These are the 13 Worst Supermarkets in America (Slideshow)

Well, if it's any consolation, Giant Eagle is the "least worst" on the list. Survey respondents are relatively satisfied with the quality of the Pittsburgh-based chain's perishables, and its cleanliness. But it's Giant Eagle's prices that give it a black eye. The store has a "reputation for having the highest prices across the board," one Facebook commenter writes. But how about those perishables? "It's no wonder their prices are high," writes another commenter, "because they have meat/fruit/veggies delivered to EVERY store EVERY day." Sometimes you just can't please all of the people all of the time.

Vons shoppers give the California chain a thumbs up for being clean, at least. But everything else about the store leaves survey respondents feeling lukewarm. One reviewer on Yelp writes of his local Vons that "I really like and recommend" it, for "the necessary evil that is grocery shopping." At #12 on the list of least favorite supermarkets, that kind of faint praise might be the best Vons can get.

Price Chopper is upstate New York's hometown, family-owned supermarket chain. But apparently local pride doesn't engender enough warm feelings to lift the store from near the bottom of this list. On the career community site Glassdoor, one Price Chopper employee writes, “great company, the job is just a little boring.” Apparently many survey respondents feel the same about shopping there.

Like Safeway-owned Vons, Safeway itself gets a small nod for cleanliness, but survey respondents are otherwise unimpressed. The chain is in the process of being swallowed up by the owners of Albertsons, which gives some customers hope. "I HATE giving Safeway my money," one Facebook commenter writes. "Maybe once the switch is made to Albertsons I'll come back." Maybe.

Food Lion is the C-student of supermarkets. Neither great, nor terrible - it's just okay. Survey respondents gave the Southern chain average marks across the board in categories including quality of service, perishables, prices and cleanliness. "If you're looking for a large produce section, good beer/wine variety, artisan cheeses, etc. then this is not the place for you," a Yelp reviewer writes. But Food Lion is decent enough "for the basics or a quick trip to get a necessity." That's good, right? Or bad? Or maybe just okay - like Food Lion itself.

New England's Stop & Shop gets okay reviews, except survey respondents aren't too impressed with its prices. "What happened to the everyday low pricing that was put in place last year?" one Facebook commenter wonders. "The inflated prices here are not worth the gas points," grumbles another. A Yelp reviewer summarizes, "I love food. Stop & Shop has food. Hence, 3 stars" out of 5. If the best you can say about a supermarket is that it has food, better keep the worst to yourself.

With promotions that were changed midstream (for the worse) when they proved too popular, and a "cart-to-car" service initiative that proved to be overly aggressive, Jewel-Osco has had more than its share of recent customer service missteps. And survey respondents weren't too pleased with the Chicago-area chain's prices, either. But there's hope. "We have been working to lower pricing throughout our stores," a Jewel-Osco spokesperson promises. Now let us help take your groceries to your car - or else.

If upstate New York shoppers don't like Price Chopper, they can always go to Tops. If they dare. Survey respondents were displeased with Tops' prices, and they singled out the store for frequently being out of advertised specials. "I have steadily watched the prices increase weekly and many items missing from the shelves," a Facebook commenter concurs. Apparently being "friendly" isn't everything.

Wisconsin's Pick 'n Save is even worse when it comes to out-of-stocks. Among shoppers at all stores, 13% complained that advertised specials were frequently not available. Among Pick 'n Save shoppers, that percentage skyrocketed to 32%. One Yelp reviewer discovered that the key is shopping on Saturdays, when employees are actually stocking the shelves (with "non-rotting produce".) "Pick-n-Save, you're no longer a rotting hole of disaster," the reviewer concludes. "You're only MOSTLY a rotting hole of disaster." Well, at least things are looking up.

ACME is a Philadelphia-area institution. So people who grew up shopping there, still do - for reasons they sometimes can't explain. "I don't remember why I came in," one Yelp reviewer writes, apparently while wandering the aisles, "but this ACME is ok." Another reviewer can't comprehend why she keeps coming back. "Between the employees that can't help you find anything and the produce that is well past expiration, I probably wouldn't shop here. But I do!"

Up til this point on the list, many stores did okay in service and cleanliness but not on prices. At Pathmark, it's the other way around. Survey respondents don't mind the prices so much as they do the mess and the surly employees. Leave it to trusty Yelp reviewers to speak the truth: "DMV customer service, and all the pleasures associated with jury duty"... "It doesn't matter what Pathmark you shop at, you have to expect chaos, long lines and unruly children running through the aisles"... "Trashiest grocery store in the universe." Now, now, Yelp reviewers, could Pathmark possibly be that bad?? "For those of you who can't believe the bad reviews, believe it." Okay, then.

Shaw's, the second worst supermarket in America? They're clean and friendly enough - but keep an eye on your receipt. Only 5% of all survey respondents said they had been overcharged at a supermarket in the past year, but the error rate was more than twice as high at Shaw's. And even when the prices are correct, they're not always appealing. Shaw's has been working to lower prices, but not enough for some Facebook commenters. One sees "prices going up on everything" and another gripes that the prices make him "feel like I am shopping in an airport or hotel gift shop for food."

And the worst place in America to buy groceries, according to this Consumer Reports survey? Are you surprised to see that it's Walmart? The love-it-or-hate-it, or hate-it-but-shop-there-anyway, retail giant gets the lowest marks on service, cleanliness and the quality of its perishables. More than half of respondents complained that Walmart never has enough open checkout lanes, and a quarter say some basic items are always out of stock. Still, Consumer Reports says Walmart is the preferred grocery destination for 28% of respondents, who are drawn to its low prices. Well, as they say, you get what you pay for!

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