NCP Spotlight: Panel Members in Maine

Maine was the 23rd state to join the union on March 15, 1820. Augusta is the state capital and its largest city is Portland. Maine is the 39th largest state in the U.S.; it’s bordered by New Hampshire to the west and the Canadian provinces of Quebec and New Brunswick to the northwest and northeast. The Atlantic Ocean is to the east and south of Maine.

According to the US Census Bureau, the estimated population of Maine is 1,395,722 (July 2023 est.); it ranks as the 41st most populous state.

Official Maine State Facts and Symbols

Every state has their own unique symbols, from birds to flowers to songs and more! Here are some of Maine’s official state symbols:

Nickname: Pine Tree State
State Animal: Moose
State Bird: Black-Capped Chickadee
State Flower: White Pine Cone and Tassel
State Tree: Eastern White Pine
State Song: State of Maine Song
State Motto: “Dirigo” (I direct)

Find more information about Maine’s state symbols/facts here.

Fun Facts about Maine

There are many interesting facts about Maine. Here are just a few.

Maine is the largest lobster producing state in the nation. In 2023, the total catch of lobsters was 93.7 million pounds.

Author Stephen King was born in Maine, and his hometown of Bangor was the model for many of the towns in his scary stories.

Because of its rocky coastline, Maine is famous for lighthouses, it has over 60 of them. The oldest lighthouse in Maine is the Portland Head Light in Cape Elizabeth.

Maine is the largest state in New England and the only state in the continental United States to share a border with only one other state (New Hampshire).

Maine has over 4,000 offshore islands.

Maine has over 32,000 miles of rivers and streams and over 6,000 lakes and ponds.

Maine is the largest producer of wild blueberries in the world.

NCP Panel Members in Maine

Let’s learn about your fellow panel members in Maine! Here’s how our Maine panel members answered some of our state highlight survey questions.

How long have you been a panel member?
24% of survey respondents have been panel members for 15 years or more
15% have been panel members for less than a year

How long have you lived in your current state?
44% of respondents have lived in Maine their entire life/were born there

Is the area you live rural, suburban, or urban?
59% live in rural areas
35% live in suburban areas
6% live in urban areas

Do you have children?
63% of respondents have children
Of those, 17% have children living in their home

Shopping Habits of NCP Panel Members in Maine

We asked panel members questions about how, when, and where they shop, along with some other questions about their shopping habits. Do you think peoples’ shopping habits differ based on where they live?

Here’s what our panel members in Maine had to say about their shopping habits:

When asked how they do most of their shopping, 72% of respondents said they do a combo of online and in-store shopping. 25% said they shop in-store only and 3% said they shop online only.

65% of respondents tend to shop at the same stores vs. 35% who said they shop at a variety of stores.
72% of respondents said they mostly stick to their list when shopping, but sometimes make impulse purchases.
71% of respondents said they shop alone, with another 14% shopping with a spouse or partner.

When it comes to choosing where to shop, 43% of the Maine panel members who responded said they primarily shop at grocery stores and 39% at mass-merchandise retailers.

Price, location, and convenience are the top factors that influence where they decide to shop. Most of our Maine panel members said they shop 2-3 times a week for groceries and do most of their shopping on Saturdays.

About 86% of survey respondents look for ways to save money while shopping, with digital coupons and joining a store’s loyalty program being the most popular options. They also use paper coupons, shop at multiple stores, use the store sales flyer to plan their list, and subscribe to store emails.

Convenience while shopping

Here’s what Maine panel members had to say about different aspects of shopping:

58% never order groceries online to pick up at the store, while 32% sometimes do.
64% never order groceries online to be delivered, while 29% sometimes do.

When asked if weather influenced their choice between online and in-person shopping, 36% of respondents said weather doesn’t impact their decision, with 28% saying they prefer in-person shopping regardless of the weather.

When asked about self-checkout, 26% of respondents said they always use self-checkout, 43% indicated they frequently use it. 19% of respondents said they rarely use it, and 12% said they never use it.

Interests of NCP panel members in Maine

When asked about the outdoors, 43% said they occasionally participate in outdoor recreational activities. The most popular activities were hiking/walking, cycling, canoeing/kayaking/boating, and swimming. Of the other interests panel members wrote in, the most popular were fishing and snowshoeing.

When asked which sports or events they follow, the top responses were football, baseball, basketball and ice hockey.

We also asked what type of place or tourist attraction would they recommend to people visiting their state/hometown. The most popular responses were beaches/coastal areas, natural parks and reserves, restaurants/culinary places and local markets, and outdoor and recreational activities.

When asked what specific place or tourist attraction they would recommend in their state/hometown, here are some of the top recommendations:

Acadia National Park
Bar Harbor
Moosehead Lake
Stephen King’s House (Bangor)
Lighthouses
Beaches

We hope you learned something new about Maine! How do your shopping habits compare to panel members in Maine?

Stay tuned for the next state spotlight on…Maryland!

Join NCP!

If you’re not a NCP panel member and you’re interested in joining NCP to share your shopping experiences, earn great rewards, and influence what you see on store shelves, click here or go to the Join NCP section of the blog for more information.

Regards,

Taylor

More From NCP:

Click here for all the Spotlight on States blogs.

Blog comment reminder: If you have a panel-related issue that you need assistance with such as a problem with scanning or your rewards, please contact our Panel Support Center directly and they will be happy to assist you! You can reach them at 1-800-962-6700 or email them at [email protected]. You can send a message from NCP’s Facebook page. Please don’t enter panel-related issues or share any personal panel membership information in the blog comment section. Any issues will be addressed faster if you contact our support center directly. Thank you so much!