There is now a tie between Publix, Trader Joe’s for America’s favorite grocery store
Anyone who has strolled through the aisles of the grocery store in the few years can attest to the soaring prices of food and other household necessities. But more goes into choosing exactly which store you go to than just prices – things like customer service, location, convenience and the overall experience.
Those are among the things factoring into to a recent study on America’s pick for top grocery stores. The 2025 American Customer Satisfaction Index ranked people’s choices for the top grocery chains.
The study showed a tie at first place between Publix and Trader Joe’s. The 2025 results are similar to 2024 when Publix held the top spot but only by 1 point.
Here are the complete 2025 rankings:
1. Publix
1. Trader Joe’s
2. Wegmans
3. Sam’s Club (Walmart)
4. Whole Foods (Amazon)
5. H-E-B
6. Costco
7. Aldi
8. Target
9. Shop Rite
10. Meijer
11. All Others
12. Kroger
13. Hy-Vee
14. Ahold Delhaize
15. BJ’s Wholesale Club
16. Albertson’s
17. Walmart
18. Save A Lot
19. Giant Eagle
Grocery store choice varied widely by region. In the South, the top choices were H-E-B, Publix and Aldi while the West opted for Trader Joe’s and Costco. People in the Northeast chose Wegmans and Aldi while the Midwest had Sam’s Club first followed by Aldi second.
The benchmarks listed as most important to shoppers reflected the shift towards online buying with quality of mobile app and ease of pickup process listed as the most important factors in choosing a store, ranking as higher store locations and store hours.