What Wal-Mart Knows About You

Sept. 13, 2007 — -- America's largest retailer may also be one of its most accurate barometers -- telling us what we eat, drink, listen to and wear.

Each year some 208 million Americans shop at Wal-Mart. To put that figure into perspective, that's double the number of people who turned out to vote in the last presidential election. Think the Super Bowl gets a lot of attention? Only 93 million tuned in to last year's top sports event.

In all, 90 percent of the American population turns to Wal-Mart at some point for everything from food and clothing to pet, home and entertainment needs, making Wal-Mart a good indicator of who we are as a society.

You've heard the saying, you are what you eat. But did you know what you eat is largely dependant on where you live?

Odds are if you're waking up in the Northeast this morning, you're toasting a bagel right now. If you're in Austin, Texas, you're opting for a doughnut. While most Americans buy white eggs, Northeasterners prefer them brown.

John Fleming, Wal-Mart's executive vice president and chief merchandising officer, said it should be no surprise that Wal-Mart reflects who we are as a nation.

"The Wal-Mart shopper is really everybody in America. We have 138 million customers who shop in our store every week," Fleming said.

So what products are you likely to see in a shopping cart today?

A lot of frozen foods. As the work day grows longer and more women enter the work force, Americans' time to prepare their meals is all but gone.

Wal-Mart says frozen pizza sales have increased 12 times in the past 10 years. But frozen food no longer has to mean bad for you.

America is a nation that's increasingly health conscious, and that's reflected in the products lining the frozen food aisles in Wal-Mart stores across the nation.

Sales of steamable vegetables and readymade, low-fat meals are on the rise. When it comes to fruit and vegetables, we prefer ours fresh.

The No. 1 selling item in the entire store may surprise you --