Consumer Reports: Roundup of supermarket rankings

Here a few Web links on Consumer Reports rating of supermarkets by the publication's readers....

13 steps to save on groceries Main Street

Read the flyers carefully
Three quarters of people we surveyed rely on weekly circulars to find out what's on sale. That helps explain why the mere mention of a product in a flyer can send sales soaring by as much as 500 percent, even without a price reduction. Manufacturers might have paid for placement in the ad. Don't assume featured products are on sale.

Wegmans is tops Buffalo News
Wegmans has topped yet another national list—this time as the best of 59 national and regional grocery chains, according to a survey by Consumer Reports magazine.
“We’re absolutely thrilled,” said Wegmans spokeswoman Ann McCarthy.
Consumers were surveyed in such shopping criteria as service, perishables, price and cleanliness. Rochester-based Wegmans scored extremely well across each of those categories — except for price, which had a midrange rating — to snag the top spot. Its score, 87 out of a possible 100, reflects a highly “satisfying shopping experience,” according to the magazine.


Shoppers prefer smaller stores to Wal-Mart Reuters
Respondents said Trader Joe's, Costco, Market Basket, WinCo, Aldi Inc, and Supervalu Inc's Save-A-Lot had lower prices than peers, but were only "so-so" for perishables and service.
Wegmans and Whole Foods were better for meat and produce while Wegmans, Trader Joe's and Raley's earned high marks for service.
Wal-Mart, the chain where the highest percentage of survey respondents shopped -- 14 percent, landed near the bottom of the ratings, with low scores for service and perishables.