Why buy one when
you could have 10?

As the economy weakens, traffic at club stores targeting budget-conscious shoppers has increased at a rate faster than US population growth — with upscale consumers driving the increase, according to new data from Mediamark Research & Intelligence (MRI), writes Retailer Daily.

The number of people that shop at club stores like Costco, B.J.'s and Sam's Club increased 3.6 percent from September 2006 to April 2008, while the total adult population increased just over 1 percent in the same time period, according to MRI's Survey of the American Consumer.

Moreover, the number of club store shoppers with household annual incomes of $75,000 grew 11.9 percent in the same time period.

Almost four in 10 US adults (39 percent) say they shopped at club stores in the last six months.

The growth in club store traffic is being driven by upscale consumers - and club store shoppers are upscale in general, MRI found:

• Consumers who shopped in a club store in the last six months are 38 percent more likely than the average adult to have household incomes of $75,000 or greater.
• They are 26 percent more likely to have graduated college.
• They are 32 percent more likely to hold management, business or financial operations occupations.

Being a parent is also an influence in shopping in club stores: Parents are 9 percent more likely than the population as a whole to have shopped in this type of store in the last six months.

"Upscale consumers have always been a large part of club stores' customer base. It's now clear that a greater number of affluent consumers are being careful with their hard-earned dollars during this economic downturn," said Anne Marie Kelly, VP of marketing and strategic planning at MRI. "Marketers may wish to take note that price-sensitive strategies and messages will increasingly resonate with even the well-heeled."