Extreme weather events, food shopping behavior, and card spending

Abstract

We examine the impact of Hurricane Ian on food retail sales and consumer spending behavior in Florida. We show how shopping patterns evolved before and during the hurricane across 10 food and beverage categories, with significant stockpiling for commercially prepared foods, beverages, and meats/eggs/nuts categories. Using debit card data, we show that card spending peaked at general retail stores 5 days before the hurricane and then shifted to convenience and grocery stores. Our findings highlight the need for better stockpiling guidelines and supply chain solutions during extreme weather events, which are expected to increase due to climate change.