Costco edged out Walmart as the preferred choice for grocery shoppers, according to Field Agent’s Grocery Shopper Outlook survey.

The survey of 885 Canadian grocery shoppers revealed that 58% of respondents named Costco as the grocer they most frequently shop at, same as 2024, with Walmart coming in second at 52%, down from 2024’s 55%. Superstore came in third, cited by 37% of respondents, down from 38% the year prior.

Rounding out the top five were No Frills at 30%, up from 29% in 2024, and Empire banners, Sobeys/Safeway/IGA/Thrifty, holding steady at 12% year-over-year.

Sale prices was the top determining factor for grocery retail store choice (53%), followed by loyalty programs (46%), location (37%), product quality (35%) and regular pricing (28%).

Costco also topped the list for stock-up trips (50%), while Walmart was the king of quick trips (27%).

In the ecommerce space, 49% of Canadians said they shopped online for groceries in 2024. For 2025, 37% were “likely / very likely” to do so. While 20% bought meal kits last year, only 12% of respondents are predicting they would be “likely / very likely” to do so this year.

Meanwhile, 35% of survey respondents report that they shopped in a natural or specialty grocery store in 2024, with only 25% saying they would do so again in 2025.

Canadians seem to be pessimistic about the overall economy as well. The results reveal that 70% of respondents feel that inflation will be higher in 2025 than in 2024, while 61% say unemployment will be higher year-over-year.

And 25% of respondents expect to pay more for groceries in 2025.