The Most Popular Grocery Store By State

I'm a Publix man myself, if I do say so!

This is so WRONG!!! Safeway in California??? Not Gelson's?? In Maine, Hanafords, for sure!! Publix & Wegmans are good calls though...

I don't think the numbers on the top of the graphic match the map. It's late and my 50 year old color blind eyes can't entirely be trusted, but I don't see 11 states with Kroger logos or 10 with Albertson's.

I love Publix but I can walk to a Food City so I go there. My state is a “Kroger” state but my specific county doesn’t have any and we are closer to a Publix state.

Safeway is Vons/Pavilions is Southern California, you stupid cow! And the most northerly Gelson’s is in Santa Barbara.

Kroger is nasty

I can't believe Acme is the market leader in Delaware, or anywhere for that matter. They used to be #1 in Philly, but their prices are so damn high, they've lost market share to Shoprite, Wegman's and Giant and as s result have closed a lot of stores in the last few years.

HEB!

Founded in 1905 and HQ in San Antonio, HEB has 380 stores in Texas and Mexico. Many of the stores have working tortillerias, where cute abuelitas make mouth-watering tortillas that are still warm as I drive away.

Heaven.

I was once driving near a Shoprite when traffic slowed to a halt. There was a line of cars waiting to enter the parking lot. It was during the week in the middle of the day, yet it looked like Black Friday. No thanks. I don't care how low their prices are, I'd rather pay more and have a pleasant shopping experience.

R5, "moo"... (I know you speak my language, fatty!) And PS, Vons is gross and no one cares about anything north of Santa Barbara these days.

R7, is Genaurdi’s still around?

Why is "Moo & Oink" not listed in Illinois?!?!

I know Hyvee is from Iowa and Minnesota would be a natural place to expand, but I'm still surprised it's the most popular in Minnesota. Granted I left way back in 1992, when I don't remember Hyvee at all. Even going back over the years, I don't remember seeing it a lot, but I really wasn't looking. Did Hyvee buy a chain with a lot of Minnesota stores at some point?

Most popular just means most saturated. I do Kroger, but my heart is with Aldi’s & Giant Eagle.

I don't believe this chart for a second. Safeway is the WORST grocery story, universally loathed in Portland, and I can't believe it's popular in the rest of the state. The one closest to me we call the 70s Uzbekistan store

In Southern California you won’t see a Safeway but you’ll see a Vons under the Safeway umbrella.

Isn't there a Safeway on Wilshire, R16?

Fuck off, Brenda Dickson at r10. Gelson’s not giving you free “potatoe” salad. If you keep mentioning them on the internet.

Go fuck with your Instagram filters and let the employed people talk.

I live in New York City and don’t recognize any of these.

Where's Piggly Wiggly?

[quote]I live in New York City and don’t recognize any of these.

Well now, aren't we just so worldly living in the center of the universe.

Piggly Wiggly is down below.

I'm shocked I didn't see Food Circus, the #1 store in the Tri-State area, but they've gone downhill since MOP removed all the porn.

I miss the supermarkets of my childhood-

A&P

Finast

Grand Union

Pantry Pride

Hillls

Daitch Shopwell

I only shop at Food Circus

Didn't Naomi Harper work at a Food Circus?

ACME

PATHMARK

Giant based in MD and Giant in PA are different stores with different logos.

I worked at an MD Giant one summer in the '90s and rung up Ted Koppel's mushrooms wrong, I mistook porcini for shiitake.

[quote][R7], is Genaurdi’s still around?

R11, I'm not R7, but no, Genuardi's was bought by Giant around 10+ years ago.

Huh: I had no idea Fry's Electronics had a food component, but there's a Fry's Foods in Arizona with an identical logo font.

Also, Giant may be PA's favorite now, but Wegmans just opened up shop there and HOLY FUCK is it awesome! (My mom lives next door to one & texted me pics in excitement.)

