Costco, which is planning to enter the Dayton-area market with a store in the proposed Cornerstone of Centerville development, trailed ALDI, while Cincinnati-based Kroger was in the middle of the pack, ahead of Meijer. Walmart was ranked lowest among the dozen chains for satisfaction level. Half of the 12 chains measured have no presence in the Dayton-Springfield area.
Trader Joe’s — which operates a store in the Town & Country shopping center in Kettering — captured top honors for the second straight year, with Publix, a southern chain with no Ohio stores, second. ALDI and Costco rounded out the top four.
This isn’t the first consumer survey that Trader Joe’s has aced. The grocery chain scored among the highest in a national survey measuring the quality of customer service out of 246 U.S. companies in the 2013 Temkin Experience Ratings, based on a survey of 10,000 consumers by the Temkin Group, a Waban, Mass.-based consumer research company.
In the Market Force survey released this week, ALDI was ranked best in low prices, while Trader Joe’s was lauded as the top grocery chain for natural/organic choices and sustainability policies. Both chains won praise for courteous and fast service, as well as the quality of their private-label brands.
The region’s grocery market is becoming increasingly crowded, especially in Dayton’s south suburbs. That area already includes multiple Kroger and Meijer stores, three Dorothy Lane Market stores, Sam’s Club, Dot’s Market, Earth Fare and Trader Joe’s, and soon will include the Dayton area’s first Whole Foods store as well as proposed Costco and Fresh Thyme locations.
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