Publix ties for nation’s top supermarket chain in loyalty survey

Publix has long been regarded as the dominant supermarket in the Sunshine State, and now consumers around the country seem to agree that shopping at the Florida-based chain is a pleasure.

Publix, which by far has the largest supermarket share in the Bradenton-Sarasota area, shared first place in a customer satisfaction survey conducted by consumer experience company MarketForce.

In the survey of nearly 13,000 shoppers nationwide conducted in March, Publix tied with New York-based Wegmans, each receiving a 77 percent rating in MarketForce’s customer loyalty index.

Based in Lakeland, Publix had ranked No. 2 in the survey the past four years.

Trader Joe’s, which has locations in Sarasota, Tampa and St. Petersburg, was next at 76 percent.

There were seven attributes included in the survey, and Publix ranked first in four – fast checkouts, availability of items, ease of finding items and store cleanliness. It was second in two others: cashier courtesy and specialty department service.

The one attribute in which Publix didn’t fare well? Value for money. In fact, the chain didn’t rank in the top 15 for the category among 23 supermarkets.

Among other stores with locations in Manatee and Sarasota counties:

▪  Aldi was fourth at 68 percent;

▪  Costco tied for seventh at 65 percent;

▪  Whole Foods Market was 10th at 61 percent;

▪  Target was 13th at 56 percent;

▪  Winn-Dixie was 14th at 54 percent;

▪  Sam’s Club tied for 17th at 49 percent;

▪  Walmart was last at 31 percent.

Also, the MarketForce study found that printed grocery circulars are rebounding in popularity. Eighty-two percent of shoppers use circulars, a big jump from 2016 when 48 percent reported weekly use.

This story was originally published May 11, 2017 at 1:04 PM with the headline "Publix ties for nation’s top supermarket chain in loyalty survey."