R8, I'm not normally a dictionary bitch, but the correct spelling is H-E-B. It is ALWAYS spelled that way in their marcom & media. The three letters together is only one away from a Jewish slur.

R19, did you miss the huge news about the Wegmans taking over the original Wanamaker's on Astor Place? I'm sorry your favorite ghetto-ass Key Foods isn't on the list, but tough titties.

H-E-B certainly has a cult following in Texas.

They've just moved into the Dallas-Fort Worth market recently and every store they open is mobbed for the first few weeks and is consistently busy thereafter. Unlike in South Texas, where they have stores in small towns and big cities, in DFW they place their stores in fast-growing cities on the outer fringes of the metro, not so much in the population centers. Dallas County, with a population of 2.6 million, will be getting its first H-E-B in the city of Irving in 2026.

R30 is a straight cunt, only cunts go down the list so not to leave any fucking person out, everyone go FF this r30 cunt

Walmart didn’t get mentioned, yet they have almost 25% of the grocery business in the U.S. Kroger has 10%. Something doesn’t smell right with this story.

[quote]Giant may be PA's favorite now, but Wegmans just opened up shop there and HOLY FUCK is it awesome!

R30, it has been a slow expansion, but Wegmans has been in PA for a while, since at least 2008. I used to shop at the Concordville store.

R31, you know your stuff! Houston didn't get its first H-E-B until about 25 years ago. It's since put Randalls nearly out of business – and in Dallas they still have Tom Thumb as well – and outperformed even Kroger. They just opened their new "urban model" in Austin this week: it's on the site of a former store & now has a parking garage, but that fucker is 150,000 sq ft! In the middle of the city!

R32, suck my left nut, and fuck royally off with the 'frau hysteria.

R33, you're correct about Walmart, but since it's likely the only fully nationwide chain, they may have excluded it from consideration. (Yes, I know Target & Costco are nationwide as well, but Target's groceries suck and Costco is too niche.)

I shopped at Giant when I lived in DC.

Wegmans has been in PA for a while - there's been an Erie store since 1993.

Giant must be on the Philly side of PA, since Giant Eagle is a near monopoly in Western PA.

R3 Kroger has multiple brands (not just the Kroger name/logo), which includes Smith's and King Soopers, to name two, so I think that somehow adds up to 11.

I went to Rouses while on vacation in New Orleans and was impressed. If they ever decided to expand they would do well, even against Publix or HEB.

I love HEB.

One of the things I do when I travel is visit grocery stores in other areas. I haven't made it to an HEB yet, but I've always heard that it's like the pinnacle of grocery stores.

I used to love Harris Teeter, but Kroger bought the brand, and it feels different now.

PA here. I have a Giant store virtually in my backyard!

"Genuardi's was bought by Giant around 10+ years ago."

Actually, the Genuardi's family sold the stores to Safeway in 2001. Safeway was hoping to expand to the Philly market since they already had stores in DC and Baltimore. Safeway operated the stores under the Genuardi's banner until 2011, when they sold some of the former Genuardi's stores to Giant, and some to Weis. The new owners retired the Genuardi's name and operated stores under their respective brand names.

I lived in NJ as a kid and we went to ShopRite so I can attest this is true.

Wegman's seems too specialty to be tops in New York. It's also recent to growth into the city. There's 49 Wegman's in New York, but Publix wins Florida with 898 locations.

People in Western PA are pissing themselves with glee as it's been rumored a Wegman's is coming to the suburbs of Pittsburgh.

I don't understand what 'popular' means. Does it mean it has the highest market share in the state? Or highest revenue? Or is it really the brand that customer prefer if they had the choice to pick their most beloved retail brand? OP, would be nice if you provided context.

[quote]Safeway is Vons/Pavilions is Southern California, you stupid cow!

And ALL of them are owned by Albertsons, you stupider cow!

