Consumer Reports Latest Supermarket Rankings

[rwsandiego]

Brand perception is different than the perception of produce quality, so it's not just "I feel like King Soopers is better than Ralphs". In terms of sample sizes, that is true, and it is somewhat accurate. I think most of us would agree that Publix is superior to Safeway overall, but even that's going to be a bit skewed since neither store directly competes (for statistical purposes, Florida would be excluded) and they didn't in 2014 anyway, where Publix ranked 2 and Safeway ranked 58. And where stores do directly compete they tend to cluster together...why are the Northeastern grocers rank so poorly, and if they really are that bad (doubtful), then is Wegmans unremarkable and bland but only "good" because it's miles better in comparison. But that's not true, either. I also doubt that Bostonians have particularly terrible grocery stores (in 2014, Shaw's ranked 64 and Stop & Shop ranked 60). And why do the usual suspects get the same ranking (+/- a few places, depending on new and deleted entries) year after year, anyway?

There are general trends on what stores are better but everything here is largely either "deserves better" or "too much credit".

Brand Perception is a very broad term. However, negative brand perception can start with a retailer at the door. Any portion of activity in a store can result in negative brand perception. Walmart has a negative brand perception in their grocery section. In general. While this has been going on since the 90's, it still exists. Albertsons has negative brand perception on pricing. Publix has some. HEB has some. All brands have some negative perception.

If you don't live in a particular area, you really can't judge the brand perception. I don't live in Texas any longer, so I don't judge HEB. I don't live in Florida, so I don't judge Publix. I don't live in New England, so I can't judge Star Market. I haven't lived in Illinois in 43 years, so I can't judge Jewel-Osco. Any time you step into a store outside your particular area, you judge them against your area. Certainly, if I were shopping at Jewel-Osco and it didn't meet the standards of a Rouses (like I have here), I would rate it lower. That's where these ratings come from!!! Chicagoans FLOCK to Jewel like the plague. Most of Florida swears by Publix. Star Markets continues to operate in New England. 70% of Texas only buys from HEB. Why? Because the local brand perception is better.

Thank you for posting this - you said what I have been trying to articulate for days. The first time I shopped at a Publix I thought "THIS is what Floridians flock to? These poor people have never seen a Jewel-Osco."

One thing I will add is some of the comparisons are invalid. Trader Joe's and Whole Foods are not comparable to any traditional supermarket. Wegman's, which is spread across the Eastern Seabord, has only three more stores in its entire chain than Jewel-Osco has in Cook County, IL. QFC, Fry's, Smith's, and Ralphs are all divisions of Kroger and share decor packages but they are completely different sets of stores.

[architect]

Brand perception is different than the perception of produce quality, so it's not just "I feel like King Soopers is better than Ralphs". In terms of sample sizes, that is true, and it is somewhat accurate. I think most of us would agree that Publix is superior to Safeway overall, but even that's going to be a bit skewed since neither store directly competes (for statistical purposes, Florida would be excluded) and they didn't in 2014 anyway, where Publix ranked 2 and Safeway ranked 58. And where stores do directly compete they tend to cluster together...why are the Northeastern grocers rank so poorly, and if they really are that bad (doubtful), then is Wegmans unremarkable and bland but only "good" because it's miles better in comparison. But that's not true, either. I also doubt that Bostonians have particularly terrible grocery stores (in 2014, Shaw's ranked 64 and Stop & Shop ranked 60). And why do the usual suspects get the same ranking (+/- a few places, depending on new and deleted entries) year after year, anyway?

There are general trends on what stores are better but everything here is largely either "deserves better" or "too much credit".

Brand Perception is a very broad term. However, negative brand perception can start with a retailer at the door. Any portion of activity in a store can result in negative brand perception. Walmart has a negative brand perception in their grocery section. In general. While this has been going on since the 90's, it still exists. Albertsons has negative brand perception on pricing. Publix has some. HEB has some. All brands have some negative perception.

