Trader Joe’s, Wegmans are tops in customer service

Customer satisfaction with retailers, especially grocers, is down overall, but Trader Joe’s, Wegmans Food Markets and Costco Wholesale are still delighting shoppers.

According to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) Retail and Consumer Shipping Report 2018-19, customer satisfaction with supermarkets sank 1.3 percent to an ACSI score of 78.

Trader Joe’s was the best at satisfying shoppers, with a score of 86, making it No. 1 among supermarkets—and all retailers, including e-commerce. Wegmans improved 1 percent to make it No. 2 with a score of 85.

Publix fell 2 percent to tie with Aldi (unchanged) at 84. Costco remained steady with a score of 83, but most other large chains faltered. Costco is the value leader among online retailers and its Kirkland brand may be part of the reason why, offering quality products at a lower price.

H-E-B slipped 1 percent to 82, and Sam’s Club (Walmart) dropped 2 percent to 80.

After holding the top spot since 2010, Amazon retreated 4 percent to 82. The Internet remains the preferred method of shopping for consumers despite falling 2.4 percent to an ACSI score of 80.

Whole Foods sank 2 percent to 79 despite its acquisition by Amazon. This puts Whole Foods in a tie with BJ’s Wholesale Club (down 1 percent), Hy-Vee (down 2 percent), Kroger (down 2 percent), ShopRite (unchanged), and the combined score of smaller supermarkets (down 2 percent).

The biggest decrease goes to Southeastern Grocers, which fell 3 percent to 76. However, Walmart continues to sit at the bottom, dropping another 1 percent to 72.