I went to HEB in suburban Dallas when visiting friends. They had raved about it, so I did some grocery store tourism, and it was pretty fantastic.

Another reason Wal-Mart might not be included is because it's a not just a grocery store and is a full-fledged department store/general retailer. Yeah, I know that some of these grocery stores on the map also have more stuff than just groceries (pharmacies, plants, health and beauty, some home wares), but it's still nothing compared to Wal-Mart. There's no lawnmowers, bikes, electronics, or tires being sold at Hyvee.

R46, you're overthinking it. These "favorites" are likely the result of polling or selective sampling.

I live in nyc and I don’t even know what wegmans is

I don't like the monopoly Publix has in Florida. Having lived in both the Northeast and the South,I prefer Wegmans to Publix.

R50, take the 6 train to Astor Place. The entrance to Wegmans is directly off of the southbound platform, as was true for Wanamaker's & Kmart ahead of it. (Or you can enter at street level.)

Thanks r52. My comment was more to indicate surprise that the most popular market is something I’ve never heard of before. I don’t commute to grocery shop.

Agata is just up the street.

If Buccee’s got into the grocery biz, folks would lose their fucking minds!

Safeway is also Albertsons and Vons.

Kroger has a long list of chains under its umbrella (see Wikipedia link).

If they merge, one company will own a significant number of grocery stores in the US.

The most glaring omission is Walmart.

R56 True.

They must not be considering general department store/grocery store combinations like Walmart in that survey. If they did, I bet Meijer would have been #1 in at least one state (Michigan).

Rouses is overpriced, but they have a good bakery. I always get their chantilly cake for my birthday.

Food Lion Outlet

HARRIS TEETER

Wegmans is a good place to go if you want to feel like a human being when you shop.

Harris Teeter sucks and it’s just as trashy as Kroger now.

WMass has Big Y and that’s a nice smaller chain. Not super cheap, but the stores are well organized and have good local products.

Food Lion is the most uneven chain I’ve ever seen. There are two nice ones and two horrible ones in my hometown.

They aren't R57, and their absence makes the map/survey dumb/misleading

[quote]Walmart currently holds a 21.4% market share over the last year, an increase from the year before when it claimed 20.8%. Kroger comes in at No. 2 at 8.9%; however, the grocer’s market share has dropped over the last three years after it held a 9.5% share between July 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022. Costco (8.3% market share), Albertsons (5.5%), and Sam’s Club (4.3%) round out the top five.

Jewel

(Customers first! Customers first)

Dierbergs

Big V

Welcome to Safeway where your meat has been thawed slowly in the White Claw aisle, refrozen, and then placed before you with the “5% off when buying two” sticker.

Our cameras hate you, so no fast moves - unless we want you out of the bagging area.

Remember; there are many forms of theft.

Big Y is a nice chain of grocery stores in CT/MA. Stop & Shop is hit and miss, depending on the location.

I'm rich but I do 80% of my grocery shopping at Aldi.

Big Vag

The summary on top of the map doesn’t match the map.

What is Aholt Delhaize? Top says it leads in 9 states, but it isn’t on the map once.

ShopRite is generally great, but they lag in produce.

Aholt owns Giant, Food Lion, Hannaford and Stop & Shop.

Wakefern is ShopRite's parent. The 300 + stores are family-owned. Founded in 1946 when Newark grocers complained to Del Monte salesman about high prices. He suggested creating a co-op to buy in bulk.

Jewel sucks moose balls and their customer service is dreadful.

I miss Big Bear & Super X.

Stop & Shop doesn’t have any stores in Maine. Hannaford and Shaw’s are the main chains up there, so the map is wrong. I don’t know how Food Lion could be anybody’s favorite anything in VA or NC. They seem like more of a small town grocer and there are other more dominant chains like Wegmans, Giant and Harris Teeter in the populated areas.

Is this “favorite’ meaning most-liked, or just the biggest?

Context, OP?