If you don't live in a particular area, you really can't judge the brand perception. I don't live in Texas any longer, so I don't judge HEB. I don't live in Florida, so I don't judge Publix. I don't live in New England, so I can't judge Star Market. I haven't lived in Illinois in 43 years, so I can't judge Jewel-Osco. Any time you step into a store outside your particular area, you judge them against your area. Certainly, if I were shopping at Jewel-Osco and it didn't meet the standards of a Rouses (like I have here), I would rate it lower. That's where these ratings come from!!! Chicagoans FLOCK to Jewel like the plague. Most of Florida swears by Publix. Star Markets continues to operate in New England. 70% of Texas only buys from HEB. Why? Because the local brand perception is better.

Thank you for posting this - you said what I have been trying to articulate for days. The first time I shopped at a Publix I thought "THIS is what Floridians flock to? These poor people have never seen a Jewel-Osco."

One thing I will add is some of the comparisons are invalid. Trader Joe's and Whole Foods are not comparable to any traditional supermarket. Wegman's, which is spread across the Eastern Seabord, has only three more stores in its entire chain than Jewel-Osco has in Cook County, IL. QFC, Fry's, Smith's, and Ralphs are all divisions of Kroger and share decor packages but they are completely different sets of stores.

I third rwsandiego and wnetmacman's comments. As much as the industry wants to rank different chains nationally, perception varies so drastically based on market by market, and sometimes even store by store expectations. For example, Rouse's performs well in the New Orleans area due to the fact that they stock many Creole and other items which are regionally expected of any decent grocer, yet are largely unknown outside of the region. Publix stores typically perform well in areas which are upscale and very community-oriented. Although their pricing might be considered high by a national competitive standard, their target demographic isn't likely to value saving a few dollars vs. avoiding the large crowded superstore chain just down the street, valuing shopping experience over necessarily finding the lowest price. Similarly, in Texas, many HEB stores have a large selection of Hispanic goods which fit the target demographic of certain stores where that neighboring demographic is strong. At the same time, some other HEB stores in high-end areas have taken the Wegmans approach and focus heavily on gourmet and freshly prepared items (the Bunker Hill HEB in Houston is a great example of this). If someone from the Northeast was to visit an HEB which fell into the former category, they wouldn't understand the hype at all, because their priorities and expectations as a shopper are completely different. However, they would likely be impressed by a store in the latter category, proving the importance of a large and diverse sample size (which Consumer Reports gives us no real information on).

For Kroger and Albertsons (the two large, multi-brand grocers represented on the list), it is immediately clear that Kroger is performing much better on the localism aspect, which helps to draw shoppers in. While standardizing many aspects of their operations, Kroger has also allowed aspects of their chains to vary based on regional or even local preferences. For example, in Texas, marketing is often skewed towards a strong Texas-local stance, a marketing approach which taps into most Texans' immense pride in the state. Kroger almost taps into this to the same level as HEB, a truly local chain. By comparison, Tom Thumb/Randalls feature almost no Texas-centric advertising, which is surprising considering that both chains have a legacy as Texas-based local chains years ago.

[klkla]

The CR ranking is valid because it asks people about the stores in their area and they rate them based on service, product quality, pricing e.t.c...

From that they derive a score. That's how they are able to compare a chain in Florida to a chain in Illinois. Or a big one to a small one.

[pseudo3d]

The CR ranking is valid because it asks people about the stores in their area and they rate them based on service, product quality, pricing e.t.c...

From that they derive a score. That's how they are able to compare a chain in Florida to a chain in Illinois. Or a big one to a small one.

With the exception of Walmart Supercenter, none of these chains are national (even Costco is only in large urban areas), and there's no standards or control variables to measure each other.

Expectations vary from market to market. In Texas, H-E-B can get away with having no hot food counters/fresh food by the pound (something that's pretty standard in most of the supermarket industry) in all but their best stores, but no traditional grocer's going to get away with not having staffed meat counters...and from what I understand, big players like King Soopers and Giant don't.

For instance, Winn-Dixie was once known to be better and nicer than any other grocer in the South, making it top choice for Southern consumers, therefore does it automatically make it "better" than larger and full-featured stores in the rest of the country that just weren't the top picks? It shouldn't. If A&P was still around in its original form and market spread, representing the "average supermarket" no matter the market, then the ratings would make sense. (Walmart Supercenter, as before mentioned, isn't exactly the best measuring stick)

The whole thing is also complicated by apples-to-oranges comparisons by throwing things like Costco into the mix. You really can't compare Costco, Aldi, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, and a traditional supermarket side by side and expect them to each be the "best". They are too unique.

