Closing the Grocery Store Gap in the Nation's Capital

Many thousands of people who live in the nation's capital do not have adequate access to healthy and affordable food. In fact, 1 in 7 households in Washington, D.C., is food insecure. The majority of these residents is African American and lives in Wards 7 and 8, which have the highest poverty rates in the city and a paucity of full-service grocery stores.A review of the grocery store landscape conducted in the spring of 2016 by D.C. Hunger Solutions revealed that of the 49 full-service grocery stores in the District, there are only two in Ward 7 andjust one in Ward 8. This represents a decline in the number of stores in each of these wardssince D.C. Hunger Solutions last analyzed access to grocery stores in the District in 2010. At thattime, there were four full-service grocery stores in Ward 7 and three in Ward 8.These numbers stand in sharp contrast to the number of stores located in higher-income wards, most of which have seven or more full-service grocery stores. This disparity reflects both the growing economic and racial inequality in the city and the shortfalls in the District's efforts to solvethe problem. This disparity also exacerbates food insecurity and poor health outcomes for theDistrict's most vulnerable residents

ORGANIC FOOD ADOPTION DECISIONS BY NEW MEXICO GROCERIES

Sales for organically grown foods, particularly organic fresh produce are increasing. This study focuses on the characteristics of grocery stores in New Mexico who sell or intend to sell organic foods. The results suggest most grocery stores do not carry organic foods because of the low availability and perceived consumer demand. However, stores that sell organic foods reported consumer demand prompted them to carry organic foods. The results can provide information for grocery stores to further understand problems and benefits associated with adopting organic foods.Agribusiness,

Food Access and Food Security – An Empirical Analysis

This paper analyzes the effect of access to different types of food outlets on households’ food insecurity levels. Two years (2004 and 2005) of Current Population Survey – Food Security Supplement data are matched with MSA-level data on store counts of Wal-Mart Supercenters, small food stores (small grocery stores and convenience stores), medium and large grocery stores, and convenience stores associated with gas stations. Endogeneity of food stores’ location is accounted for to eliminate spurious correlation between households’ food security status and food access. Preliminary results indicate that, before accounting for endogeneity bias, the presence of Wal-Mart supercenters appears to be associated to higher levels of households’ food insecurity, while the presence of other food stores is associated with lower levels. After eliminating spurious correlation, only the presence of small food stores appears helping to reduce food insecurity (across measures of food insecurity and data samples) while the presence of gas convenience stores is associated with higher likelihoods of experiencing food insecurity. The presence of Wal-Mart supercenters and that of medium and large grocery stores have little to no impact on the likelihood of a household being food insecure (the first showing only weak evidence of a mitigating effect, the second, instead, showing weak evidence of a magnifying effect).Food Security, Food Access, 2-Stage Residual Inclusion, Wal-Mart, Convenience Stores, Grocery Stores, Consumer/Household Economics, Food Security and Poverty, Industrial Organization, Q18, L81, P46,

Small Town Grocers in Iowa: What Does the Future Hold?

This publication is intended for communities struggling with declining retail and the loss of a grocery store. Across the state, small communities are losing their grocery stores at a rapid rate. Economic conditions force some stores to shut down and still others try to find potential buyers but are eventually forced to close as well. Small grocers face myriad pressures that make their existence and future tenuous. Small town residents fear the closing of the local grocery store for economic reasons as well as quality of life issues. This report looks at the factors influencing the viability of grocery stores as well as the impacts on communities and residents when the store is lost. Data and analysis are presented with suggestions for communities trying to maintain a grocery store as well as means of coping for towns that have already lost their local grocery.

