Consumer Reports ranks top supermarkets - Business ? cleveland.com

Wegmans Food Markets tops Consumer Reports' latest list of America's best supermarkets, according to 32,599 shoppers.

Trader Joe's, Costco Wholesale Corp. and Whole Foods Market, which each have two stores in Northeast Ohio, also made the magazine's top 10.

"Most stores manage to please most people most of the time," said senior editor Tod Marks, via phone from Yonkers, N.Y. "Having said that, the fact is that there are better chains and there are not-so-good chains."

The ratings, in the May issue of the magazine at newsstands Tuesday, ranks grocers according to how often people rated them "excellent" in several key areas, especially service (staff helpfulness and checkout speed), perishables (meat, produce and baked goods), price and cleanliness. Consumer Reports' subscribers graded grocery stores they had recently shopped.

Wegmans, a 72-store family-owned chain based in Rochester, N.Y., was the only grocer to get top marks for service, perishables and cleanliness.

No. 2-ranked Trader Joe's, based in Monrovia, Calif., has more than 325 stores nationwide, including stores in Woodmere and Westlake. The magazine lauded Trader Joe's for its low prices and good service, but noted it "sells a narrow selection of mostly its own brands."

No. 7-ranked Costco, with 554 stores worldwide, far outpaced its warehouse peers Sam's Club (No. 38) and BJ's Wholesale Club (No. 42). The retailer, known for its high-end offerings and free samples, has stores in Avon and Mayfield Heights and is opening a third in Strongsville this fall.

Costco won high marks for its low prices, but the story said: "It and Sam's Club have minimal service, carry a limited assortment of mostly bulk items and charge $40 to $50 per year to shop."

No. 8-ranked Whole Foods, the nation's largest organic and natural grocer, has 270 stores worldwide, including locations in University Heights and Woodmere. Consumer Reports noted its "praiseworthy meat and produce," but added that it is "seen as more expensive than other stores with a national presence."

Aldi, at No. 14, has 1,000 stores nationwide, including 30 locally. "We're really proud of what we're doing," selling private-label foods "that are as good as or better than the national brands," said spokeswoman Tina-Marie Adams.

Giant Eagle Inc., the area's largest grocer with 91 supermarkets, ranked 46th on the 59-store list. While the company received average scores for service, perishables and cleanliness, it got a low score for price, meaning that "fewer people said their prices were excellent," Marks said.

Giant Eagle said the ratings didn't consider its Fuelperks gas discounts, $4 generic prescriptions and other programs. "Our organization has never been contacted by Consumer Reports to provide information or insight for their report," said spokesman Dan Donovan, via e-mail.

Smaller regional grocers, such as Marc's, Acme Fresh Markets, Heinen's Fine Foods and Dave's Supermarkets, may have been praised by shoppers, but they were not mentioned often enough to make the ranking.

Wegmans, Traders Joe's top list

America's 10 best supermarkets, according to Consumer Reports (bold denotes stores available in Northeast Ohio):

1. Wegmans Food Markets

2. Trader Joe's

3. Publix

4. Raley's

5. Harris Teeter

6. Fareway

7. Costco Wholesale Corp.

8. Whole Foods Market

9. Market Basket

10. WinCo Foods

Other Northeast Ohio grocers:

14. Aldi

20. SuperTarget

29. Sav-a-Lot

38. Sam's Club

41. IGA (Independent Grocers Alliance)

42. BJ's Wholesale Club

46. Giant Eagle

56. Wal-Mart Supercenter

SOURCE: Consumer Reports' May issue

Database Diva, Forum Leader & Moderator
Forum Leader for Aldi, Coupon Clearing House, Dollar Stores, Save-A-Lot, Tops, Walgreens & Wegmans

I LOVE WEGMAN'S!!!!!!

It is 1 of the things that i miss the most about living in upstate NY. Wegman's is more than a grocery store...it's hard to explain to people that have never been there!

Glad to see Harris Teeter at #5...they are the closest thing in the South to Wegman's!

Yeah, Wegmans is great! When I worked at BRU, I had to take some of the corporate people around the town and show them around. That was the first place I took them and they looked like kids in a Chuck E. Cheese

Database Diva, Forum Leader & Moderator
Forum Leader for Aldi, Coupon Clearing House, Dollar Stores, Save-A-Lot, Tops, Walgreens & Wegmans

I worked there (3 different locations) for about 4 years and love it! They treat their employees like family...and you get paid more than you would think a grocery store would pay. My brother worked there for about 7 years also.