Walmart, Costco and Kroger are three of the largest supermarkets in the U.S., but that doesn’t mean they’re popular with shoppers.
In fact, the trio doesn’t even appear in the top ten in a new survey of America’s favorite grocery stores.
Fan favorites Trader Joe’s and Aldi (both budget stores with a limited assortment focused on cheaper, private label items) and the upscale Wegmans all made the top ten.
But none of them takes the top spot, which goes to Hy-Vee. Founded in 1930 in Iowa, the employee-owned chain has just under 300 stores, mostly in the Midwest and South.
The top five were smaller, regional grocers. Fresh Market took second place, followed by Heinen’s Grocery Store, Stew Leonard’s and Gelson’s Markets in Southern California.
Top 10 Supermarkets According to USA Today. Scroll down to see a similar report from Newsweek, which came up with different results
The top ten supermarket chains were Compiled by USA TodayThey were selected by a panel of experts along with the publication’s readers as the best for their value, selection and excellent service.
The Fresh Market, with 161 locations in 22 states, ranks second and offers “a more intimate and personalized experience than warehouse-style supermarkets,” according to the report.
At number three is Heinen’s, a family-owned regional chain.
Stow Leonard’s started as a small dairy store in 1969. It is now the largest dairy store in the world, but it also sells everything you’d expect from a supermarket.
Fancy Gelson’s 25 stores cater to the rich and famous of Southern California, from Calabasas to West Hollywood. Participants can often be seen shopping for organic produce there.
The list includes mostly small and midsize chains like these, rather than the big giants Walmart, Target and Costco, which sell home goods and electronics in addition to groceries.
Even Kroger and Albertson’s (the largest supermarkets that sell exclusively food) failed to pass the test.
The largest chain on the list is Publix (which has more than 1,000 department stores nationwide), at number seven.
Aldi, the fastest-growing grocer in the United States, ranked sixth and Trader Joe’s, famous for its candy, ranked eighth.
Aldi is expanding at a dizzying pace. It currently has about 2,400 of its small stores, packed with a limited assortment of well-selected but mostly private label products, spread across the country, and plans to open another 800 over the next four years.
Wegman’s, the upmarket 100-store chain that often ranks near the top of surveys, came in ninth.
In October of last year, when Wegmans opened its first store in Manhattan, New York City, so-called “Wegmaniacs” lined up along the street to be among the first to get in.
Fresh Thyme Market, with 70 stores in the Midwest, rounded out the top ten.
Different top ten, same theme – in rival ranking
A recent Newsweek poll on America’s favorite supermarkets had a number of different winners.
But there was a similar theme: smaller chains beating established giants.
In first place was Great Wall Supermarket, an Asian-American grocery chain that opened its first store in New York City in 2003. The previous winner, Wegmans, fell to second place.
Great Wall Supermarket scored an impressive 92.69 out of 100 in Newsweek’s rankings (pictured: a store in Merrifield, Virginia)
Newsweek’s list of the best supermarkets was topped by Great Wall Supermarket, an Asian-American supermarket chain that opened its first store in New York City in 2003.
Newsweek partnered with data intelligence platform Statista to survey 7,000 customers about their opinions on retailers spanning 40 industry categories.
Participants were asked to rate the retailer based on pricing, product selection, atmosphere, customer service, accessibility, and how likely they were to recommend the store.
Great Wall Supermarket, with just 17 stores selling food targeted at Asian shoppers, scored an impressive 92.69 out of 100 in the ranking.
Third on Newsweek’s 2024 list was Publix, which has more than 1,000 stores nationwide, followed by The Fresh Market, which has 161 locations in 22 states.
In fifth and sixth place on the ranking are organic produce retailers Sprouts and Natural Grocers, followed by Whole Foods in seventh place.