Finally, a word. Let's be honest here--this isn't really a list of the "best" or "worst" grocery stores. It's just clickbait, pure and simple.

[wnetmacman]

Expectations vary from market to market. In Texas, H-E-B can get away with having no hot food counters/fresh food by the pound (something that's pretty standard in most of the supermarket industry) in all but their best stores, but no traditional grocer's going to get away with not having staffed meat counters...and from what I understand, big players like King Soopers and Giant don't.

I can tell you that those two things don't fly in most areas. I have never understood how Walmart gets away with it beyond pricing.

For instance, Winn-Dixie was once known to be better and nicer than any other grocer in the South, making it top choice for Southern consumers, therefore does it automatically make it "better" than larger and full-featured stores in the rest of the country that just weren't the top picks? It shouldn't. If A&P was still around in its original form and market spread, representing the "average supermarket" no matter the market, then the ratings would make sense. (Walmart Supercenter, as before mentioned, isn't exactly the best measuring stick)

These are the two most recent poster children for 'How NOT to run a Supermarket Chain'. I wouldn't say that WD was the nicest, but they were, during the 60's-early 80's, modern. After that, all bets were off. A&P was much of the same until the 70's. I wouldn't call A&P average before that point. WD was always average.

The whole thing is also complicated by apples-to-oranges comparisons by throwing things like Costco into the mix. You really can't compare Costco, Aldi, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, and a traditional supermarket side by side and expect them to each be the "best". They are too unique.

Exactly. None of these are Supermarkets, nor are none truly nationwide. The supermarkets get down into the trenches, where Costco only carries a small volume of largely packed items. Aldi/Save A Lot are limited assortment, and Trader Joe's and Whole Paycheck Foods cater to those seeking a more wholesome shopping experience, but are again limited.

Finally, a word. Let's be honest here--this isn't really a list of the "best" or "worst" grocery stores. It's just clickbait, pure and simple.

Consumer Reports is a paid magazine. You can certainly bet whoever was on top paid for the article. They are not very transparent in their research; you get what they want you to see, and it's all opinion-based. Very little facts are involved. For instance, If Jewel-Osco is so bad, why have they been the undisputed #1 in Chicago for so long? If HEB is so bad, why does most of Texas swear by them?

[Super S]

Consumer Reports is a paid magazine. You can certainly bet whoever was on top paid for the article. They are not very transparent in their research; you get what they want you to see, and it's all opinion-based. Very little facts are involved. For instance, If Jewel-Osco is so bad, why have they been the undisputed #1 in Chicago for so long? If HEB is so bad, why does most of Texas swear by them?

Sometimes it could be lack of competition. Look at Boise for example. Albertsons has by far the most locations and is pretty much the only conventional grocer unless you count WinCo. Does that make Albertsons the best grocer? Hardly. But for many it is the most convenient. Fred Meyer and Wal-Mart as well as WinCo are better on pricing, but can be a bit much for some to deal with during busy periods.

And you have the Pacific Northwest where people swear by Safeway, even with all the pricing games and gimmicks. Not to mention inconsistent staffing. There really are people that think their can of Del Monte peaches from Safeway is higher quality than the same can of Del Monte peaches from WinCo. (Yes some people really think this way).

[pseudo3d]

For instance, Winn-Dixie was once known to be better and nicer than any other grocer in the South, making it top choice for Southern consumers, therefore does it automatically make it "better" than larger and full-featured stores in the rest of the country that just weren't the top picks? It shouldn't. If A&P was still around in its original form and market spread, representing the "average supermarket" no matter the market, then the ratings would make sense. (Walmart Supercenter, as before mentioned, isn't exactly the best measuring stick)

These are the two most recent poster children for 'How NOT to run a Supermarket Chain'. I wouldn't say that WD was the nicest, but they were, during the 60's-early 80's, modern. After that, all bets were off. A&P was much of the same until the 70's. I wouldn't call A&P average before that point. WD was always average.

