Trader Joe’s favored among local grocers

Trader Joe’s, known for its organic food, “Two Buck Chuck” and polite checkout workers, ranked the highest among grocers doing business in central Ohio, according to a national consumer survey.

However, for the second year in a row, Trader Joe’s is no longer the top grocer in an annual consumer study conducted by Market Force Information, falling behind Publix Super Markets and Wegmans.

Publix, which operates in the Southeast, and New York-based Wegmans, tied for first place in the survey of 12,700 consumers.

Among grocers that operate in Ohio, Aldi was ranked fifth, Costco eighth, Whole Foods 10th, Cincinnatibased Kroger 12th, Target 13th, Meijer and Sam’s Club were tied at 17th with Idaho-based Albertsons, and Wal-Mart was 23rd. Giant Eagle was not included in the survey.

Although Trader Joe’s was bumped from the top spot, the grocer did get the No. 1 ranking for most courteous cashiers.

Aldi was cited as the leader for value for money spent, while Whole Foods landed at the bottom in that category.

In other findings, consumers still love printed circulars and are using them more than ever. In fact, Market Force found that 82 percent use printed circulars at least weekly, a significant jump from 2016, when just 48 percent reported weekly use. In addition, a fourth of consumers shop at a specific grocer because of their circular promotions.

Consumer preferences for local and organic choices at the grocery store are holding steady, with 58 percent of shoppers indicating that locally sourced meat, produce and dairy products are important. Half said they prefer organic when given a choice, and 93 percent had bought organic produce in the past 30 days.

Only 11 percent of consumers have tried a meal-kit delivery service, where all the needed ingredients and a recipe are shipped directly to the home. Shoppers also are increasingly shopping online and picking up the order at the store; 26 percent were described are frequent users.