When we head to the grocery store, we expect fresh meat and produce, friendly service and a good deal. Those are the basics most shoppers value.
Customer satisfaction rankings for supermarkets shift depending on the survey you consult. Some studies crown one chain as the leader, while others place it further down the list.
A recent poll puts Kroger at the top. Kroger! That’s a surprise compared with results from other evaluations.
Morning Consult, a public-opinion research firm, surveyed nearly 200,000 consumers about 500 major U.S. brands.
When it came to supermarkets, 53% of respondents had a favorable opinion of Kroger. Whole Foods came in second at 48%, with Safeway at 40%. Regional players Albertsons and Publix each drew 33% favorable ratings.
If you’re curious whether these stores live up to the hype, keep reading for our tips on saving while shopping. Below are money-saving strategies for Kroger, Whole Foods and Publix.
No matter which market you choose, don’t overlook our advice and resources to cut your grocery bill.
Which Grocery Store Is Best? It Depends on the Poll
Per this latest study, Kroger ranks highest. Hooray for Kroger! But as noted, other surveys tell different stories.
For example, the American Customer Satisfaction Index publishes an annual, detailed report on grocery-store satisfaction. Its most recent top scorers were Trader Joe’s, Publix, Aldi, H-E-B, Wegmans and Whole Foods, listed in that sequence.
Kroger landed roughly in the middle of that ranking.
At the opposite end: Walmart.
Walmart also placed last in Consumer Reports’ supermarket ratings. That survey asked readers to evaluate chains on freshness, variety, cleanliness, customer service and pricing.
Indeed, Walmart frequently scores lowest for customer satisfaction among grocery retailers, even though it remains the place where the most Americans purchase groceries.
Time magazine explains why Walmart has become the go-to grocery destination for many: “For a large portion of shoppers, price simply trumps all when it comes to groceries.”
If price is your main concern and you shop at Walmart to keep costs down, here are suggestions to trim your spending even further there.
Brandon Hale ([email protected]) is a senior writer at Savinly. Full disclosure: He shops at Aldi, Publix, Winn-Dixie or Walmart depending on his family’s needs and the current sales.
