Walmart, Pathmark, A&P, Waldbaum’s Bring Up Rear In Latest Supermarket Survey

Walmart may still be the nation’s most shopped-at supermarket chain, but it’s far from the most beloved. In fact, in the latest ratings of 68 supermarket chains published by our colleagues at Consumer Reports, Walmart had the worst satisfaction score from readers.

According to CR, Walmart received bottom-of-the-barrel ratings for Produce Quality, Meat/Poultry Quality, Bakery Quality, Staff Courtesy, and Store Cleanliness.

Walmart’s overall satisfaction score from readers tied with A&P and Waldbaum’s for the lowest of all 68 chains in the survey. And yet 10% of shoppers in the survey say that Walmart is still their primary source for groceries. Perhaps this is because the store still manages to compete on price.

Pathmark performed only slightly less-worse in terms of overall score than the bottom three chains, but managed to be the only chain to reap the dreaded solid black dots (indicating the “worst”) from CR readers for all Freshness and Store Quality categories.

At the opposite end of the spectrum was Wegmans, the only chain to score highest marks across the board in all categories.

In terms of large national chains, Publix performed the best, with above-average results in all categories, though it lagged behind Wegmans in produce and meat quality.

If you’re looking for a good deal on organic produce, the survey says that Trader Joe’s is your best bet, followed by Wegmans and Costco.

America’s best supermarkets—and worst [Consumer Reports]

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