Unless you still prefer to do things the old-fashioned way and procure your goods from dozens of different stores, chances are you make the majority of your purchases at one of the United States' biggest retailers.
To date, the top five largest retailers in America are:
- Walmart: $534 billion U.S. sales
- Amazon: $250 billion U.S. sales
- Costco: $175 billion U.S. sales
- Kroger: $150 billion U.S. sales
- Home Depot: $140 billion U.S. sales
While the scale of these numbers may seem shocking, no retailer on the above list is particularly surprising.
In fact, with at least one Walmart location within 10 miles of 90% of the population, it's almost more surprising that Walmart is only double Amazon's share of U.S. sales.
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The ubiquitous nature of some of America's largest retailers makes shopping a breeze for the modern consumer. At least the top three of the above five retailers sell almost everything the average shopper needs for their daily lives. From diamonds to denim, booze to breakfast bars, televisions to toilet paper, these retailers have risen to success in part because they provide one-stop shopping.
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At one point in time, the average consumer may have had to make a handful of trips to procure their weekly necessities. Nowadays, however, the big guys have done enough consolidation to position themselves as they everything shop.
Popular retailers have a profit gold mine
Increasingly, one of the most profitable departments for some of the United States' biggest retailers has been the healthy food and living category.
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Supplements, for example, rose in popularity during and after COVID-19, as many Americans became interested in their wellness. Some of the most popular supplements, including Vitamin D, magnesium, and fish oil, have flown off the shelves in recent years, and companies have had to ramp up production to meet demand.
It's estimated that Amazon's health and personal care category brings in between $2.4-$3.8 billion each month, and Costco's health and wellness category has been called a primary driver of the store's growth.
Top brands prepare for major change
The boom of healthy products has been good for business. But sometimes, it can be hard to tell when you're looking at healthy food, for example, or whether you're just looking at some misleading packaging.
So the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is planning to change the rules on how a packaged food can market itself as healthy. Now, a food that dubs itself "healthy," must meet new nutrient criteria in order to use the term.
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According to the FDA, to be able to sell itself as healthy under the new guidelines, a food must:
- Contain a certain amount of food from at least one of the food groups or subgroups (such as fruit, vegetables, grains, fat-free and low-fat dairy and protein foods) recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and
- Meet specific limits for added sugars, saturated fat and sodium.
Some foods that will automatically qualify to be sold as "healthy" include:
- water
- vegetables
- fruits
- whole grains
- avocados
- nuts and seeds
- higher-fat fish, such as salmon
- olive oil
Foods that may not automatically qualify to use the phrase are:
- fortified white bread
- highly sweetened yogurt
- highly sweetened cereal
Retailers and food companies will have three years to change their packaging to ensure it complies with the new FDA guidelines. If they fail to meet the requirements within that time, they may face sanctions.
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