Supermarkets that had been adding Starbucks Corp. cafes and olive bars to draw wealthy shoppers are now catering to a different audience: food-stamp recipients.
Stores are moving their opening hours, adding products and revamping merchandise assortments as persistent joblessness pushes more shoppers to government support in buying groceries. Distributions from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program rose 11 percent to a record $71.8 billion in fiscal 2011, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report.
Supervalu Inc.s 1,280-store Save-A-Lot chain opens some supermarkets at midnight, when government benefits are loaded onto food-stamp cards, and promotes higher-priced bulk items early in the month. The chain switches to smaller sizes later as money dwindles and customers make fill-in purchases.
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