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Consumers will continue to use gift cards to buy groceries and other necessities next year, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. predicts, citing the results of an online survey of 300 female Wal-Mart shoppers BIGresearch LLC conducted earlier this month. The results suggest nearly half of Wal-Mart's female shoppers would like to receive a gift card for groceries this holiday season. It found that 70% of respondents want a gift card so they can select their own gift, 46% want a gift card to buy groceries, and 56% plan to buy gift cards this year, with 18% planning to spend $40 to $50 on gift cards. While 54% of respondents said they expect children and teens to spend gift card funds on electronics, 44.2% said they would spend gift card funds on clothes and accessories, and 40.4% said they would use gift card funds to buy food. This was the first time the company has asked these questions, Melissa O'Brien, a Wal-Mart spokesperson, tells CardLine. It continues a trend that Wal-Mart saw starting last January of consumers spending gift cards on practical items such as clothing and food, she says. The company said in its January 2008 sales report that shoppers were using gift cards more often for "food and other consumables rather than discretionary purchases" (CardLine 2/8). Meijer Inc., a grocery and department-store chain based in Grand Rapids, Mich., said this week it expects more consumers to use gift cards to buy gasoline and groceries. Meijer did not return messages for comment by deadline.
