We here at Bites are big fans of Consumer Reports, and you should definitely pick up the May issue. There's a really good piece on how to shop around pesticides when buying produce and a breakdown of just how much more you'll pay for selected organics at some of the major chains.
But the most interesting piece — and subject of the cover — is a rating of 68 different supermarkets nationwide. The CR testers, using a survey that reflected more than 111,000 trips over the course of 16 months, rated the chains on four different freshness categories (produce, meat, bakery, store-prepared foods) and two different store categories (staff courtesy, store cleanliness).
Just three of the 68 chains — Wegmans and national chains The Fresh Market and Whole Foods — earned stellar produce scores. Seventeen were below average. Eighteen retailers received low scores for produce variety, notably two big warehouse clubs — Sam’s Club (part of Walmart), and BJ’s Membership Club (in the East) — as well as Target and Target Supercenters. Standouts for prepared foods were Wegmans, Publix, Costco, Whole Foods, and Fresh Market. Pathmark and Waldbaum’s, in the Northeast, and Aldi, in the eastern U.S., received low marks in that category.Aldi is an anomaly: a highly-ranked chain earning low scores for most perishables. In fairness, those products aren’t a priority at the chain, which specializes in low prices. Aldi carries 1,300 of the most commonly purchased grocery items sold under their private label brands, spokeswoman Liz Ruggles says. (A mainstream supermarket stocks around 44,000 items.)
And what of Walmart, consistently one of our lowest-rated grocers dating back to 2005? This year, the nation’s largest grocer — the primary shopping destination for 10 percent of those surveyed — earned low marks in every category other than price.
How did the chains with Nashville-area stores rate in the overall reader scores? Out of 68 groceries, here's where ours fell:
2. Publix
3. Trader Joe's
6. Costco
9. Fresh Market
15. Whole Foods
17. Harris Teeter (which is leaving Nashville after a store swap with Kroger)
31. Kroger
34. IGA
37. Piggly Wiggly
45. Target/Super Target
47. Sam's Club
52. Food Lion
67. Walmart Supercenter
The ratings, including category breakdowns for all of the above, are in the new issue or online with a subscription. (Bites advice: A subscription is some of the best money you'll spend.)
I think those track pretty well with the general impression I've gotten from going in local supermarkets. I tend to go to Publix, Trader Joe's and Fresh Market and sometimes Harris Teeter (local places like K&S, which is a regular stop for us, weren't big enough to rate). I tend to avoid Kroger after having a couple of bad produce outings there (and I prefer Publix's house brands). I'm completely unsurprised by Walmart finishing near the bottom, as their editors noted, for the last decade.
What do you think? Where do you shop for groceries? Are you loyal to one place or have you ever switched grocery stores? What made you change?
