The 12 Worst Supermarkets in America
Location: NY, NJ, MA, RI, CT, PA
Year Founded: 1914 as Shopmate, 1947 as Stop & Shop
Despite its slogan “Great Food. Low Prices. Friendly Service,” Stop & Shop received only Reader Score: 73
Location: NY, NJ, MA, RI, CT, PA
Year Founded: 1914 as Shopmate, 1947 as Stop & Shop
Despite its slogan “Great Food. Low Prices. Friendly Service,” Stop & Shop received only slightly-above average marks when it came to cleanliness, but mediocre scores on price, the quality of meat and produce, and service, which is to say, they’re not necessarily doing anything wrong, but they’re not doing much right. REUTERS/Adam Hunger
Location: PA, NJ, DE, MD
Year Founded: 1891
Acme’s shortcoming was on price, which received a less-than-satisfactory rating, though survey respondents were fairly satisfied w Reader Score: 73
Location: PA, NJ, DE, MD
Year Founded: 1891
Acme’s shortcoming was on price, which received a less-than-satisfactory rating, though survey respondents were fairly satisfied with cleanliness, and neutral on food quality and service. Facing increased competition from other supermarkets, Acme laid off 900 part-time workers in 2010, and recently ended their popular “free Thanksgiving turkey” program for loyal customers to cut costs. Grocery.com
Reader Score: 73
Location: Southern CA
Year Founded: 1873
Ralphs, a subsidiary of Cincinnati-based Kroger and the oldest supermarket chain in the west, had similar marks as Stop & Shop – mediocre on everything but cleanliness, which was just above average. Ralphs had a strong presence in Northern California for years, but closed down all of their remaining northern locations in 2006.
Location: WI
Year Founded: 1872
Pick ‘n Save, operated by Roundy’s Supermarkets, fell alongside Ralphs and Stop & Shop – not terrible, but zero positive ratings except in cle Reader Score: 73
Location: WI
Year Founded: 1872
Pick ‘n Save, operated by Roundy’s Supermarkets, fell alongside Ralphs and Stop & Shop – not terrible, but zero positive ratings except in cleanliness. The chain has struggled in recent years as more competitors have opened in nearby areas, and 62 employees at the corporate headquarters in Milwaukee were laid off in 2010. Flickr
Location: Mid and South Atlantic regions
Year Founded: 1957
Food Lion was mediocre across the board. Customers weren’t even just a little bit satisfied with cleanliness, serv Reader Score: 73
Location: Mid and South Atlantic regions
Year Founded: 1957
Food Lion was mediocre across the board. Customers weren’t even just a little bit satisfied with cleanliness, service, food quality, or price. Originally known as Food Town, Food Lion recently announced it would be closing 113 stores, including all Florida locations, and rethinking their marketing strategy. Flickr
Location: PA, NJ, WV, MD and NY
Year Founded:1912
Weis Markets received an overall lower score than Ralphs and Stop & Shop, but had the similar ratings within the categories. Reader Score: 72
Location: PA, NJ, WV, MD and NY
Year Founded:1912
Weis Markets received an overall lower score than Ralphs and Stop & Shop, but had the similar ratings within the categories. A quick search on Yelp showed that locations in Lancaster, PA and Odenton, MD had 2.5 stars out of 5, and a location in Chambersburg, PA had a 1.5 star rating. The main complaints were customer service. “Ever wonder why it’s so easy to park at Weis Markets on Wayne Avenue?” wrote one reviewer about the Chambersburg location. “Because no one goes there anymore.” Flickr
Location: NY and PA
Year Founded: 1962
Tops should probably start brainstorming a new name that includes the word “bottom” or “middle.” In the Consumer Reports survey, it fel Reader Score: 72
Location: NY and PA
Year Founded: 1962
Tops should probably start brainstorming a new name that includes the word “bottom” or “middle.” In the Consumer Reports survey, it fell in line with the same rating as Weis, and reviews hover around 3 stars on Yelp. One reviewer on a Syracuse, NY location reported an odd smell and disorganized shelves, and another in Niagara Falls said she was frequently overcharged at the register. Flickr
Location: IL, IA, IN
Year Founded: 1899
Jewel-Osco had mediocre ratings in all categories, except price, which fell into the “very dissatisfied” category. Reviews on Yelp are Reader Score: 71
Location: IL, IA, IN
Year Founded: 1899
Jewel-Osco had mediocre ratings in all categories, except price, which fell into the “very dissatisfied” category. Reviews on Yelp are mixed, but the store’s parent company, Supervalu Inc., has struggled during the recession, seeing its stock plummet almost 90 percent from July 2007 to 2012, and laid off 800 workers in February. It recently slashed prices to help drive sales, but the changes don’t seem to be making much of a difference among customers. Wikimedia
Location: CT, DE, MD, NJ, NY, PA
Year Founded: 1859
A&P, once the largest food retailer in the nation, received negative marks on service and price, a neutral review on food Reader Score: 70
Location: CT, DE, MD, NJ, NY, PA
Year Founded: 1859
A&P, once the largest food retailer in the nation, received negative marks on service and price, a neutral review on food quality and “fairly satisfied” on cleanliness. But 22 percent of shoppers surveyed said they experience three or more problems. The company, which includes supermarkets Food Emporium and Pathmark, filed for bankruptcy in 2010, but has recently come back as a private company with a new management team, new supplier and store renovations. Flickr
Reader Score: 69
Location: ME, MA, NH, RI and VT
Year Founded: 1860
Shaw’s received a negative score on price, neutral scores on food quality and service, a just-above-average score on cleanliness, and 20 percent of shoppers said they experienced three or more problems. The supermarket shuttered a number of stores during the recession and eliminated 4 percent of its full-time workforce, and many stores are undergoing remodels and updates. Many reviewers on Yelp complained of slow-moving lines, prices, and selection.
Location: Nationwide
Year Founded:Walmart in 1962/Supercenters in 1988
With currently over 3,000 in the country, Walmart “Supercenters” stock everything from dairy products Reader Score: 69
Location: Nationwide
Year Founded:Walmart in 1962/Supercenters in 1988
With currently over 3,000 in the country, Walmart “Supercenters” stock everything from dairy products to home ware, and the stores received scathing reviews on service, a poor review on food quality, a mediocre score on cleanliness and had the highest percentage of shoppers – 32 – who experience three or more problems. However, they did get a “highly satisfied” score on price. Despite customer complaints, the retail giant continues to expand and open more supercenters across the country. REUTERS/Joshua Lott
Location: DE, NJ, NY, PA
Year Founded: 1968 (purchased by A&P in 2007)
And the winner is…Pathmark! Under A&P’s umbrella, Pathmark received “highly dissatisfied” reviews on se Reader Score: 68
Location: DE, NJ, NY, PA
Year Founded: 1968 (purchased by A&P in 2007)
And the winner is…Pathmark! Under A&P’s umbrella, Pathmark received “highly dissatisfied” reviews on service, mediocre reviews on food quality and price, and poor reviews on cleanliness. Among shoppers surveyed, 75 percent had one or more complaints, and 31 percent experience three or more problems. One customer on Yelp who reviewed the Harlem, New York location went so far as to call Pathmark, “the bane of my existence.” Ouch. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
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