Walmart

A reader survey published by Consumer Reports magazine on US supermarkets reveals that Wegmans came top in terms of consumer satisfaction. More than 27,000 readers ranked the country’s 55 biggest retailers on a number of categories, namely service, perishables, prices and cleanliness.

Wegmans Food Markets was rated the number one with an overall rating of 88 out of 100, while Walmart, America’s largest grocer, came last in the pole with a score of 67. Trader Joe’s, Publix and Costco also ranked highly.

Speaking to the Democrat & Chronicle, Jo Natale of Wegmans said: “We have always believed that if you meet the needs of your employees they will in turn take care of your customers. That has been the central philosophy of this company for many years and it has a proven track record of working.”

Tod Marks of Consumer Reports said that while many people were drawn to Walmart because of its low prices, many people surveyed found that prices were as low or even lower at other chains.

The survey revealed that while most shoppers were satisfied with their current supermarket, more than 50 per cent had at least one gripe and nearly one-third had two or more problems. The leading complaints were long queues at checkout, congested aisles and poor product selection.