You may wonder how Chicago’s major supermarkets compare with those in the rest of the country. In the August 1997 cover story of Consumer Reports, “Rating the Supermarkets,” they’re in the middle.
Of 35 chains rated, Dominick’s ranked 17th, with a reader score of 73. Jewel/Osco came in 27th, with a score of 71. The highest-rated chain was Publix, with more than 540 stores in the South. It scored 83.
The main question in a survey like this is whether comparing chains nationwide is useful. Comparing Jewel/Osco in Chicago with Publix in Florida is of questionable value if shoppers can’t choose for themselves.
In the categories of “cleanliness,” “courtesy,” “checkouts” and “prices,” Dominick’s was in the middle. The only weakness noted was that the 85-store chain didn’t always have specials in stock. Though no specific strengths or weaknesses were mentioned for the 187-store Jewel chain, it rated slightly worse in “checkouts” and “prices.”
The magazine noted that ratings were based on responses of more than 19,000 readers to its 1996 annual questionnaire, reflecting their experiences during 1995 and early ’96. Each chain was evaluated by at least 200 readers.
Nancy Siler, manager of consumer affairs for Dominick’s, noted that the survey stated that only differences of four or more points are considered meaningful. So there is virtually no difference between Albertson’s, No. 10 with a score of 75, and Ralph’s, No. 24 with a score of 72.
The article also adds in fine print, “Most customers found even the lowest-rated chain to be good.” That’s saying a lot, because 75 percent of shoppers surveyed visited supermarkets at least once a week.
Stores don’t ignore this type of feedback. “Doing a better job of keeping specials in stock has been one of the areas that we had targeted for improvement,” Siler said.
Karen Ramos, director of public relations for Jewel/ Osco, noted that though there was a big difference in scores between chains at the very top and at the bottom, scores for those in the middle were very close. Regarding Jewel’s below-average scores for “prices” and “checkout” she said, “Our customers find our prices to be very competitive with other chains in the marketplace, and we’re always working to improve our checkout to make it as efficient as possible.”
Ramos also noted that although the article mentioned there could be privacy issues related to shoppers clubs, it’s Jewel’s policy never to sell or give away its customers’ information. And though readers reported pricing errors, Jewel offers a guarantee that if a scanning price doesn’t agree with a shelf price, the consumer gets the item free.
The story drew some interesting conclusions. “Many consumers are prepared to pay premium prices for high-quality food sold in a store that’s clean and that offers fast, courteous service, especially at the checkout.” And, “If you want rock-bottom food prices, you’ll have to sacrifice some shopping pleasantries.”
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Send e-mail to Phil Lempert at PLempert@Tribune.com
