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The 10 Most Popular Grocery Chains in the U.S.

Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods? Uncover the grocery store chains Americans can’t get enough of.

ByCaLea Johnson|
Whole Foods is one of America‘s favorites.
Whole Foods is one of America‘s favorites. | LPETTET/GettyImages

No matter the shopping technique, we all have to get groceries from somewhere. But which grocery stores do people in the U.S. love most? The answer is in data analytics firm YouGov’s recent ranking of the most-loved chains.  

Food & Wine reports that YouGov’s researchers interviewed 1220 people in the U.S. from October to December of last year to gain an accurate representation of the nation’s opinion. Ranking is based on two main criteria: “fame” (the number of respondents that have heard of the chain), and “popularity” (the number that rated it favorably). Convenience store chains that also sell groceries were included in the survey as well. 

Believe it or not, 7-Eleven is the top pick among the general public. Although it’s better known for its gas and convenience food items over its fresh groceries, it’s more popular than any other brand on the list. Sixty-five percent of participants like the chain. 7-Eleven is also the most famous chain, with 97 percent of the interviewees having heard of it. That’s no surprise since it’s one of the world’s largest franchises. In the Japanese market, 7-Elevens hew closer to the traditional grocery store model, and U.S. stores are now trying to emulate this by stocking fresher, seasonal inventory. Only 8 percent of people dislike the franchise, while 24 percent feel neutral about it.

Trader Joe’s is the second most-loved grocery store, with 64 percent of people liking the place. It’s also pretty well-known, with 94 percent of respondents recognizing it. Trader Joe’s is famous for its snacks, with customers rating their Chili & Lime Flavored Rolled Tortilla Chips and the Hold the Cone! Mini Ice Cream Cones highly. Just 5 percent dislike the store, and 25 percent of people are neutral about it.

Whole Foods Market concludes the top three entires on the list. The franchise used to have incredibly high prices, even earning the nickname “Whole Paycheck.” However, some sources have found that it’s possible to save money by shopping at Whole Foods over other conventional grocery chains. This change may be part of the reason why only 8 percent of the interviewees in this study dislike the store, while 61 percent think positively about it. Moreover, Whole Foods is pretty famous, with 95 percent of people having heard about it. Twenty-seven percent are indifferent about the store. If you count yourself among the chain’s fans, you may be interested in these nine secrets from Whole Foods employees. 

Here are the rest of the most popular grocery chains in the U.S:

  1. 7-Eleven
  2. Trader Joe‘s
  3. Whole Foods Market
  4. Aldi
  5. Kroger
  6. Circle K
  7. Publix
  8. Fresh Market
  9. Safeway
  10. Sprouts Farmers Market

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