What to Know
- Consumer Reports' annual ranking of the best and worst grocery stores in America is out; more than 75,000 subscribers weighed in
- Trader Joe's was the only national chain to earn a top overall satisfaction score; five regional chains also had high satisfaction
- Subscribers reported their single most important reason for shopping at one grocer over another was price
Consumer Reports has released its latest supermarket report, which ranks America's top grocery stores. The findings are based on a survey of more than 75,000 Consumer Reports subscribers.
Trader Joe's was the only national chain to earn Consumer Reports' top overall satisfaction score, which incorporates factors such as cleanliness, price, food quality and variety checkout speed, healthy options and other indicators.
Five regional chains also shared top marks for overall customer satisfaction: Wegmans, Market Basket, Texas-based Central Market, Heinen's (Ohio and Chicago) and Gelson's Markets (SoCal).
Subscribers reported their single most important reason for shopping at one grocer over another was price -- and Trader Joe's, along with Market Basket, earned top honors in that category this year.
Price wasn't a total deal-breaker, though. Some said they were willing to spend more money for fresher, higher quality food.
What about tri-state favorite Whole Foods, you ask? The Consumer Reports study found it was ranked favorably in virtually every category, particularly for meat and poultry quality, but overall, it got an average score for overall satisfaction. According to Consumer Reports, that's because its prices are perceived to be too high.
Other chains with top pricing marks include Costco, Fareway, Lidl, Aldi and Winco, among others.
Read more about Consumer Reports' methodology here. If you're a subscriber you can also see breakdowns of the top grocery stores in the Northeast.
