CONSUMERS WEIGH IN ON BEST, WORST GROCERY STORES

Wegmans, Trader Joe's, Publix and Fareway earned top scores from U.S. consumers for having the best grocery store experiences, according to Consumer Reports’ 2011 Annual Questionnaire that rated customer satisfaction among 52 of the nation's major grocery stores. While most respondents were quite satisfied with their experiences, the survey also revealed some of the high-rated chains gave plenty of shoppers something to complain about.

The survey, based on responses from 24,203 Consumer Reports’ subscribers who made more than 42,695 visits to grocery stores, revealed more than half the readers had at least one complaint about their current store; almost one-third cited two or more. The biggest gripe overall: Not enough open checkouts (cited by 27% of shoppers), followed by congested or cluttered aisles and advertised specials that were out of stock. Other complaints included inept bagging, missing prices and scanner overcharges.

When it came to the worst shopping experiences, 75% of those surveyed had major complaints with Walmart Supercenter, Pathmark (Northeast) and Pick 'n Save (Wisconsin). Shoppers who frequented Walmart, the nation's largest grocer and the chain with the most shoppers in our survey, were most likely to be upset about the lack of open checkouts, out-of-stock regular items, indifferent employees, spotty pricing, and confusing store layout. Thirteen percent of respondents shopping at Pathmark said they'd been overcharged, almost twice the average rate in Consumer Reports survey.

National grocers Costco and Trader Joe's, along with Fareway Stores (Midwest) and Wegmans, earned props for offering quality meat and produce, a clean shopping environment, and very good or exceptional prices. All but Costco also earned the highest possible marks for service, defined as employee courtesy and checkout speed. Service is minimal at warehouse clubs such as Costco, and lengthy lines are a trade-off for day-in, day-out deals.

One-third of those surveyed said stopped shopping at their local grocery store—43% changed in search of lower prices; 25% cited poor selection, long lines or lousy food; 17% blamed employee rudeness; and 14% blamed the crowds.