While most of the respondents said they would use stimulus money on essentials, one out of 20 people said they’d deploy the check for “non-essential shopping.” It’s not a huge figure but it’s better than zero, which is where many customers were only a couple of weeks ago.
- It is desperately needed to keep me from running out of money soon: 28 percent
- I could probably pay for the things I need without it, but I can now avoid using savings: 32 percent
- I would be OK without it, but this gives me more freedom without restricting my budget: 20 percent
- I would be fine without it, so I will just add it to my savings: 14 percent
- I would be fine without it, so I will use it to treat myself/spend it on something not essential: 5 percent
- None of these: 2 percent
In this below graph, you’ll see where the money might go. Grocery purchases still outrank restaurants. Yet a 9 percent jump off the bottom is worth latching onto.