| Meat or seafood markets | 48% | 52% |
| Dollar stores | 45% | 55% |
| Wholesale clubs | 42% | 58% |
| Vegetable stores or farm stands | 35% | 65% |
| Neighborhood stores | 21% | 79% |
| Specialty grocery stores | 18% | 82% |
| Convenience stores | 18% | 82% |
aSample as of October 11, 2021; we are still fielding the survey.
In 2011, 62.5% of residents with no vehicle access used the South Side Giant Eagle for their shopping, the largest market share for any one group and store. Relative to the entire neighborhood, these respondents used the South Side Giant Eagle and Shop 'n Save (the two closest options) more commonly.
Table 6. Where Do Hill District Residents Without Vehicles Do Their Main Food Shopping?
| 2011 (n = 410) | 2014 (n = 250) | 2018 (n = 197) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Major Food Shopping Location | Market Share | Major Food Shopping Location | Market Share | Major Food Shopping Location | Market Share |
| Giant Eagle - South Side | 63% | Giant Eagle - South Side | 39% | Giant Eagle - South Side | 41% |
| Giant Eagle - Market District | 15% | Shop 'n Save - Hill District | 28% | Shop 'n Save - Hill District | 21% |
| Walmart Supercenter - North Versailles | 4% | Giant Eagle - Market District | 14% | ALDI - South Side | 7% |
| Walmart Supercenter - West Mifflin | 3% | Walmart Supercenter - West Mifflin | 4% | Giant Eagle - Market District | 6% |
| Shop 'n Save - Lawrenceville | 2% | Walmart Supercenter - North Versailles | 2% | ALDI - Friendship | 5% |
| Farmers Choice Poultry & Meats | 2% | Robert Wholey & Company | 2% | Walmart Supercenter - West Mifflin | 5% |
In 2011 and 2014, compared to the entire neighborhood, respondents who were Food Insecure (lacking reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food) appeared more likely to use the South Side Giant Eagle and less likely to use Market District as their major food store. In 2014, 26% of households in this subgroup chose the Shop 'n Save, compared to 21% of the entire neighborhood. By 2018, the gap grew to 28% of Food Insecure households who used the Shop 'n Save, compared to 17% of the entire neighborhood.
Table 7. Where Do Food Insecure Hill District Residents Do Their Main Food Shopping?
| 2011 (n = 295) | 2014 (n = 122) | 2018 (n = 93) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Major Food Shopping Location | Market Share | Major Food Shopping Location | Market Share | Major Food Shopping Location | Market Share |
| Giant Eagle - South Side | 54% | Giant Eagle - South Side | 33% | Giant Eagle - South Side | 32% |
| Giant Eagle - Market District | 16% | Shop 'n Save - Hill District | 26% | Shop 'n Save - Hill District | 28% |
| Walmart Supercenter - West Mifflin | 6% | Giant Eagle - Market District | 10% | ALDI - South Side | 10% |
| Walmart Supercenter - North Versailles | 5% | ALDI - South Side | 6% | Giant Eagle - Market District | 6% |
| Farmers Choice Poultry & Meats | 3% | Robert Wholey & Company | 2% | Walmart Supercenter - West Mifflin | 6% |
| Robert Wholey & Company | 2% | Walmart Supercenter - West Mifflin | 2% | ALDI - Friendship | 5% |
Households with children seemed to use the new Shop 'n Save less frequently (for their main shopping), compared with other groups (e.g., residents without vehicles) and use of the Shop 'n Save also decreased over time for this group. By 2018, residents with children used the Giant Eagle (South Side), Walmart (in West Mifflin), Giant Eagle Market District more frequently for main food shopping. For residents with children, about 8% responded that they used the Shop 'n Save as their primary food store, which was the same number of residents with children who reported using ALDI.
Table 8. Where Do Hill District Residents With Children Do Their Main Food Shopping?
