August 20, 2026
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What Do Recent Labor Day Surveys Tell Us About the Current State of the American Consumer?
A pair of recent surveys provide at least some insight as to the current state of the American consumer, at least in terms of their spending intentions (or budgets) as Labor Day approaches.
A RetailMeNot survey surrounding shopping plans for U.S. consumers concerning the Labor Day weekend provided some interesting data points — chiefly among these that nearly half (42%) of respondents were prioritizing groceries and essential goods.
“Groceries outpaced clothing and footwear by 16 points and outpaced every other category by wider margins,” wrote RetailMeNot retail insights expert Stephanie Carls.
“This year, 73% of consumers plan to show up to Labor Day sales. They’re just showing up with a different list than the one retailers planned for,” she added.
Notable results pulled from the survey:
- The average spend remains somewhat modest: Respondents plan an average spend of $341 for Labor Day weekend, and while necessities may be topping the list, those with an eagle-eye for deals (or who have deeper pockets) might take advantage of less competition for clearance items.
- There’s still some strength in non-grocery intention: Sharing the No. 2 spot in terms of planned buys are clothing and footwear items (26%) and seasonal summer clearance goods (also 26%), followed by health and wellness products (21%), home improvement goods (20%), beauty / personal care offerings (18%), grills and BBQ accessories (15%), back-to-school supplies (15%), home appliances (15%), and electronics and tech (15%).
- Just over one-quarter of shoppers don’t plan on participating: Just over one-quarter (27%) of U.S. shoppers polled said they don’t intend to participate in any Labor Day sales.
On the question of what the standout grocery statistic actually reveals, Carls had a few thoughts:
“A consumer who picks groceries over a mattress on a sale weekend knows the mattress deal is there. They looked at it and decided their budget is better spent on something they need this week. That decision shows up in the average spend too. A $341 average is a stock-up number. It belongs to someone who planned to be there and knew what they wanted,” she said.
Labor Day sale shoppers to prioritize essentials https://t.co/dU53c1xwqx
— RPM Media (@RetailPrintMed) August 20, 2026
Vevor’s Targeted Survey Shows Traditional DIY Home Improvement Spend May Have Legs Over Labor Day
A second survey, more specifically targeting Labor Day home improvement projects and coming from Vevor, put forth some related insights. One caveat to note, as a home improvement brand Vevor may have at least some vested interest in the survey and its findings — and the survey population was restricted to adults with a household income of $75,000-plus.
The Vevor survey also produced some interesting stats, such as:
- More than half of U.S. shoppers are interested in a home improvement project over Labor Day weekend: More than one-third (35%) of those polled said they already have a specific home improvement or property-related project on the docket, with a further 17%% saying they were “very likely” to join in.
- Project planners looking at significant spending on supplies: Of the 243 of 261 project planners doing at least a little DIY, half (50%) expect to spend a minimum of $500 on tools, equipment, materials, and supplies. A further 34% expect to spend in excess of $1,000, while 13% plan to spend more than $2,500. The most common projects target lawn, yard, or garden improvements (48%), with outdoor cooking or entertaining areas taking second place (35%) — tied with garage, workshop, and storage projects (35%).
“Labor Day sits at a natural turning point between finishing summer projects and preparing for the season ahead,” said Gavin Wu, brand director for Vevor. “People are not only investing in their spaces—they are choosing to get hands-on and take ownership of the result.
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Recent Discussions
Discussion Questions
Do you believe the core messaging that American shoppers will largely be restricting their Labor Day sales shopping to groceries and essentials? Why or why not?
In your opinion, what are the major takeaways from the survey data presented? Are there issues with what’s missing, or what might be skewed?
Which retailers or brands do you think are well-positioned to do well this Labor Day weekend, despite existing headwinds?
Poll
While never a beacon of consumerism, Labor Day does typically offer up some great end-of-season sales. Expect larger discounts from retailers this year, as they fight for share of shrinking wallets.
Surveys of this kind are very interesting – and we use them ourselves to help determine directions and sentiment. However, they are extremely poor at predicting actual behavior at a detailed level – mainly because no one has a full grasp of what they might do at some point in the future. What we can say, when looking at wider actual sales data, is that consumers have been prioritizing discounts on essentials all year – hence the reason Amazon really leaned into it this Prime Day. Bigger ticket purchases do still spike around events and occasions (like Labor Day) but the spikes are less pronounced and spending is more muted. All that said, the way the surveys are being framed is poor: this is not about a trade off between buying discounted Tide or a discounted freezer.
Walmart just reported the lowest comp sales growth since 2020. I think this is far more indicative of consumer sentiment than any survey measuring intentions. Consumers are getting hammered with higher costs at every turn, from the gas pump to the cereal aisle. Throw in concerns about AI taking jobs and geopolitical events, and it shouldn’t surprise anyone that consumers are concerned, and that means one thing: tightening spending to essentials and must haves and deferring nice-to-haves. The consumer story is much bigger than just the Labor Day promotional cycle, but it’s an important signal and start of the critical Q4 selling season.
Expect retailers to take deeper than normal discounts on large summer equipment like grills and mowers in the northern stores to free up cash and avoid the typical cost of caring this inventory over the winter seasons.
“A consumer who picks groceries over a mattress on a sale weekend knows the mattress deal is there. They looked at it and decided their budget is better spent on something they need this week.”
Consumers also know that the mattress store will have another sale next week. Maybe even a better one.
