Bad economy spawns change in consumer shopping habits

The economy is changing the way most of us do our grocery shopping. Analysts have noticed those changes in the way we shop and what we shop for.

Grocery shopping is a necessary chore, but these days there seems to be a new give-and-take formula. People tend to splurge on organic strawberries, but only buy soda when it's on sale.

Americans are becoming more conscious when it comes to their health and the environment, but they remain mindful of their economic situation.

Here are some more shopping trends: More Americans are buying generic. There's no stigma to generic brands, and in fact, there may be a growing disdain for buying brand named food.

But it's not just about price anymore. Convenience and logistics are key factors, especially when half of all supermarket trips result in purchases of five items or less. Grabbing a few items on the fly is why drugstore chains like CVS and Walgreens stock groceries.

And these days consumers are more open minded about where they shop, even if that means trading down, all the way down to the dollar store. Stores like Dollar General have built their business on the simple premise: ‘how low can you go?'

Another trend? Organic is recession proof. Last year overall grocery sales edged up by less than two percent. But, organics were a bright spot, growing by four percent.