Although cheaper than a courtside ticket, at-home NBA watching still runs up a hefty price tag when accounting for paying for snacks. The average game time snack basket is $33.45 nationwide, with some notable outliers.
That cost increased to $44.16 for New Yorkers, per a recent report from Action Network. The platform developed a basket of game-day essentials to accompany NBA viewing, then analyzed it across all major domestic markets.
Composed of a 6-pack of beer, potato chips, tortilla chips, and a jar of salsa, the service analyzed and averaged data across Walmart, Target, Costco, Aldi, Kroger, H-E-B, Safeway, Publix, and Food Lion.
Other expensive cities included Houston, Indianapolis, Dallas, and Milwaukee, all of which hovered between $39-$44 for the basket.
On the other end of the spectrum, the cities lower on the list didn’t even break the $30 mark for the benchmark. They are as follows.
Additional report findings suggest that where you shop can matter just as much as who you’re rooting for, from a cost perspective.
In general, ALDI offered the cheapest beer ($0.08/oz), Food Lion had the cheapest potato chips ($0.40/oz), H-E-B carried the cheapest salsa ($0.14/oz) and Costco and ALDI competed on the cheapest tortilla chips$0.35-$0.38/oz).
Beer proved to be the most expensive item in the basket, especially considering the reduced competition from major retailers, as licenses prevent grocers from merchandizing alcohol, depending on state legislation.
From a pure cost perspective, adding multiple retailers to the same grocery run proved to be the most cost-effective way to prepare for game day, accounting for between $10-$15 in savings depending on retailer choice and item selection.
It’s no surprise that, in the current market, the 87% of modern consumers are changing how they shop to save money. On average, households already shop three or more channels on their weekly grocery run.
Some tips for NBA watchers from the report include:
- Neighborhood markets may offer cheaper selections on a per-item basis, depending on promotion schedule,
- Premium and specialty products area surefire way to drive up costs, but they can be worth it, especially when trading down in other categories.
The report hints at many macro forces shaping consumer behavior. More information on the state of today’s consumer can be downloaded here.
The Food Institute Podcast
This Episode is Sponsored by: City National Bank
John Linehan, president of Irresistible Foods Group, explains how organizational charts are being supplanted in the Capability Era and how a new vision of leadership is growing within the food and beverage industry in this episode guest hosted by City National Bank’s Shahe Kassardjian.
