Costco Takes a Big Hit in New Consumer Ratings as Trader Joe's Soars
New statistics from the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI)'s 2025 Annual Retail and Consumer Shipping Study shows which supermarkets Americans are happy with, and which ones aren't quite up to scratch—and some chains are taking a major hit, including the most popular store we've ever covered. Read on to see where your store ranked and which ones took a hit, in the new report.
Trader Joe's and Publix are Up, Costco and BJ's are Down
While Trader Joe's and Publix tie for the lead with 84 points (out of 100), Costco (81) and BJ's Wholesale Club (77) experienced significant drops at -5% and -6%. Costco also experienced a -2% dip in customer satisfaction for online retail.
"Though there wasn't much movement in retail customer satisfaction overall, we're seeing a clear divide emerge between brands that are meeting the needs and expectations of younger consumers versus those that are falling behind," said Forrest Morgeson, Assistant Professor of Marketing at Michigan State University and Director of Research Emeritus at the ACSI. "Factors like mobile shopping capabilities, website quality, and perceptions of value are becoming increasingly important, especially for the 18-25 age group, who expressed significantly lower satisfaction levels compared to older demographics."
Drops for Albertsons and Giant Eagle
Albertsons and Giant Eagle dipped -3% each, and Target dropped -2%. "Among customer experience benchmarks, ease of pickup process, convenient store hours and locations, and quality mobile apps all score 84 to lead the industry. The frequency of promotions (79), checkout speed (78), and call centers (76), on the other hand, receive the worst marks," according to an ACSI press release. "Along with Wegmans, only three grocers — Ahold Delhaize (up 1% to 78), Kroger (up 1% to 78), and Walmart (up 1% to 75) — experience satisfaction gains. This can be attributed mostly to improvements in quality and value."
Digital Growth for Costco
While Costco has traditionally been reticent about embracing new technology, this is changing under the leadership of CEO Ron Vachris and CFO Gary Millerchip. "We're pleased with the growth we saw in digital," Millerchip said, via PYMNTS. "It's outpacing our overall growth. We're never satisfied and we believe there's more work to do to improve the member experience. We know we are on a tech journey and the goal is to keep getting better and enhancing the member experience and in doing that work we can grow our digital experience." Millerchip acknowledges there is now a younger demographic of Costco customers who have different expectations.
"We're feeling very good about the underlying membership metrics, and membership growth remains very strong," Millerchip says. "We've seen some shift in more members coming through digital channels and there has been a reduction in average age of members because of that shift as well."
How Can Costco Improve, The Managers Ask
Vachris also has a positive outlook. "Our focus is on, 'How do we improve that member experience,'" he says. "We're finding it to be incremental to the business. We want to keep the experience as strong as we can for our members. We're working the back of the house on speed and stability and, in short order, people will see front of the house things come in."
Speaking of Changes, the Food Court is Switching From Pepsi to Coke
After months of rumors and speculation, it's official—Costco is bringing Coca-Cola products back to the food court, CEO Ron Vachris confirmed during a recent shareholder meeting. When asked if the food court was switching back to Coke, Vachris responded, "Yes, that is accurate," adding that the transition will take place this summer. Costco originally switched from Coke to Pepsi in 2013, a move that disappointed many members at the time, but now, the return of Coca-Cola is being met with excitement from shoppers and Coke fans alike. "Bout to switch from Sam's to Costco," one person commented on Reddit, while another quipped, "Finally. Took 'em long enough." Some customers are already making plans around the switch, with one saying, "I don't think I can quantify how many hot dogs I haven't purchased because I couldn't get a Diet Coke to go with them." Others are hoping for additional beverage options like Coke Zero. However, not everyone is satisfied—some members are calling for the return of other discontinued food court favorites like the Polish sausage and combo pizza. Despite the mixed requests, the legendary $1.50 hot dog and soda combo remains, and now that Coke is back, Costco's food court is expected to be even busier.
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