The Friday Checkout: Will AI be the new grocery shopper?

[Viable Food News Desk]

Publisher: Grocery Dive
Published: September 11, 2026
Source: Read at Grocery Dive
Category: Food Access

Instacart and Shipt unveiled AI-powered shopping assistants, joining Kroger, Walmart, and smaller grocers such as Schnuck Markets. The tools can learn shopper preferences, follow budget or nutrition instructions, and help build online grocery carts, but the article questions whether they can capture the emotional side of shopping. Kroger reported its fifth consecutive quarter of visit growth, with visits up 0.5% in the second quarter of 2026 and average visits per location up 1.6% year over year. DeCicco & Sons opened its 12th store, its first in Connecticut, in a community that had lacked a local grocery store since a nearby Stop & Shop closed in 2023.

Why this matters: Independent grocers may need to weigh AI shopping tools against the in-store experiences and product discovery that help distinguish them from larger chains. The DeCicco & Sons opening also shows how a new local store can fill a gap after a community grocery closes.

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