Video: Grocery Stores See Big Spike In Meat Sales For Labor Day Holiday

TUPELO, MISS. (WCBI) – For Gary Marshall, a trip to Todd’s Big Star marks the official start of the Labor Day Weekend. And for this shopping excursion, Marshall was on a mission.

“I’m shopping for ribs, I’m trying to find a good price on pork ribs, my family likes barbecue,” Marshall said.

The New Albany resident is part of an estimated 74 percent of Americans who plan some sort of cook out over Labor Day weekend.

Many of those cookouts will include barbecue pork, ribs, chicken or burgers. Bob Knight is owner of Todd’s Big Star. He has been in business at the current location since 1991 and says the Labor Day weekend always means big business for the Butcher Shop.

“Anytime we have a holiday, it does spike because people do like to grill out and they do hopefully come to Todd’s to get their grilling out items but anytime we have a holiday you can really see a spike in the meat sales,” Knight said.

Knight says many of his customers are regulars, who want their meat cut a certain way. For those who don’t want to cook or grill out, Todd’s has that taken care of through their deli.

Still, for those determined to fire up the grill, Knight says pork is popular.

“The pork is really a good item to grill and it’s also a good item that’s also pretty economical right now,” Knight said.

For customers like Gary Marshall, Labor Day wouldn’t be complete with out a cookout.

“I believe it’s just a regular old Southern tradition that’s known for everybody barbecuing on Labor Day. I know it’s been that way for my family for years and when I was growing up as a kid and we are just trying to maintain that tradition,” Marshall said.

And if you forget something for your Labor Day cookout, Todd’s Big Star, along with most stores, are opened for the holiday.