| 2011 (n = 234) | 2014 (n = 144) | 2018 (n = 93) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Major Food Shopping Location | Market Share | Major Food Shopping Location | Market Share | Major Food Shopping Location | Market Share |
| Giant Eagle - South Side | 46% | Giant Eagle - South Side | 34% | Giant Eagle - South Side | 30% |
| Giant Eagle - Market District | 15% | Shop 'n Save - Hill District | 13% | Walmart Supercenter - West Mifflin | 15% |
| Walmart Supercenter - West Mifflin | 10% | Walmart Supercenter - West Mifflin | 13% | Giant Eagle - Market District | 12% |
| Walmart Supercenter - North Versailles | 6% | Giant Eagle - Market District | 7% | ALDI - South Side | 10% |
| Farmers Choice Poultry & Meats | 3% | ALDI - South Side | 5% | ALDI - Friendship | 8% |
| Shop 'n Save - Lawrenceville | 2% | Sam's Club - Monroeville | 5% | Shop 'n Save - Hill District | 8% |
| SAVE-A-LOT - Lawrenceville | 2% | Walmart Supercenter - North Versailles | 5% | Sam's Club - West Mifflin | 6% |
| Giant Eagle - Shakespeare | 1% | Farmers Choice Poultry & Meats | 3% | Farmers Choice Poultry & Meats | 4% |
Shopping Frequency
Nearly 90% of households reported doing major food shopping between 1 and 4 times per month in 2018. Out of all households, 61% in 2018 made 2 to four trips per month, while 27% indicated they made 1 trip per month. SNAP recipients, households with no vehicles, and Food Insecure households, each had larger proportions of respondents who shopped once per month.
Table 9. How Often Do Hill District Residents Do Major Food Shopping?
| Sample | Year (sample size) | Number of Times Per Month | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Never | Once | 2–4 Times | 4–8 Times | > 8 Times | ||
| Hill District | 2011 (n = 897) | 2% | 33% | 48% | 13% | 4% |
| 2014 (n = 599) | 4% | 32% | 50% | 10% | 3% | |
| 2018 (n = 508) | 1% | 27% | 61% | 8% | 3% | |
| SNAP Recipients | 2011 (n = 450) | 1% | 39% | 45% | 9% | 4% |
| 2014 (n = 275) | 3% | 40% | 48% | 6% | 3% | |
| 2018 (n = 275) | 2% | 31% | 58% | 6% | 4% | |
| Households without a Vehicle | 2011 (n = 410) | 2% | 37% | 50% | 8% | 3% |
| 2014 (n = 250) | 5% | 37% | 43% | 12% | 3% | |
| 2018 (n = 197) | 1% | 30% | 61% | 4% | 3% | |
| Food Insecure Households | 2011 (n = 295) | 2% | 40% | 46% | 9% | 4% |
| 2014 (n = 122) | 3% | 33% | 49% | 11% | 4% | |
| 2018 (n = 93) | 2% | 31% | 58% | 6% | 3% | |
Most Important Store Characteristics
We asked about store characteristics that were important when choosing where to do major food shopping at each wave. In 2011, we asked respondents to rate the importance of several aspects; in 2014 and 2018 we asked them to choose the most important; in 2021, we have asked respondents to rank their top 3.
Overall, there is no consistent pattern. 99% of respondents listed cleanliness as Important or Very Important in 2011 (the highest of any aspect), but few people listed cleanliness as the main reason for store choice in 2014 and 2018 combined. Right after Shop 'n Save opened, 25% listed location as the main reason for their store choice in 2014. In 2018, quality of food was the most cited (37%) main reason for shopping choice. So far in 2021, food quality is the leading reason (49%) for main store choice.
In 2021, we have also asked about satisfaction with the Shop 'n Save while it was open. According to our Hill District respondents so far, 95% say they used the Shop 'n Save at least once or twice before it closed. The store's location and parking were its most satisfactory aspects: 97% were either satisfied or very satisfied with the location, while 90% were either satisfied or very satisfied with the parking. The areas where respondents were most dissatisfied were food freshness, fresh meats, and prices, with 39%, 38%, and 27% reporting they were either dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with those aspects of the store, respectively, while it was open. It is important to keep in mind that these percentages may change as we interview more people.
Table 10. When It Was Open, How Satisfied Were Hill District Residents With the Following at The Hill District Shop 'n Save? (2021, n = 370a)
| Very satisfied or satisfied | Very dissatisfied or dissatisfied | Neither | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prices | 65% | 27% | 8% |
| Sales | 67% | 20% | 13% |
| Food freshness | 51% | 39% | 10% |
| Fresh meats | 49% | 38% | 13% |
| Healthy Foods | 64% | 22% | 14% |
| Selection of items | 69% | 18% | 13% |
| Store Location | 97% | 1% | 2% |
| Customer Service | 64% | 24% | 12% |
| Cleanliness | 73% | 18% | 9% |
| Store layout | 82% | 8% | 10% |
| Safety | 75% | 15% | 10% |
| Parking | 90% | 3% | 7% |
aSample as of October 11, 2021; we are still fielding the survey.
For more information, please contact Tamara Dubowitz, ScD (dubowitz@rand.org), Principal Investigator