- Consumers are feeling the squeeze from economic uncertainty and are turning more to financing essential purchases like groceries. An April survey from Lending Tree shows an increase in Americans using buy-now, pay-later services for groceries—25% this year compared to 14% in 2024.
More Americans are taking advantage of financing options for essential purchases, the latest sign of mounting concern over the health of the economy. Consumers have increasingly turned to buy-now, pay-later (BNPL) services for groceries, according to data released by lending marketplace Lending Tree—and more of those shoppers are paying back those loans late.
