Survey says Wegmans is America’s favorite grocer
Trader Joe’s is no longer America’s favorite grocery retailer, according to a survey of more than 10,000 consumers by Market Force Information. After four years as being named the nation’s favorite, Trader Joe’s fell to third in annual research as Wegmans topped the list followed in second by Publix.
There is only minor ranking distinction, however, between leaders in the Market Force study. Seventy-six percent said they would recommend Wegmans to others followed by 75 percent for Publix and 73 percent for Trader Joe’s. Others in the top five include Hy-Vee (68 percent) and Aldi (65 percent). Walmart is ranked lowest at 29 percent.
A number of factors go into what makes a particular retailer a favorite among consumers. According to Market Force, Wegmans and Publix were consistently high across both operational and service points of evaluation. The two chains stood out when it came to store cleanliness, being able to find desired items and specialty departments. Trader Joe’s was the winner when it came to friendly cashiers.
Aldi, to no one’s surprise, was seen as offering the lowest prices followed by WinCo (54 percent would recommend) and Costco (60 percent).
Prepared foods are becoming more important, according to Market Force, as consumers seek ways to make their lives more convenient. Two-thirds of respondents said they purchased some form of prepared food in the previous 30 days, with 19 percent doing so once a week and eight percent twice a week.
While grocers are putting greater emphasis on online ordering with either home delivery or in-store pickup, 99 percent of those surveyed still shop the old fashioned way. Of those that used click and collect services, 73 percent were satisfied with the experience and nearly half are repeat users.
Discussion Questions
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
What factors do you think are most important in determining favorite grocer status among consumers? Which grocer is your favorite and what is it about that business that sets it apart from others?
Poll
BrainTrust
Paula Rosenblum
Co-founder, RSR Research
Ryan Mathews
Founder, CEO, Black Monk Consulting
Looks to me like the most important factor is being in the handful of states that Wegmans operates. My favorite grocer is Woodman’s. They are about 240,000 square feet, average over $2 million per week, have prices lower than Walmart (Walmart has closed down stores near them) and they carry nearly everything — every brand, organics, ethnic foods, exotic foods. To top it off they are employee-owned. They are WinCo on drugs. When they open they leave behind a wake of skeletal remains of grocery stores. The one near me has a vacant Pick N Save, vacant Jewel and vacant Walmart within two blocks of the store. It’s a 24 hour a day supermarket carnival of sites, sounds, smells and specials.
This is the third “favorite grocer” study we’ve seen in a few weeks I think.
Bottom line is that Wegmans and Publix are doing something right. And Trader Joe’s.
In the case of Trader Joe’s, I think it’s a unique product mix at very good prices that does the trick.
For Wegmans and Publix, they know how to keep prices close while providing a superior customer experience. “Publix … where shopping is a pleasure.” That’s their tag line. They have a whole line of commercials where actors (presumed customers) are expressing surprise and delight at helpful employees. Retailers take note!
Also take note: I can’t comment on Wegmans, but Publix and Trader Joe’s do not have self-checkout. It’s anathema to the experience.
Once again, service, product and perceived value win the day — not just lowest prices.
P.S.: If we had a Trader Joe’s closer to my house it could be my favorite, but I’ll have to go with Publix, since it really IS a pleasure.
First of all, I think we need to draw a distinction between “America’s” favorite grocer and the best regional supermarkets. Hard to be the best in a whole country when you don’t operate in a whole country.
That out of the way — and the fact that we don’t know how many of the 10,000 surveyed actually responded — you could do much, much worse than benchmark yourself against Wegmans, clearly one of the finest supermarkets in the nation.
So what makes them good? Well, for starters, let’s see where they rank on the list of preferred employers. They’re always high, so we might suggest there is a link between how you take care of your people, how your people take care of the customer and what the customer thinks of your stores.
Just a thought.
Next, Wegmans has been fearless in trying new things and relentless in execution. Their retailer-owned brands programs are outstanding and their operational excellence is second to none. They are driven by a commitment to quality, value and investing against the things that matter to shoppers.
As to which grocer is my favorite, I guess I’m still in the local, independent camp. There are a lot of great chains, but I like supporting stores like Holiday Markets in Royal Oak, Mi, my local supermarket.
It’s a great store and, while it clearly has a laundry list of faults, it is a place that for all its venial sins has become a hub of our community.
Can chains compete more effectively via scaled solutions? Sure, but Holiday is a taste of home and home is where the heart is — even if maybe the garage needs repainting.
This survey is essentially meaningless because the chains that come out on top are not national and they are very different in terms of offerings. I’m not taking anything away from Wegmans, Publix, or Trader Joe’s, but wouldn’t it be better for each chain to focus on providing a good customer experience, combined with excellent customer service?
I don’t care what the survey says. I am delighted that Wegmans is coming to New York City … OK, it is Brooklyn, which used to be New York City, but now it’s Brooklyn.
Even though I live in Manhattan, when it opens I will rent my Zip Car and head to the old Brooklyn Navy Yard for that Wegmans experience. I would not do that for any other supermarket in the world.
I’m not familiar with all the stores described, and I think you are mixing apples and oranges in the factors used for judgment. A store that has lowest prices may not be the one for best service or selection. A store with the friendliest checkout people may be desirable if you don’t like self-checkout. And so on. And I understand that some of these grocers are regional, so they may be more desirable and satisfying for some people in some areas (e.g., convenience or price or selection), that may not be the most important in another area.
Lately I am finding myself using different stores for different things for a variety of reasons, e.g., one store for produce, another store for health and wellness products, another for staples, etc. And it has to do with price, location, availability, etc.
Wegmans and Publix are prolific enough to be the pick of many of the survey takers and kudos to both of those chains for being large enough and good enough to earn that distinction. Both are very good at operating consistently well-run stores. They are also community involved, work at having a strong perishable image, and have friendly well trained associates. As a retailer, if you can do those four things, year in and year out, you are ahead of much of the competition.
On the “price” side of things, I do think it significant to see the emergence of WinCo in a national survey. They are still much more regional than Aldi or Costco, but certainly have developed a following among their shoppers. I would watch WinCo grow over the next five years. They do many things right.
As for me, I like grocers really listen to their shoppers. I like grocers that try new technology and new merchandising techniques when it makes sense to do so, but all the while understand that retailing is really about personal selling. Accordingly, they invest in their associates and their associates enjoy coming to work and our proud of what they do. Certainly Wegmans, Publix and a handful of other retailers understand this and are likely to keeping winning new customers and garner high scores on surveys because they do.
Different consumers prioritize different factors. Each retailer needs to figure out which factors their most valuable consumers prioritize. The only retailers concerned with my ranking should be those who consider me valuable.
First, I am a Publix fan, big time. Now that we have cleared any confusion, I can add Trader Joe’s is close enough that I can enjoy the fun of shopping there on occasion. Usually the occasion is when we visit our grandsons which makes it even better.
Now it is time for Wegmans to join in the fun. But I anticipate it will be some time in the future based on their expansion plans.