Walmart is the winner! No, it’s not at the top of the latest list of shoppers’ favorite grocery stores. But by climbing out of the cellar, barely, Walmart has managed to win by no longer losing.
The American Customer Satisfaction Index has released its newest annual ranking of American grocery chains. Each year for more than 30 years, shoppers have been asked to evaluate their recent experiences at their local grocery stores and rate the retailers on a scale of 1-100.
For most stores in the survey, no news could be good news. After a surge in shopper satisfaction last year, the latest survey finds that shopper sentiment toward their neighborhood grocery stores is holding relatively steady. So in some ways, not much has changed, which is good. It’s certainly better than it was a few years ago, when satisfaction with grocery stores plunged after Covid and the grocery inflation that followed.
Satisfaction bounced back last year. And this year, the average grocery store earned a rating of 79 out of 100, the very same as last year. Only a handful of individual grocery chains rose or fell in the rankings, while the vast majority stayed the same.
But “the same” may not necessarily be good enough. “While customer satisfaction is steady overall for supermarkets, the customer experience shows some deterioration,” the ACSI report noted. When shoppers were asked to rate their satisfaction with specific store attributes, like convenience, quality, cleanliness and speed, nearly all were rated slightly lower than last year. None were higher. A particular “industry pain point,” according to ACSI, is “the frequency of promotions,” which slipped a point to 79.
And with grocery prices still elevated, promotions are an attribute that cannot be overlooked. In fact, the stores that fared the best in the ACSI rankings “benefit from customer perceptions of the ongoing or improving strength of their promotions.”
Here now are the grocery stores that fared the best – and the worst – in the ACSI’s latest annual ratings:
1. Trader Joe’s/Publix (tie, 84)
All three grocery stores that shared first place last year slipped in this year’s rankings. While two of the three are no longer in first place, Publix only slipped by a single point, to 84, which wasn’t enough to lose its top ranking. At the same time, Trader Joe’s previous rating of 84 hasn’t budged. So consistency worked in its favor this year, as that helped place it in the top spot alongside Publix. That, however, is in marked contrast to what a recent dunnhumby survey found, ranking Trader Joe’s a respectable but far from best number eight, for offering good quality products but “being about average at savings,” when savings are what shoppers are really looking for these days.
3. Wegmans/Sam’s Club (tie, 83)
Whether you’re buying for the week, or buying in bulk, there’s something for everyone in this next position on the list. The more traditional grocer Wegmans improved slightly, while club store Sam’s stayed the same. So they ended up tied, even though their offerings are very different. A recent Market Force Information survey rated Wegmans tops in customer satisfaction, while Sam’s was among the “most trusted.” So both appear to be doing something right.
5. Whole Foods/H-E-B (tie, 82)
Whole Foods’ rating hasn’t changed. But H-E-B’s has, and pretty dramatically. It shared the number-one position last year, but has slipped three points since then. The ACSI rating for H-E-B appears to be something of an outlier, though, as other surveys are much kinder to the Texas favorite. It topped dunnhumby’s recent rankings, thanks to its “superior ability to deliver a combination of better savings, quality, shopping experience and assortment.” Shoppers who responded to the ACSI’s survey were somehow less impressed.
7. Costco/ALDI (tie, 81)
After H-E-B, an even bigger fall from grace is Costco. The club store chain was the third member of the top trio last year, but this year it fell four points to tie with ALDI, which held steady with a score of 81. In some ways, the two couldn’t be more different, with Costco’s bulk-sized selection contrasting with ALDI’s smaller, no-frills offerings. But whether you like to spend more to save later, or spend less to save now, each store’s unique spin on savings is what keeps their fans coming back.
9. Target/ShopRite (tie, 80)
Target dropped a couple of points to find itself in a tie with ShopRite this year. In both cases, their middling performance might come as something of a surprise, considering how much shoppers are looking for savings. ShopRite has always been promotional, and Target has been stepping up its promotional efforts this past year, lowering prices on thousands of items and reporting a strong response to promotions. It could be that shoppers seeking out promotions are simply seeking better ones.
11. Meijer/”All others” (tie, 79)
Dropping one point since last year, Meijer finds itself in the undistinguished position of being perfectly average. “All others” encompasses every other grocery chain not otherwise mentioned by name in the survey. They’re not great, they’re not terrible; they could be better, but they could be worse. “Average” may not be ideal, but compared to the stores further down this list, average may not be so bad.
13. Kroger/Hy-Vee/Ahold Delhaize (tie, 78)
Kroger and Ahold Delhaize-owned stores like Stop & Shop and Hannaford gained a point, while Hy-Vee stayed put at 78. But 78 isn’t enough to get these three out of the “below average” category. That said, Kroger and Ahold Delhaize were two of only four grocery chains to improve over last year (Wegmans and Walmart were the others), which the ACSI attributes to “improvements in both quality and value.” A bit more improvement in the year ahead, and they may finally do better than below average.
16. BJ’s Wholesale Club (77)
BJ’s was in the upper half of the survey last year, tied with Wegmans, Whole Foods and Target. But now those three have left their one-time counterpart in the dust. BJ’s suffered the largest satisfaction slide in the entire survey this year, plummeting five points. Club store shoppers looking for value are apparently looking for it somewhere else.
17. Albertsons (76)
If only that merger with Kroger had gone through, Albertsons stores may have seen some improvement. The below-average rating of 78 that Kroger received may seem like a low mark to strive for, but that’s the rating Albertsons got last year. This year, it slipped two points to fall further into the below-average category. Now, if Albertsons wants to impress its customers, it’s going to have to do so all by itself.
18. Walmart/Save A Lot (tie, 75)
A one-point improvement for Walmart, moving it into a tie with Save A Lot, is more impressive than it sounds. Walmart was dead last on the ACSI list for an astounding nineteen years. This year, it’s surged into second-worst place! That means…
20. Giant Eagle (74)
…there’s a new “winner” when it comes to the grocery chain that leaves its customers least satisfied. Giant Eagle fell two points to find itself sitting solo, where Walmart used to reside. In school, a score of 74 would still be a passing grade. In the ACSI rankings, it’s enough to get you sent to the principal’s office.
Prices and promotions are still important to most of us. But there’s more to it than that, when it comes to satisfying shoppers. “Moving forward,” the ACSI predicts, “supermarkets that prioritize efficiency and customer service will be best positioned to combat large-scale economic changes and attain high levels of customer satisfaction.”
Walmart may not be there quite yet. But after two decades at the very bottom, unless things go particularly bad for it this coming year, it has nowhere to go but up.
Image source: Dennis Sylvester Hurd
“Reverend” Al Sharpstein has made Costco radioactive to American patriots. I canceled my membership when that grifter showed up their to support Costco’s racist DEI policies. So did everybody I know I can only imagine how many thousands did the same. Go woke go broke.