15 Worst Supermarkets in America in 2017
Reader Score: 73 out of 100
Year founded: 1935
Locations: California
What you need to know: In 8 of the 12 categories, this chain pulled only “fair” scores with readers, including checkout speed, produce quality, meat and poultry quality. This chain did not receive any “poor” ratings, but neither did it win any accolades in any category.
The Consumer Reports ratings are based on responses in a dozen categories, including service, food quality and selection, price and cleanliness.
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Reader Score: 73 out of 100
Year founded: 1906
Locations: California and Nevada
What you need to know: Vons pulled mostly “fair” scores in 4 areas — competitive pricing, checkout speed, prices of organic options, and local produce quantity — in all other areas, including cleanliness and staff courtesy, Vons scored “good” ratings from consumers.
Mike Blake / Reuters
Reader Score: 73 out of 100
Year founded: 1932
Locations: Northeast U.S.
What you need to know: The store scored worst in the organic options area, but across other categories, reactions from consumers ranged from a mostly blah “fair” to “good.” An interesting point on price: Americans toss out roughly a quarter of the food and beverages they buy at a cost of up to $2,275 annually for a family of four, the Natural Resources Defense Council, a non-profit based in New York City, reports.
Mike Mozart / Flickr
Reader Score: 73 out of 100
Year founded: 1918
Locations: Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana and Maryland
What you need to know: In the categories of store cleanliness and store-prepared food, Giant Eagle scored a rating of “very good” from consumers. However, shoppers were clearly unhappy with the chain’s pricing: In both the competitive pricing and prices of organic options, the store pulled dismal “poor” scores.
Canadian Pacific / Flickr
Reader Score: 73 out of 100
Year founded: 1925
Locations: Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia and Mississippi
What you need to know: The chain, headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, scored a mixed bag of either “fair” or “good” ratings across the 12 categories, with no real enthusiasm by consumers beyond that — but no dud ratings, either.
Thomas Hawk / Flickr
Reader Score: 73 out of 100
Year founded: 1923
Locations: Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia
What you need to know: The chain scored only “fair” ratings in competitive pricing, checkout speed, prices of organic options, and local produce quantity. An interesting tip from Consumer Reports for lowering the cost of regular purchases: Generic goods, such as cereal, cake mixes, paper goods and other household staples, are found at the very lowest and highest supermarket shelves. Why? Because retailers can charge manufacturers a fee to be at eye level.
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Reader Score: 72 out of 100
Year founded: 1923
Locations: Washington, D.C., Delaware, Maryland and Virginia
What you need to know: Of the lowest performing chains, this brand pulled no “poor” ratings, but it barely scraped by in 7 other categories, including competitive pricing, checkout speed, produce variety, and local produce quantity. And regarding those produce purchases: Shoppers should know that pre-bagged produce tends to be cheaper by the pound than individually chosen pieces, so weigh that produce for cost savings.
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Reader Score: 72 out of 100
Year founded: 1899
Locations: Illinois, Iowa and Indiana
What you need to know: In competitive pricing and the prices of organic options, the store — headquartered in Itasca, Illinois — achieved “poor” ratings from consumers. In other categories, consumers gave it either “fair” ratings or “good” ratings.
Marrisa Garza / Flickr
Reader Score: 71 out of 100
Year founded: 1872
Locations: Wisconsin
What you need to know: Don’t shop here for organic options, that much is clear. The chain — operated by Roundy’s Supermarkets — pulled a “poor” score in that key area. And readers ranked it only “fair” in the competitive pricing, checkout speed, produce quality, and local produce quantity categories.
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Reader Score: 71 out of 100
Year founded: 1915
Locations: Western and Central U.S.
What you need to know: This well-known store took no honors for its checkout speed: Readers gave it a “poor” ranking for that, as well as for its prices for organic selections. By contrast, the store performed well in the courtesy and variety areas. The chain, by the way, has a loyalty program that helps shoppers build rewards toward gas purchases at affiliated gas stations.
Gary Cameron / Reuters
Reader Score: 70 out of 100
Year founded: 1891
Locations: Delaware Valley and NYC Metropolitan Areas
What you need to know: Consumers were not happy with this chain’s prices overall: The store scored worst in the competitive pricing and prices of organic options categories. Store cleanliness and checkout speed pulled “fair” or “good” ratings. Like all retailers, the store has been re-evaluating its portfolio and examining every angle of its business — it recently closed a New Jersey store after expanding there a few years ago.
Adam Fagen / Flickr
Reader Score: 69 out of 100
Year founded: 1914 as Shopmate, 1947 as Stop & Shop
Locations: Northeast U.S.
What you need to know: The chain scored poorly in checkout speed and prices of organic options, but readers were fine overall with the store’s cleanliness and its selection of healthy options. In all other areas, consumers called it “fair.”
Mike Mozart / Flickr
Reader Score: 68 out of 100
Year founded: 1860
Locations: New England
What you need to know: This outlet achieved mostly “fair” ratings across the categories, pulling down “poor” scores in competitive pricing, prices of organic options, and local produce quantity. It did better in the cleanliness, store-prepared food, and staff courtesy areas.
Jae Hoon Kim / Flickr
Reader Score: 68 out of 100
Year founded: 1962
Locations: New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Vermont
What you need to know: This chain achieved a “good” rating in only 1 out of 12 categories: store cleanliness. That can’t make up for the “poor” and “fair” ratings it received in all other areas; shoppers particularly disliked its produce quality and organic options.
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Reader Score: 66 out of 100
Year founded: 1962 as Walmart, 1988 as Supercenters
Locations: Nationwide
What you need to know: The popular chain scored abysmally by any measure. Consumers rated it “poor” in 7 out of 12 categories: cleanliness, staff courtesy, checkout speed, produce quality, produce variety, meats/poultry quality, and local produce quality. In only one category did it rise above “poor” or “fair”: It scored a “very good” for competitive prices. Maybe that’s why the retail giant is now testing a giant kiosk: Customers can order groceries online, then pick them up at a machine after entering a special five-digit code.
Kamil Krzaczynski / Reuters