A satisfying customer experience at the supermarket isn’t just about getting a good deal on your groceries. In fact, cleanliness is the quality that top-ranked grocery stores shared. Consumer Reports recently completed a nationwide member survey with responses from more than 75,000 members. The consumers weighed in on the one or two grocery stores they frequent, and together, they assessed 96 grocery store chains around the United States.
The upshot? The supermarkets that ranked highest for customer satisfaction also received good scores for being clean. “Cleanliness has a large impact on your overall opinion of your grocery store, our results show,” says Jane Manweiler, a survey research associate for Consumer Reports. And, unsurprisingly, there’s also some overlap on this list with the grocery store with the best reputation.
What grocery store chains topped the list for cleanliness?
So did your favorite supermarket make the list? Here are the top six:
- Trader Joe’s
- Central Market (based in Texas)
- Wegmans (Mid-Atlantic)
- Heinen’s (Ohio and Chicago area)
- Gelsons Markets (Southern California)
- Market Basket (Northeast)
Seventeen other grocery stores ranked high for cleanliness, according to Consumer Reports. They were New Seasons Market, Publix, Military Commissary, Fresh Market, Festival Foods, Dierberg’s, Lunds & Byerlys, Fresh Thyme Farmers Market, Natural Grocers, Reasor’s, Raley’s, Loves Foods, Hy-Vee, Haggen Northwest Fresh, Lidl, Roche Bros. and Brookshire’s.
What grocery stores received poor marks for cleanliness?
The lack of cleanliness at other supermarkets was a factor in their low rankings. Walmart Supercenter appeared at the bottom of the list, matching their low reputation ranking in a different survey. Survey respondents also gave regional stores Key Food, Tops and Marc’s low grades overall, noting a lack of tidiness.
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Jen McCaffery