When it comes to best-in-class supermarkets, East Coast chain Wegmans continues to dominate. The store received a score of 90 out of a possible 100 points from the Consumer Reports 2015 ranking of the best supermarkets in America, putting it on the top of the list once again (it was number one in the same survey last year).
The top of the list was comprised entirely of regional chains, including the South’s Publix (87), the Midwest’s Fareway (87), and Market Basket in the Northeast (85).
SLIDESHOW: The 17 Best Supermarkets in America in 2015
The 63,000 Consumer Reports readers polled by the magazine had plenty of complaints about their grocery stores, with the biggest being not enough open checkouts. One in 10 readers also griped about crowded aisles, lack of choice, or poor selection of locally grown items.
Still, shoppers said they made an average of 83 trips per year to the supermarket, spending an annual average of $5,400.
Wal-Mart landed at the bottom of the list for the third consecutive time, this year joined by Waldbaum’s and A&P, all of which received a paltry score of 64 points out of 100.
Related: The 15 Worst Supermarkets in America in 2015
The Consumer Reports ratings are based on consumer responses to a dozen categories about supermarkets, including service, food quality and selection, price, and cleanliness. Since the publication launched its supermarket rankings in 2005, there has been little change to the mix of stores at both the top and the bottom of the list.
Shoppers – far less loyal to their supermarkets – are increasingly willing to visit more than one store, picking up the basics at one supermarket, traveling to another for ethnic or gourmet foods, and completing their lists with online shipments.
Click here to see the 17 best supermarkets in America.
Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
