A Definitive Ranking of Popular Grocery Store Chains
Photo by Rob Maxwell/Unsplash Food Lists grocery stores
If you’re like me, then the older you get, the more fun going to the grocery store becomes. What used to be a chore, a hassle, is now a highlight of my week. Restocking my ever-dwindling supply of chickpeas and checking for good deals on chicken thighs has become a reprieve from long to-do lists of tedious responsibilities. But not every grocery store promises the same experience. Some, with their high-quality store brands and checkout lines teeming with delicious snacks, are a joy to visit. Others, with their sterile environments and abysmally high prices, are the stuff of nightmares.
I’ve decided to rank some of the most popular grocery chains in the country, seeking to answer the question: Where should you stock up on vegetable stock, heavy cream and Oreos? Moving from worst to best, this is a definitive ranking of popular grocery chains.
13. Erewhon
I feel like hating Erewhon doesn’t even need a justification. You’d think somewhere charging $20 for a smoothie would try to make sure their food is actually good, but let’s be honest: Nobody is shopping at Erewhon for quality. It’s literally just about posting your grocery haul on social media. Not only is it too expensive for food you can definitely buy cheaper elsewhere, Erewhon is just objectively not a cool place to be.
12. Publix
Walking into a Publix feels like walking into an operating room. I’ve never been to a store with less sensual appeal. The produce is all freakishly perfect in appearance; the lemons are giving uncanny valley. Everything is too expensive. My eyes hurt from an unjustifiable amount of fluorescent lighting. It’s impossible to find a decent brand of soy sauce. But, alas, this nightmare of a store is still worth braving for a Pub sub, which I will stand by until death.
11. Whole Foods
I’ve always thought Whole Foods’ whole progressive schtick was cringey, but now that it’s owned by Amazon, it truly feels unconscionable to shop there. What, exactly, are we meant to be paying a premium for? If the idea of shopping at Whole Foods appealed to you in the ‘90s, it’s time to move on and find a local food co-op.
10. Star Market
I’d never been to a Star Market until I moved to Massachusetts. Now, there’s one only a block away from me, so I’m a frequent customer. Star Market is fine. It has the basics but nothing more. The quality is average at best. The prices are above average, also at best.
9. Safeway
Safeway has a similar vibe to Star Market. The prices are too high, and the quality is too low. My guess is that most people who shop at chains like this do so out of convenience. If it’s the closest option that has even a slightly decent supply of stuff you need, you’re probably likely to shop there relatively often, even if it’s not your favorite store.
8. Piggly Wiggly
Does Piggly Wiggly have an especially good selection? No. But Piggly Wiggly is iconic in the rural South for a reason: It caters to these communities. Piggly Wigglys have popped up in places where other stores tend not to be very accessible, so the chain has a dedicated, if small, cult following. I’ll admit that it does have a certain small town charm to it that you won’t get from most other chains.
7. Walmart
There are probably few companies in the world as deeply unethical as Walmart, with its long history of union-busting, poor treatment of employees and questionable sourcing practices. But at least it’s actually cheap for the people who shop there. Do I love giving my money to a company like Walmart? Of course not. But you better believe I was shopping there for those 88-cent cans of green beans in college.
6. Kroger
Kroger’s prices may not be as low as Walmart’s, but they’re not bad. The quality isn’t the best, but it’s also not bad. This chain is about as middle-of-the-road as it can get, but it’s still a marked step up from the ultra-expensive supermarkets that have little to offer despite the premium prices.
5. Costco
If you’re single and don’t have a family, shopping at Costco is kind of pointless—there’s no way you’re going to finish that massive container of spinach before it goes bad. But if you are shopping for more than two people, shopping at Costco is a great way to save money (and ensure you only have to go grocery shopping once or twice a month). Plus, who doesn’t want a hot dog for $1.50 after two hours of intense grocery shopping?
4. Trader Joe’s
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Trader Joe’s is the best place to shop for depression meals. There is no better place to shop when you don’t actually feel like cooking for days (if not weeks) at a time. That being said, Trader Joe’s loses points for the fact that it uses so much packaging for things that don’t even need packaging. Why can’t they just sell a loose cucumber?
3. Aldi
Aldi is the budget-friendly shopper’s dream. There aren’t a ton of different brand name products to wade through; most of the stuff you’ll find at Aldi is from its own store brand, and it tends to be a lot less expensive than most other grocery stores. It may not have all the bells and whistles that other chains do, but that’s what I like about it: its simplicity. Sure, you may need to go elsewhere for specialty products, but for an average week’s grocery shopping, it’s ideal.
2. H-E-B
There are so many reasons people love H-E-B. The low prices, large selection, solid store brand products and good-quality meat and produce are just a few of them. Their coupon system and frequent sample offers are also a hit.
1. Market Basket
Maybe I’m biased since I live in one of the few states where you can find a Market Basket, but this chain deserves all the hype it gets. Sometimes I wander the aisles of Market Basket pretending it’s 2018 again and I can buy a full week’s worth of groceries for $30. It has a wide range of great products available for noticeably less than any other grocery store in the area (in my area, at least).
Samantha Maxwell is a food writer and editor based in Boston. Follow her on Twitter at @samseating.