Costco, Walmart and Trader Joe’s thrashed as Southern chain is named America’s best grocery store

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Costco, Walmart and Trader Joe’s thrashed as Southern chain is named America’s best grocery store

Daily Mail
By MARTHA WILLIAMS
20 January 2026

An adored Texas supermarket chain has been ranked the best grocery store in America yet again.

H-E-B, which operates 435 stores across Texas and Mexico, has topped grocery data company Dunhumby's annual ranking of the 81 largest grocery stores for the fifth year in a row.

New England favorite Market Basket held on to second place, while Wisconsin-based Woodman's surged into the top three for the first time — pushing Costco down from third to fourth.

Aldi, WinCo Foods, Trader Joe's, Amazon, Wegmans, and ShopRite round out the top 10. Sam's Club fell six places after coming in eighth place last year.

Family-owned H-E-B, founded in 1905 when Florence Butt began selling food from the ground floor of her Kerrville home, has long enjoyed near-cult status in Texas.

Shoppers praise it for combining affordable everyday essentials with Texas-made brands and popular in-house products.

The study, in its ninth year, asked 11,000 shoppers how stores meet their day-to-day needs. They were asked if prices feel affordable, shops are easy to use, shelves stay stocked, and whether deals and loyalty perks genuinely help stretch budgets. Online ordering, delivery, and overall convenience also factor in.

Those shopper experiences are blended with financial results to produce Dunnhumby’s annual retailer performance index, a snapshot of which grocers are winning in today’s fiercely competitive $1 trillion US grocery market.

(more)
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/yourmoney/article-15470985/costco-walmart-trader-joes-heb-grocery-ranking.html

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

[berdie]

We are getting an HEB in a city about 40 miles from me. Truthfully, if it weren't for the hubbub I wouldn't care. But a friend and I are going just to see. It better be good. We are calling this our vacation.

[mountaineer]

Never been to one, but would gladly visit if ever in the vicinity of an H-E-B.
On the other hand, when I'm thinking of grocery stores, Costco, Walmart and Trader Joe’s aren't the first to come to mind. More like Kroger, Wegman's, Schnucks, Fred Mayer, Meijer, and the like.

[AllThatJazzZ]

We are getting an HEB in a city about 40 miles from me. Truthfully, if it weren't for the hubbub I wouldn't care. But a friend and I are going just to see. It better be good. We are calling this our vacation.

@berdie

I think you've told me before, but I'm old so...    What part of Texas are you in? I hope you get a great one! We got a piddly one, so if I want to partake of all the fullness of H-E-B, I have to drive about 20 minutes up the freeway. But I do love the store, so I guess it's worth it.

I was in Galveston a few months ago and thought I'd run by H-E-B and get some guac and a few other things. To my amazement, I learned that Galveston doesn't have one! Whaaaat? I guess I shouldn't complain about our piddly store.

[berdie]

@berdie

I think you've told me before, but I'm old so...    What part of Texas are you in? I hope you get a great one! We got a piddly one, so if I want to partake of all the fullness of H-E-B, I have to drive about 20 minutes up the freeway. But I do love the store, so I guess it's worth it.

I was in Galveston a few months ago and thought I'd run by H-E-B and get some guac and a few other things. To my amazement, I learned that Galveston doesn't have one! Whaaaat? I guess I shouldn't complain about our piddly store.

I'm about 70 miles east of Dallas @AllThatJazzZ . Small town I doubt you have ever heard of. Blink and you missed it...and I live in an incorporated area outside of town, rural area. But hey, they gotta get their tax $$ somewhere.

You are in south Tx, Right?

I hope the HEB opens soon...I really need to see what is going on. This is when you know you are officially old...you look forward to a new grocery store. 

[libertybele]

I'm about 70 miles east of Dallas @AllThatJazzZ . Small town I doubt you have ever heard of. Blink and you missed it...and I live in an incorporated area outside of town, rural area. But hey, they gotta get their tax $$ somewhere.

You are in south Tx, Right?

I hope the HEB opens soon...I really need to see what is going on. This is when you know you are officially old...you look forward to a new grocery store. 

Reminds me of a funny story ... this past summer my daughter and I were driving down the street and saw some new construction.  We were hopeful  that it was something  exciting as they had just put in an Outback Steakhouse.   So ... my daughter pulled into  the construction site and  asked the workers if they knew what was going in.

She came back ... shook her head and said they are putting in a freakin' Sherwin Williams - a damn paint store!  I laughed so hard ... so now it's become a joke whenever new construction goes in I kid her that it has to be better than a Sherwin Williams ... though ... since then we've been blessed (not) with a group of storage units.   

[AllThatJazzZ]

I'm about 70 miles east of Dallas @AllThatJazzZ . Small town I doubt you have ever heard of. Blink and you missed it...and I live in an incorporated area outside of town, rural area. But hey, they gotta get their tax $$ somewhere.

You are in south Tx, Right?

I hope the HEB opens soon...I really need to see what is going on. This is when you know you are officially old...you look forward to a new grocery store. 

@berdie

I'm in the Greater Houston area -- Astros Country!

I didn't remember you as being from the piney woods. I think my data base is full as a tick. You needn't feel odd about being excited about a visit to H-E-B. My cousin comes to North Texas from Virginia to visit her sister and insists on being taken to H-E-B. It's a scheduled part of her visit! 

Apparently word is out about H-E-B, and you can see videos of all kinds of people experiencing it for the first time. Below are videos of Europeans visiting. 



Portugese couple


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtGReeHUfVg



British guys


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ku2fLplpM0k&t=10s

[mountaineer]

The first time Mr. M and I visited Rochester, NY, we went into a Wegman's and were blown away by the huge variety of stuff, international foods, etc. Now I'm interested in going to H-E-B. Gotta plan a trip to Texas.

[The_Reader_David]

Never been to one, but would gladly visit if ever in the vicinity of an H-E-B.
On the other hand, when I'm thinking of grocery stores, Costco, Walmart and Trader Joe’s aren't the first to come to mind. More like Kroger, Wegman's, Schnucks, Fred Mayer, Meijer, and the like.

My thought, too:  Costo is a warehouse store not (just) a grocery store, Walmart isn't actually a grocery store chain, since smaller Walmarts (as opposed to "Super Walmarts") don't even have much by way of groceries.  Trader Joe's is, but it's sort of niche -- an inexpensive version of Whole Foods, but almost entirely its own house-brands.

(BTW Fred Meyer is actually Kroger -- well, what Kroger's called in the Pacific Northwest since a merger.)

[mountaineer]

(BTW Fred Meyer is actually Kroger -- well, what Kroger's called in the Pacific Northwest since a merger.)

Yes. I know I'm easily amused, but it was so exciting to be able to use my Kroger card at Fred's when we visited Portland several years ago. 

[roamer_1]

Never been to one, but would gladly visit if ever in the vicinity of an H-E-B.
On the other hand, when I'm thinking of grocery stores, Costco, Walmart and Trader Joe’s aren't the first to come to mind. More like Kroger, Wegman's, Schnucks, Fred Mayer, Meijer, and the like.

Yep. I'ma Kroger guy. Well, Smith's, which is Kroger out here.

Case sales... Bang-for-buck... Store brand is always acceptable and cheap. Big difference... 5 bags worth anywhere else is 7 bags at Smith's.

I'm a fan. 

As for HEB, No chance of that being up here anywhere in my lifetime. Never seen a Trader Joe's either.