Out-of-stock products are hitting shoppers hard and causing frustrations, according to new research from gStore, a division of GreyOrange, the AI-powered warehouse and inventory software provider.
In the report, titled “Eye on Inventory Report: Shopper Edition,” researchers said retail inventory issues “continue to disturb shopping trips even after last year’s tariff turmoil.” Researchers polled more than 1,000 consumers in the U.S. in June: adults who had shopped in a fashion, general merchandise or a specialty store in the last 90 days.
The data showed that 78 percent of respondents said they have tried to buy in-store items that were sold-out or sold in limited quantities, while 57 percent said they’ve found that items marked as “available” online were actually out of stock in stores. And 18 percent of shoppers who needed a store associate’s assistance to find an item “report that employees couldn’t easily locate items within the store, either taking several minutes or failing to locate them entirely.”
These inventory issues are taking a toll on consumers.
“Forty-three percent say they’d shop in-person more frequently if inventory issues (e.g., frequent out-of-stocks, trouble finding items, discrepancies between online and in-store availability, etc.) were less common,” the report’s authors said, adding that 53 percent of those polled said they have “changed their habits specifically because of these issues, including 22 percent who now comparisobn shop online more often to check availability, 21 percent who confirm stock via a retailer’s mobile app or website before heading out, and 10 percent who avoid shopping in-person at certain retailers altogether.”
But the frustration doesn’t end there. The data showed that 37 percent of those polled said a retailer’s omnichannel operations such as on-demand delivery and curbside pickup have inconvenienced them. Eighteen percent of respondents experienced longer wait times at shared checkout lines, while 17 percent said store associates were unable to help them because they were tied up processing omnichannel orders.
In addition, 15 percent of those polled said on-demand delivery workers were physically in their way while shopping, which made it harder to navigate the store. “In response to those who were inconvenienced by a retailer’s omnichannel operations, 28 percent started avoiding certain stores where omnichannel operations make for a chaotic or overwhelming shopping experience, and 23 percent have scheduled their visits to avoid days or times when a retailer is particularly slammed with omnichannel orders.”
Akash Gupta, CEO of GreyOrange, said consumers want to leave the store with what they came in for, without having to struggle. “But right now they’re doing a lot of work before they even get inside, like checking product availability and planning their trips around a retailer’s own chaos. If retailers want to increase in-store revenue streams, fixing their foundational inventory and omnichannel operational problems should go a long way.”
The survey also revealed the impact of retail labor shortages. In GreyOrange’s prior inventory report in July of last year, researchers found that 51 percent of retail store managers had reduced their workforce. In the recent consumer survey, 42 percent of shoppers polled said they have struggled to find store associates available for assistance about once a month or more often in the prior 90 days. And 28 percent of those polled listed “rude, unavailable or uninformed store associates” as a top-five deterrent to in-person shopping.
“When retailers are short-staffed, declining service standards are usually the first thing customers notice. If hiring isn’t an option, investing in fast and functional in-store mobile apps can divert the burden of service away from overloaded staff,” Gupta explained. “Tools that show associates exactly where inventory is within the store can also give them time back. The associate spending ten minutes hunting for an item in the back isn’t assisting the customer out front.”
Other key takeaways include that tariffs continue to shape consumer spending. “The 2025 Eye on Inventory survey suggested that consumers were cutting back on spending because of tariffs,” the reporter’s authors said, adding that its 2026 survey “reveals they’re still modifying their behavior, nearly a year later.”
The survey showed that 45 percent of consumer polled said they’ve changed their in-person shopping habits “due to the import tariffs imposed since April 2025.” Twenty-two percent of respondents said they were tracking prices and sales more frequently to offset tariff-driven price increases, while 14 percent said they were shopping more at retailers who don’t pass the extra costs onto customers. Thirteen percent of consumers polled said they were delaying major purchases because they anticipate prices to drop soon.
When examining demographics, the researchers found that Generation X and millennial parents “are consistently more reactive to inventory issues and more engaged with retail technology.” When compared to their childless counterparts, Gen X and millennial parents are more likely to shop in-person more often if inventory issues improved.
“Gen X and millennial parents don’t have the patience for an unsatisfying shopping trip,” said Gupta. “They’re nostalgic for the elevated shopping experiences that defined their own teenage years. They’re managing their own expectations on top of their kids’ agendas and attention spans. If they can’t find what they’re looking for, they pull out their phones and check other stores.”
