Love it or hate it, grocery shopping is one of those chores we all have to do. And since we have to do it so frequently, most people have a favorite place to shop. Some folks like to look for deals and discounts at stores like Aldi or Lidl, while others want the specific brand and specialty products at Trader Joe’s.
According to Eat This, Not That, a new YouGov survey reveals America’s most popular and favorite grocery stores…and some of them are not what we expected. At all. Two of the top ten, including the number one store on the list, are basically gas stations. Hold on to your coupon organizer because America’s favorite grocery store is 7-Eleven!
It’s a surprising choice, but the poll’s popularity scores are based on more than 20-million survey responses from folks all over the country. Millennials are the generation that gives 7-Eleven the highest popularity score of 65% and the convenience store chain is also most popular among men. Female respondents prefer the German-owned discount chain Aldi, which tied for second place overall with Kroger. Both Gen X and Baby Boomers prefer Kroger in the survey.
What I find interesting is that three of the top five grocery stores on the list (7-Eleven, Aldi, Trader Joe’s) are smaller than traditional supermarkets. Another convenience store, Circle K, also landed in the top ten below. Perhaps that says something about the way Americans want to shop for food.
America’s Most Popular Grocery Stores (YouGov)
- 7-Eleven – 62% popularity (% of people with positive opinion of store)
- Aldi – 61% popularity
- Kroger – 61% popularity
- Trader Joe’s – 58% popularity
- Whole Foods – 53% popularity
- Albertsons – 46% popularity
- Safeway – 45% popularity
- Piggly Wiggly – 45% popularity
- Circle K – 44% popularity
- Publix – 43% popularity