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Pollsters Are Running Out Of Ideas, So Now We Know Where Voters Shop

The list of top businesses visited by voters probably won't surprise you.
Posted at 4:54 PM, Jun 16, 2016
and last updated 2016-06-17 04:28:15-04

This election season seems to be poll after poll, survey after survey. Now that we've narrowed the race down to two presumptive nominees, the attention is turning to those nominees' supporters. The latest topic of interest? Shopping habits.

Marketing website Placed analyzed the purchasing habits of nearly 2 million people to determine the top 10 businesses Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump supporters visited most. 

But it's important to note the company's methodology. The company assigned people to a presidential candidate based on the county they lived in. If their county voted Republican, they were put in Trump's camp. If their county voted Democrat, they were considered a Clinton supporter. 

On the Clinton supporters' list: Citibank, ShopRite, TD Bank, White Castle, Wawa, Whole Foods Market, Stop and Shop, Sunoco, BJ's Wholesale Club and Dunkin' Donuts.

There are three convenience stores on that list, and many of the locations for each company are on the East Coast. One of the two grocery stores is only in the Northeast. And the wholesale club is also primarily on the East Coast.

On the Trump supporters' list: Sheetz, Kangaroo Express, Hardee's, Food Lion, Dollar General, Cracker Barrel, Waffle House, Pilot, Circle K and Publix.

Of those three convenience stores, one has locations in nearly every state, and the other two are more common in the southern half of the country. And the grocery store, Publix, is in the southeastern U.S.

One common thread between both candidates: grocery stores and convenience stores. Because everybody's got to eat, and everybody needs gas.

This video includes images from Getty Images, Mike Mozart / CC by 2.0Whole Foods Market and Brian Hart / CC BY SA 2.0.