3 On Your Side: Best And Worst Supermarkets
By Jim Donovan
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- If you're like most people, you probably do the majority of your grocery shopping at one supermarket. But is that really the best store for you?
Consumer Reports has released rankings of the best and worst supermarkets across the country. Fifty-two chains were rated by over 24,000 magazine subscribers. Wegman's came out on top, scoring 88 of a possible 100 points. Trader Joe's was a close second with score of 86. Costco was the third chain in our region to show up on the survey, with a score of 83, while Whole Foods ranked 4th in our area with a score of 81. Target, Giant, and Shoprite all received scores of 78, with ACME trailing behind at 73. Customers were most frustrated by Wal-Mart Supercenters, which only received a score of 69, and Pathmark was dead last, with a score of 68 out of 100.
The biggest gripe overall from supermarket shoppers? Not enough open checkouts, followed by congested or cluttered aisles and advertised specials that were out of stock. The report also detailed store traps that cause you to spend more, such as sneaky sale signs that read five for five dollars, implying you need to purchase the entire amount to get the discount, or bump out displays that curve out and catch the eye.
Other than switching stores so that you get a better experience, Consumer Reports also found that you can also probably save money by going against the grain and shopping clockwise, instead of the typical counterclockwise store arrangement. When researchers compared shoppers, they found clockwise shoppers spend about $2 less per trip.
