Back-to-Office Mandates Spur 60% Jump in Weekend Grocery Shopping Habits

The back-to-the-office movement is proving to be a powerful catalyst for significant shifts in consumer purchasing behavior, impacting everything from daily meal choices to long-term spending patterns.

A recent report from PYMNTS Intelligence, titled “How People Pay: Consumer Spending Habits Change as Workers Return to the Office,” reveals that the widespread return of employees to physical workplaces is fundamentally reshaping how and when consumers spend their money.

The analysis, based on a survey of 2,098 U.S. consumers conducted from Jan. 14 to Jan. 25, highlights a dramatic pivot from pandemic-era remote work. As of early 2025, approximately 63% of individuals who previously worked remotely are now back in an office setting, contributing to a new norm where roughly 80% of employed consumers either work full-time in an office or in a hybrid arrangement. This marks a stark contrast to the peak of the pandemic when about 50% of employees labored from home.

The re-establishment of traditional work environments compels consumers who have transitioned back to the office to realign their daily routines, embracing commutes, fixed office hours and in-person social interactions. With time becoming a more constrained and valuable resource for these employees, the report specifically identifies pronounced shifts in how and when people shop for groceries, an increased reliance on quick-service restaurant lunches during weekdays and a rising adoption of convenience-driven retail subscriptions as a time-saving measure. These behavioral changes underscore the direct impact that evolving work models have on consumer spending, presenting new dynamics for businesses operating within the digital economy.

Key data points from the report include:

• The return to office dominance: The return to the office is now the prevailing work model. Approximately 80% of employed consumers currently work in-office or in a hybrid setting, a significant increase from the roughly 50% who worked remotely at the pandemic’s peak. This shift means 63% of former remote workers have been called back to a formal workplace.
• Shift in daily Lunch and grocery habits: Employees who have returned to the office are 60% more likely to conduct their grocery shopping on weekends compared to remote employees, with 42% of such workers now shopping on weekends versus 26% of remote workers. Concurrently, two-thirds of in-office workers are likely to purchase food from quick-service restaurants during weekdays, indicating office presence drives these purchases during time-limited lunch breaks.
• Surge in convenience-driven subscriptions: Back-to-office workers show a strong preference for time-saving, convenience-driven subscriptions. They are 1.8 times more likely than remote workers to subscribe to retail products, including food delivery and fashion services. A notable 75% of back-to-office consumers with food subscriptions signed up within the last six months, underscoring a recent and strong shift toward convenience-based meal planning.

Beyond these immediate shifts in daily spending and meal planning, the report also delves into demographic nuances of work arrangements, highlighting generational differences in employment patterns. It indicates that younger consumers, particularly Generation Z, are slightly more prone to hybrid jobs, while older, more senior employees, such as baby boomers, are more likely to work remotely. For instance, 68% of working Gen Z consumers perform their jobs in-office, whereas 24% of working baby boomers and seniors are fully remote.

These variations are attributed to factors such as specific job roles, company policies, or individual location choices. Furthermore, the findings strongly suggest a growing market opportunity for companies that can offer flexible subscription models tailored to accommodate these shifting work patterns and the increased demand for convenience among returning office workers, as consumer behaviors continue to evolve with the changing work landscape.

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