No, but that's my point. I was comparing the Winn-Dixie of the past (not the present) to its past counterparts, using it as an example that being best of the market didn't mean it should rank in the top. But that's exactly how the list is written. Both my 2014 list and the current list put market leaders like Giant and Jewel-Osco well below things like Winn-Dixie and BI-LO even in their states today.

I only brought up A&P because it was national at one time, and it was average even at the peak. If A&P ran full supermarkets across the country (despite that being financially implausible, just run with it) that were "just average", then the list would be more accurate because then all the chains would have something to be compared to.

So there's no average grocery store, but that could've been mitigated by having the respondents actually go to different grocery stores in town (no playing favorites), and comparing them semi-objectively, with the only "accepted" grocery stores being ones that overlap with other chains.

For instance, you could do Rouses/Publix in Alabama, Rouses/Albertsons in Louisiana, Albertsons/Kroger in Dallas, and Kroger/H-E-B in Houston and run those numbers against each other, with smaller players like Crest in Oklahoma being disqualified because they don't have crossover with anybody else. Similarly, even Pik n Save could be disqualified since it has no true intersect with anybody else (as far as I know--and Mariano's is too different to make the call), and certainly things like IGA which is on the 2014 list (not even a real chain, and too spread out with too many variables). Furthermore, discontiguous divisions like Kroger Atlanta vs. the former Kroger SW or Safeway in Washington DC vs. Safeway in the West Coast must be treated like separate chains (just like their differently-named divisions).

Unfortunately, I don't have my list with me right now (must have misplaced it) so I can't make a list of "qualified" chains.

[buckguy]

"Consumer Reports is a paid magazine. You can certainly bet whoever was on top paid for the article. They are not very transparent in their research; you get what they want you to see, and it's all opinion-based. Very little facts are involved. "

CR is published by a non-profit that is supported by individual subscribers. You seem to be confusing it with something else--it's not like the easily rigged ratings of US News for various things or some corporate sponsored nonsense. They are always transparent about their methodology which draws on subscriber surveys. The ratings are hardly surprising--they may not reflect every place perfectly, but you know that a degraded chain like Giant-Landover nor will a thoroughly incompetent only like Winn-Dixie, while the price sensitive chains will get better ratings , yes, price! Expecting some minor component of a chain's operation like their hot foods to drive ratings is unrealistic and I say that with some appreciation of how different kinds of samples, surveys, observations, etc. can be measured and analyzed.

[klkla]

With the exception of Walmart Supercenter, none of these chains are national (even Costco is only in large urban areas), and there's no standards or control variables to measure each other.

There doesn't need to be standards or control variables because it's simply a survey of their subscribers based on their experiences and perceptions. It doesn't claim to be scientific.

Finally, a word. Let's be honest here--this isn't really a list of the "best" or "worst" grocery stores. It's just clickbait, pure and simple.

No it's not. It's a compilation of scores for pricing, service, quality and other tangibles based on the opinions of real people. They have been around for a long time and have a large subscriber base. They were doing these kind of surveys long before 'clickbait' was even a thing.

Consumer Reports is a paid magazine. You can certainly bet whoever was on top paid for the article.

Consumers Reports is paid by it's subscribers, not by the companies they review. You can certainly bet that the companies on top did NOT pay to be there.

[pseudo3d]

No it's not. It's a compilation of scores for pricing, service, quality and other tangibles based on the opinions of real people. They have been around for a long time and have a large subscriber base. They were doing these kind of surveys long before 'clickbait' was even a thing.

The supermarket lists have only been around for, what did they say, seventh annual, and I've read them every few years, and the results are more or less the same, even before and after SuperValu, like Jewel-Osco was at the bottom of the list when I was still in high school, solidly in the SuperValu years. With the changing nature of grocery stores, and just different applicants, there's going to be slight shifts in everything (my personal preference on Kroger vs. H-E-B is on a sliding scale over the last several years, sometimes it's "H-E-B is great, Kroger is garbage" or "H-E-B is okay, but Kroger is better on average"). I mean, enough shifts happen that politics in America change over several years, and there's a significant amount of flip-floppers that will always win, but I've paid enough attention to CR that they play favorites, and the same people do the same survey every year, the people that are fond of Publix and Wegmans, and really dislike groceries in the Northeast.