As the result of a study of 6,600 consumers released last week by Market Force Information, Trader Joe’s was named North America’s favorite grocery store based on customer satisfaction. Publix and Whole Foods were second and third, respectively. All three chains received high marks for courteous staff, inviting atmosphere and high-quality produce.
As far as factors that consumers said they liked the most about their preferred store, convenience was at the top of the list, followed by low prices and good sales and promotions. However, the study concluded that these characteristics are not necessarily helping the chains gain more business; rather, consumers have come to expect these attributes from their grocery stores. Operations-focused attributes seemed to make a bigger difference.
Here are the top ranked grocers in several key categories:
Convenient Location – Ralph’s, Food Lion, King Shoppers
Low Prices – Aldi, WinCo Foods, Walmart
Good Sales & Promotions – Winn-Dixie, Hy-Vee, Publix
Merchandise Selection – Meijer, Trader Joe’s, WinCo Foods
One-Stop Shopping – Walmart, Target, Meijer
Cleanliness – Publix, Trader Joe’s, Hy-Vee
Accurate Pricing – Aldi, Trader Joe’s, H-E-B
Courteous Staff – Publix, Trader Joe’s, Hy-Vee
Atmosphere – Trader Joe’s, Publix, Hy-Vee
Fast Check-out – Trader Joe’s, Ralph’s, Publix
High Quality Meat – Whole Foods, Costco, Publix
High Quality Produce – Whole Foods, Publix, Trader Joe’s
Natural & Organic Options – Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Publix
Nutritional Information – Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Hy-Vee
Sustainable/Green Practices – Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Aldi