The surveys will tells us what we want to find; take a number like “participate in sales”: should that be seen as a negative – “people are trying to save money” – or a positive – “people want to shop”??
I would say the “Current State of the American Consumer” is anxious: how well that is justified is open to debate (My personal $0.03 – inflation! – is that it’s more justifed as a long-term outlook than an immediate one)
When nearly half of consumers are prioritizing groceries on a traditionally promotional weekend, that says something about where household budgets are right now.
Two surveys, two consumer populations. RetailMeNot’s broad sample shows essentials crowding out discretionary. Vevor’s $75K-plus household survey shows meaningful DIY spend. Neither is wrong, but blending them into a single “American consumer” narrative obscures more than it reveals. The RetailMeNot data tells its own story: a $341 average spend that belongs to someone who planned to stock up, not splurge. Meanwhile, the $75K-plus cohort is budgeting $500 to $2,500 for home improvement. Same weekend but different economic reality. Retailers with a clear value proposition for either cohort will weather this. Those caught in between will feel the squeeze most.
I find it difficult to evaluate surverys without additional context. What did the same survey tell us last quarter or last year? How do these numbers correlate to recent Prime Day data? How do they correlate to debt and default rate data? And, oh my goodness, even TJX is slowing down…??? Am I the only one becoming more and more cautious, or does this survey say the same thing?
These surveys are useful for spotting trends, but shouldn’t be read as definitive consumer health indicators:
- RetailMeNot survey: Accurately captures deal-seeking consumer intent but overstates price sensitivity across the total population
- Vevor survey: Accurately captures affluent DIY interest but massively overstates the breadth of home improvement spending by excluding lower-income households
The genuine takeaway: American consumers are being cautious, prioritizing necessities, and remaining selective about discretion. But they’re not collapsing. The real story is trade-offs and triage, not crisis.
Retailers should prepare for a Labor Day where traffic is solid but basket composition is skewed toward value, essentials, and tactical deals—not a consumption boom.
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While never a beacon of consumerism, Labor Day does typically offer up some great end-of-season sales. Expect larger discounts from retailers this year, as they fight for share of shrinking wallets.
Surveys of this kind are very interesting – and we use them ourselves to help determine directions and sentiment. However, they are extremely poor at predicting actual behavior at a detailed level – mainly because no one has a full grasp of what they might do at some point in the future. What we can say, when looking at wider actual sales data, is that consumers have been prioritizing discounts on essentials all year – hence the reason Amazon really leaned into it this Prime Day. Bigger ticket purchases do still spike around events and occasions (like Labor Day) but the spikes are less pronounced and spending is more muted. All that said, the way the surveys are being framed is poor: this is not about a trade off between buying discounted Tide or a discounted freezer.
Walmart just reported the lowest comp sales growth since 2020. I think this is far more indicative of consumer sentiment than any survey measuring intentions. Consumers are getting hammered with higher costs at every turn, from the gas pump to the cereal aisle. Throw in concerns about AI taking jobs and geopolitical events, and it shouldn’t surprise anyone that consumers are concerned, and that means one thing: tightening spending to essentials and must haves and deferring nice-to-haves. The consumer story is much bigger than just the Labor Day promotional cycle, but it’s an important signal and start of the critical Q4 selling season.
Expect retailers to take deeper than normal discounts on large summer equipment like grills and mowers in the northern stores to free up cash and avoid the typical cost of caring this inventory over the winter seasons.
“A consumer who picks groceries over a mattress on a sale weekend knows the mattress deal is there. They looked at it and decided their budget is better spent on something they need this week.”
Consumers also know that the mattress store will have another sale next week. Maybe even a better one.
The surveys will tells us what we want to find; take a number like “participate in sales”: should that be seen as a negative – “people are trying to save money” – or a positive – “people want to shop”??
I would say the “Current State of the American Consumer” is anxious: how well that is justified is open to debate (My personal $0.03 – inflation! – is that it’s more justifed as a long-term outlook than an immediate one)
When nearly half of consumers are prioritizing groceries on a traditionally promotional weekend, that says something about where household budgets are right now.
Two surveys, two consumer populations. RetailMeNot’s broad sample shows essentials crowding out discretionary. Vevor’s $75K-plus household survey shows meaningful DIY spend. Neither is wrong, but blending them into a single “American consumer” narrative obscures more than it reveals. The RetailMeNot data tells its own story: a $341 average spend that belongs to someone who planned to stock up, not splurge. Meanwhile, the $75K-plus cohort is budgeting $500 to $2,500 for home improvement. Same weekend but different economic reality. Retailers with a clear value proposition for either cohort will weather this. Those caught in between will feel the squeeze most.
I find it difficult to evaluate surverys without additional context. What did the same survey tell us last quarter or last year? How do these numbers correlate to recent Prime Day data? How do they correlate to debt and default rate data? And, oh my goodness, even TJX is slowing down…??? Am I the only one becoming more and more cautious, or does this survey say the same thing?
These surveys are useful for spotting trends, but shouldn’t be read as definitive consumer health indicators:
The genuine takeaway: American consumers are being cautious, prioritizing necessities, and remaining selective about discretion. But they’re not collapsing. The real story is trade-offs and triage, not crisis.
Retailers should prepare for a Labor Day where traffic is solid but basket composition is skewed toward value, essentials, and tactical deals—not a consumption boom.