Apparently, the America of 2026 is in the mood for cute totes and cheap wine -- lots of it -- because Trader Joe's just surpassed Publix and Costco as our favorite grocery store.
The American Customer Satisfaction Index just released its latest data, and it shows Trader Joe's in the top spot among grocery stores. It ranked high in convenient hours, ease of pick ups, digital trends like website ease of use and old-school markers like cleanliness and layout, freshness of produce and meat.
Trader Joe's was up 2% to hit the top, while Publix stayed the same as the year before in index data for the No. 2 spot. H-E-B was up one spot for third position, followed, in order, by Sam's Club, Aldi and Costco.
The survey comes from 30000 customers at grocery stores across the U.S.
Supermarket News reported Trader Joe’s score of 86 "allowed it to overtake last year’s leader, Publix, which scored 84 for the second consecutive year. H-E-B ranked third and was the only other grocer in the top 10 to improve year over year, increasing its score to 83 from 82. Sam’s Club (fourth at 82), Whole Foods (seventh at 81), ShopRite (eighth at 79) and Target (ninth at 79) were among the top 10 that lost ground, each declining 1%."
“Given the retailer’s continued national expansion efforts, which can often strain operations and jeopardize consistency, Trader Joe’s manages to maintain its hallmark customer experience, reinforcing its strong brand loyalty even amid growth,” the study says.
Trader Joe's is known for unique products like its Joe O's and root beer float cookies, ketchup-flavored and ghost pepper-flavored potato chips, plenty of pumpkin spice seasonal items, a huge selection of low-priced cheeses, meats, crackers, and soups.