For r13 - I live in the Twin Cities and I refuse to believe HyVee is our most popular grocery store over Cub. For one thing there is not a single HyVee in Minneapolis OR St. Paul proper, whereas their are multiple Cub stores in both cities. There's a handful of HyVees in the 'burbs, but Cub is everywhere.

Also, HyVee gives trashy Iowa vibes and their stores are not well run. Cub is a much better experience.

It’s not the biggest in Illinois, but I fell in love with Berkot’s - they sold duck and rabbit (in season; there’s a season for healthy rabit!).

Unfortunately, they revamped their bakery; they once had old-style German and Norwegian shit that delighted the evil old people in my family. Now, it’s white cake covered in lard.

How do you Bostonians feel about Star Market?

Stah Mahket

I'm western Mass, and Stop and Shop is my jam. I have the loyalty card and they usually have all the things I want, including specialty vegetarian and vegan items. Whole Foods is just down the road but I only shop there a couple times a year these days. I prefer the Co-Op over the bridge but I hate driving tht far anymore just to grab some groceries. And Stop and Shop delivers.

I'm surprised Harris Teeter isn't #1 in North Carolina. I loved their stores when they came to Atlanta, even better than Publix and especially more than Kroger. But they just couldn't compete and eventually closed up all their stores and fled like the wind. But then, nasty Kroger bought them back in 2014 so I'm relatively sure their quality has gone down.

Jesus, you bitches know a lot about grocery stores -- bless! When I lived in Cambridge (MA) I shopped at Stah Mahkit because there was one about two blocks away. I live in SF now and shop at Safeway. The one closest to me used to carry everything I needed pretty much, but some of the staples I like they no longer carry for reasons unknown. So I have to go to Mollie Stones (nice but waaay too spendy) or little local mom-and pop stores.

Does Treasure Island still exist in Chicago? What about Marinaro's or whatever it was called that replaced Dominicks?

Here in my town we shop at Pussy’s

^^^Can you just go in and grab what you want if you're a famous celebrity?

Also in WMass, there’s the mini chain, Guidos. The Great Barrington location is a mob scene but it does have a nice selection of prepared foods and the meat counter is nice.

It's hard to believe Oregon isn't Fred Meyer (Kroger). There's a Fred Meyer in practically every town here, and as mentioned above, Portland-area Safeways, at least, are garbage.

I lived in Oregon for fifteen years. It's gotta be Fred fucking Meyer. Although....come to mention it, there were actually three Safeways in Eugene and only two Freddys. This is breaking my brain!

[quote]Also in WMass, there’s the mini chain, Guidos. The Great Barrington location is a mob scene but it does have a nice selection of prepared foods and the meat counter is nice.

"Mob?" "Guido's?" A little too on the nose.

Michigan should be Meijer

Publix is a cult . Only in Flawduh can this understocked,overstaffed,overpriced grocery become a redneck frau Shangri-la

Wegmans must be further out in NYS. Where I am (Hudson Valley) Hannaford is the big name. It's actually a decent store and the people who work at our nearest location are great.

[quote] "Mob?" "Guido's?" A little too on the nose.

My college roommate married the daughter of the (alleged) Godfather of western Massachusetts. He was in prison, but his absence from the wedding was never explained to the groom’s guests. We didn’t find out the truth until after the divorce. I would have enjoyed the wedding so much more had I known.

Carry on.

Once upon a time, the best wedding venue you could attend was any hall located in Cicero, Illinois.

Cicero had a policy of no cops (along Western), no problems (assuming drugs were purchased locally), and no hassle as long as money was spent.

Gelson’s has the best potato salad.

R96 In Cicero, people knew their place and the bars we’re open 24/7.

Were* I was spelling like a Ciceroan

Bi-Mart has everything I ever wanted

Hairy Tits

Ewww, not supposed to have hair. Either hairy and titless, smooth and titful. Latter isn’t my thing on men.