LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — The grocery store parking lots filled up with traffic Sunday afternoon as people bustled in and out to do some last-minute shopping for their Super Bowl gatherings.
Some people hosted parties, others just needed to grab an item or two to bring to a friend’s house. The parties may range from a large gathering with tons of friends to a smaller group consisting of a few family members. That was the plan for one shopper, Felecia LaPrell-Leach.
“No big super bowl party,” she said. “Just at home with my parents, my husband, and my brother, we'll just watch the Super Bowl and eat some good stuff. Hamburger sliders and some wings, some little finger foods, stuff like that.”
For game watchers across the country, market research firm Circana estimates Super Bowl fans spent around $43 on food and beverages this year, up from $35 in 2023. Did this number come from price increases or just from buying more food than usual?
“I was wondering what the heck was going on,” shopper Leslie Seawright said, “because just a few minutes ago, I was saying everything seems to be more expensive than usual.”
"Everything is more expensive,” another shopper, Sheri Estill, said. “I think that's why when people hold parties they ask everybody to bring something to help out.”
Felecia LaPrell-Leach held a different opinion.
“I know at Sam's the wings, which they were sold out, they were on sale, so I guess everybody grabbed them, so yesterday they had none. But no, I haven't seen a big hike in prices or anything like that.”
Research from Wells Fargo shows the price of chicken wings and bottled sodas has decreased. However, beef, chips, dips, and canned sodas have gone up in price. Beer prices stayed relatively flat.
Even so, friends and families did not let price determine their snack consumption during the big game.
