Butcher shops say people are buying more meat in bulk to combat higher costs

INDIANAPOLIS — As inflation rates continue to rise, Hoosiers are looking for different ways to save and many have turned to bulk buying everything from toilet paper to the meat to fill their freezer.

Local butcher and meat shops say they've seen a significant increase in people buying in bulk.

At The Meat Shop in Indianapolis, managers say their bundles sales have increased by at least 30%.

"Most customers are going to buy like two or three larger bundles at a time so they don't have to keep running out and restocking every month,” Emily Miller The Manager of The Meat Shop said. “They just do a giant order at once."

Miller has been the manager of The Meat Shop for 10 years.

The shop offers 26 different bundle options, something she says is more popular now than ever before. Especially as her wholesale prices are all over the place.

“They fluctuate every week, every day pretty much,” Miller said. Whenever I get a truck, I have to check my prices because they will jump. I think last week they jumped like 23 percent and this week they're down 7%, so it changes daily."

Demetrius Baxter isn't just stocking up because of inflation - as a regular customer of the Meat Shop, he says he has been buying in bulk for years because it helps him save money in the long run.

"You can always go out and buy stuff singular but when you can come get it in bulk it seems to be a little cheaper and you can save a little in your pockets,” Baxter said. “So that's why I do it."

Those stockpiling habits are something one marketing researcher from Indiana University says can help the economy.

"In the long run if a consumer anticipates inflation coming up, consumers buy more to save for the future,” Krista Li an Associate Professor of Marketing at Indiana University said. “Future demand will go down and that will help to fight inflation because people will buy less in the future that will reduce demand and future prices."

Even though the business side of things for The Meat Shop has been impacted by inflation, the shop says they are doing their best to make bulk buying an affordable option for their customers.

"I do monthly bundles that change every month to reflect our pricing just,” Miller said. “Just trying to serve the people instead of just making a bunch of money. "

The Meat Shop says that they do have a hard time getting certain items in like alligator — which they say is popular as well as filets. They say several other meat shops are also seeing more customers buy entire cows.