Direct Marketing of Specialty Crops by Producers: A Price-Comparison between Farmers' Markets and Grocery Stores

Oftentimes, prices at farmers' markets are much cheaper than those at grocery stores. However, little is known about the pricing relationship between farmers' markets and nearby grocery stores. Only by further analyzing this relationship can we gain a better understanding of these pricing trends. Although this trend is seemingly consistent, further research is necessary to test this assumption. Through the collection of prices at both locales, farmers' markets and grocery stores, producers as well as consumers will have access to current prices in both markets. In recent years, consumers are looking for local produce and are willing to pay for them as they are faced with increased grocery store prices, while producers are simultaneously seeking to increase their profit margins. This paper uses data that was collected over the course of one year while recording pricing trends from farmers' markets and nearby grocery stores. The survey also records demographic and operational data from individual producers and or vendors at those farmers' markets within the State of Florida. It is hypothesized that producers selling at farmers' markets are not receiving a price premium for their products and the current prices they charge are, on average, significantly less than those found at a grocery store. Research gives evidence that producers should be receiving a price premium for their products. It is believed that they are being paid only a portion of the true market value for their products. As a result of this research, farmers should have a better understanding of state-wide pricing trends at farmers' markets and grocery stores which in turn will help them make better, more informed decisions when pricing and marketing their specialty crops.farmers markets, pricing, grocery stores, Agribusiness, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Farm Management, Marketing,

EVALUATING FACTORS INFLUENCING GROCERY STORE CHOICE

This paper analyzes consumer preferences toward grocery store choices given a set of attributes of stores. This information will then be used to make inferences on how the opening of a Wal-Mart supercenter would affect the other grocery stores in a small city.Consumer/Household Economics, Institutional and Behavioral Economics,

Dollar Stores and Supermarket Survivability in Non-metropolitan US Communities

With the growing popularity of dollar stores, concerns have surfaced over the potential relationship between dollar stores and the closures of grocery stores. Healthy food accessibility for consumers, particularly those in rural areas, has additionally become of great interest. This thesis aims to investigate the potential relationship of dollar store presence and grocery store closures. Data used included County Business Patterns, Rural Urban Continuum Codes, American Community Survey, and authorized SNAP retailer data. The spatial distance between grocery stores and the number of dollar stores at various radii were calculated. Following the computation of the number of dollar stores surrounding grocery stores, Kaplan Meier curves and Cox proportional hazards models were used for survival analysis of grocery stores. The findings of the models used imply that the presence of dollar stores is not associated with increasing the likelihood of grocery store closures

AN ANALYSIS OF FACTORS AFFECTING CONSUMERS' DECISIONS TO SHOP AT STORES OFFERING SPECIALTY MEAT

The empirical results suggest that the likelihood of grocery shoppers buying at stores that offer specialty meat is influenced by age, household size, education, ethnicity, and prices but is invariant to geographical location, gender, marital status, religion, occupation, and household income. From these results, a niche market for specialty meat is more likely among grocery shoppers aged 42 or younger, those from households with three persons or less, those without a high school diploma, or non-Caucasians. Price plays an important role in grocery shoppers' decisions to buy at stores offering specialty meat.Consumer/Household Economics,

New Market Power Models and Sex Differences in Pay

In the context of certain general equilibrium search models, it is possible to infer the elasticity of labor supply to the firm from the elasticity of the quit rate with respect to the wage. We use this framework to estimate the elasticity of labor supply for men and women workers at a chain of grocery stores operating in the southwestern United States, identifying separation elasticities from differences in wages and separation rates across different job titles within the firm. We estimate elasticities of labor supply to the firm of about 2.7 for men and about 1.5 for women, suggesting significant wage-setting power for the firm. Since women have lower elasticities of labor supply to the firm, a Robinson-style monopsony model might explain lower relative pay of women in the grocery industry. The wage gaps we observe among workers in US retail grocery stores are close to what the monopsony model predicts for the elasticities we have estimated.monopsony papers, labor supply, grocery stores, elasticity

Designed for Disease: The Link Between Local Food Environments and Obesity and Diabetes

Examines the link between a community's retail food environment -- the ratio of fast-food outlets and convenience stores to grocery stores and produce vendors, with income level as a factor -- and the prevalence of adult obesity and diabetes