Revealed: The Best (and Worst) Grocery Stores in America

(KMDL-FM) Why do you shop for groceries where you shop for groceries? For many people in Louisiana, the first answer they would offer would be "price." That certainly ranks high among our reasons for shopping where we do, but the truth of the matter is that you shop where you do because of convenience.

READ MORE: National Retailer Confirms Two New Louisiana Locations

And after convenience, your main reason for shopping where you shop is familiarity. For those of us who do the grocery shopping regularly, familiarity with the store is a major key to our shopping satisfaction. In other words, we like to be able to find what we went into the store to find. If you've ever had your favorite grocery store change its floor plan on you, you know how disconcerting that can be.

Get our free mobile app

What Is the American Customer Satisfaction Index?

The American Customer Satisfaction Index has been looking at what makes consumers happy and what makes consumers unhappy since 1994. The Index tracks customer satisfaction trends for products and services. It currently researches over 400 companies across 40 different industries.

In the case of the ACSI study on grocery stores, the index looked at things like store hours, quality of meat and produce, the cleanliness of the facility, the courtesy of the staff, and the overall experience of shopping.

Do Any of America's Top Grocery Stores Have Locations in Louisiana?

The grocery store chain that earned the top spot in the ACSI study only has two locations in Louisiana. However, there are allegedly other locations already in the works. The chain that came in second in the ACSI study has no locations in Louisiana. The chain that came in third also has no locations in Louisiana. Although it did have a "pantry store" location in Lake Charles from 1996 to 2003.

Here are the identities of those three chains that we don't really have represented that well in Louisiana. They are, Trader Joe's at number one, Publix at number two, and H-E-B Stores out of Texas at number three.

READ MORE: Six Sneaky Tricks Grocery Stores Use to Get You to Spend More

We finally start seeing stores with Louisiana locations at number four when Sam's Club and Walmart show up on the list. Then come Whole Foods, Costco, and Aldi. Target earned a fairly high ranking on the list as well.

If you're wondering about local favorites such as Rouses, Super One, Brookshires, and others, the survey from ACSI typically focuses on larger national and regional chains. Those stores, for whatever reason, did not fit the criteria of the ACSI survey parameters.

But according to a different study commissioned by America Online, Rouses earned the top spot as Louisiana's favorite grocery store chain. Piggly Wiggly also ranked high in the AOL Survey.

But no matter what store you go to and no matter where you shop, just remember to wash your hands after you visit. Especially if you were shopping for these products and touching these things in the store.