A recent authoritative consumer survey in the United States has shown that Trader Joe’s has surpassed its competitor Publix and now ranks as the top favorite food and grocery supermarket among American consumers.
The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) is operated by ACSI LLC to measure nationwide consumer satisfaction with products and services. The latest data from this index reveals that Trader Joe’s is currently the most popular food and grocery supermarket in the United States, leaving Publix, a Florida-based retailer known for its iconic “Hurricane Cake”, behind in the top supermarket rankings.
According to the consumer survey data from ACSI, Trader Joe’s received a score of 86 out of 100, an increase of 2 points from the previous year, indicating that the fan base of this chain supermarket appears to be continuing to grow.
Publix scored 84 points, maintaining the same score as in 2025 when it was tied with Trader Joe’s for the top spot.
The ACSI ratings cover various aspects of the customer shopping experience, including checkout speed, convenience of store hours and locations, quality and freshness of meat and produce, as well as the overall layout and cleanliness of the stores.
A total of 19 companies were included in this year’s evaluation, and they were ranked based on their scores in these satisfaction measurement criteria.
However, Trader Joe’s is only leading in the western region. This is not surprising as the chain supermarket is primarily located in California, with over 100 stores just in that state, making it challenging to find in other regions.
In the northeastern region, Aldi, ShopRite, and Walmart scored equally. Aldi ranked first in the Midwest, second in the southern region after Sam’s Club, tying with H-E-B and Publix.
At the bottom of the ACSI list is Giant Eagle, with a score of 73, a 1% decrease from the previous year. This chain supermarket has stores in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland, and Indiana.
Notably, H-E-B, a Texas-based chain supermarket, ranked third overall on the ACSI list with a score of 83, up from 82 the previous year. According to a recent survey report released by the customer data science company Dunnhumby, H-E-B has been ranked first in their annual Retailer Preference Index for the fourth consecutive year, while Trader Joe’s ranked seventh and Publix did not make it into the top ten.
(Adapted from “Congress Hill News”)