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Higher Gas Prices Shift U.S. Spending Toward Value Retailers

Shoppers are cutting nonessential purchases and favoring warehouse clubs and dollar stores as gas hits $4 a gallon, analysts and executives said.

  • Americans are shifting spending toward value-oriented retailers like warehouse clubs and discount chains as high gas prices alter shopping habits, according to industry executives.
  • Gas prices hitting the $4 mark act as a tipping point that reshapes consumer behavior, with Revenue Management Solutions analyzing 14.6 billion restaurant transactions over four years.
  • Shoppers are visiting gas stations more frequently to "top up" due to concerns about future prices, Chief Financial Officer Gary Millerchip said in late May.
  • Sales inside convenience stores dropped by 10.4% as fuel prices surged, according to Jeff Lenard, a vice president at the National Association of Convenience Stores.
  • Between April 25 and May 23, U.S. retailers sold 6% fewer non-grocery products than the comparable 2025 period, Cohen said, though toys and beauty items registered an 8% increase.
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From unfilled gas tanks to fewer frills, consumers rethink spending

Members-only warehouse stores like Costco, Walmart's Sam's Club and BJ's Wholesale Club have seen more traffic at their fuel pumps since the war began, but many drivers are not filling their tanks up.

American consumers haven't stopped spending money since the war with Iran fueled rising fuel prices, but many shoppers are reassessing what they buy and where they buy it, according to business executives and retail analysts.

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abc News broke the news in United States on Saturday, June 6, 2026.
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