Consumer experience and satisfaction have been in decline over the past few years (well, duh) but it appears to have stabilized a bit, including within the supermarket category. This is all according to a new report from The American Customer Satisfaction Index, a national economic indicator of customer evaluations of quality for U.S. products and services.

to market!Best Reusable Grocery Bags to Buy in 2020The index used data from interviews with roughly 85,000 customers to compile a score between 1-100, rating grocers on everything from cleanliness to store layout and the quality of meat and produce. While the larger grocery category average score held steady at 78—following a two-year dip in score from 2016-2018—certain individual supermarket chains fared better than others in the report. 

H-E-B, a privately owned supermarket chain with locations in Texas and Northern Mexico, took the top slot, tied with Trader Joe’s, whose founder passed away last weekend, and Northeast-based Wegman’s, all scoring an 84 on the index. These were followed by another three-way tie between ALDI, Costco, and Publix, who each racked up a respectable 83.

Down at the bottom of the index is national chain Albertsons and discount grocer Sav-A-Lot, which each scored a 75, with big-box superstore Walmart bringing up the rear, clocking in at 73. Whole Foods, now owned and operated by Amazon, landed in the middle of the pack, scoring a 79 for the second straight year, while BJ’s Wholesale makes the biggest jump, adding four points to its 2018 score.

Find the full Customer Satisfaction Index for U.S. supermarkets below.

  • H-E-B – 84
  • Trader Joe’s – 84
  • Wegman’s – 84
  • Aldi – 83
  • Costco –  83
  • Publix – 83
  • BJ’s Wholesale Club – 82
  • Sam’s Club – 80
  • ShopRite – 80
  • Kroger – 79
  • Target – 79
  • Whole Foods (Amazon) – 79
  • Hy-Vee – 78
  • Meijer – 78
  • Ahold Delhaize – 77
  • Giant Eagle – 76
  • Southeastern Grocers – 76
  • Supervalu – 76
  • Albertsons Companies – 75
  • Sav-A-Lot – 75
  • Walmart – 73

Do you agree with these rankings? Let us know in the comments below.

Header image courtesy of Caiaimage/Paul Bradbury / Getty Images.

See more articles