According to a new study by Market Force Information, Trader Joe's is North America's favorite grocery store based on customer satisfaction. The survey of 6,600 consumers also gave high marks to Publix and Whole Foods. Walmart brought up the rear.
Take a look at how all the grocery chains fared:
So what makes consumers flock to grocery stores? Convenience is key -- more important than price, apparently. Sustainable practices are evidently much less important.
How do these factors break down among chains? Trader Joe's may be the "favorite" but it doesn't score very high on most of these key attributes. Big supermarket chains take the lead and Walmart nabs a high score for one-stop shopping.
Where Trader Joe's does shine, however, is in operational attributes such as cleanliness and atmosphere. Market Force found that while consumers value aspects like convenience and price, the operational aspects made a bigger difference in helping grocery chains earn more business.
“With most consumers satisfied with their grocery-shopping experiences, it makes for a very competitive playing field for grocers looking to distinguish themselves from the masses,” said Janet Eden-Harris, chief marketing officer for Market Force, in a press release. “We start to see the greatest opportunities for differentiation in operations-related attributes such as fast check-outs, gracious staff and atmosphere.”
When it comes to quality and health, Whole Foods demolishes the competition.
These top chains vary significantly from a Consumer Reports study last year, except that Trader Joe's also fared well. Check out those results below.
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