Costco’s reputation is best in the market: poll

There has been a major shuffle in the Axios Harris Poll 100 when it comes to grocers.

According to the global consulting and marketing research firm, its 25^th Annual Reputation Quotient top 100 has a new top grocer, and it’s Costco. The company jumped 24 spots from last year’s rankings to post an RQ of 82.1, just over a point shy of No. 1 Patagonia, Inc. (83.5). Any score which is 80 or higher is considered excellent. Aldi (No. 33, 77.6), Dollar General (No. 83, 68.7), and Family Dollar (No. 90, 65.6) also improved, while last year’s No. 1, Trader Joe’s, dropped to fourth (81.7), and H-E-B, Wegmans and Publix were removed from the list. CVS (No. 19, 78.7), Kroger (No. 27, 78.0), Walgreens (No. 39, 76.9), Target (No. 53, 75.2), and Walmart (No. 80, 70.3) were other notables.

Over 16,300 people were asked which two companies stand out as having the best reputation and which two have the worst. All the nominations are then compiled into an aggregate list to determine the “most visible” companies. Subsidiaries and brands are tallied within the parent company to create a total number of nominations for each company. A second set of respondents then rates the 100 most visible companies on seven dimensions of reputation (Culture, Ethics, Citizenship, Trust,
Vision, Growth, and Products & Services) to calculate the company’s RQ score.

Related:5 things you might not know: Costco

Costco finished first in Culture, Trust, and Growth, and second in Vision. Trader Joe’s took third in Citizenship, Vision, and
Growth. CVS’s highest ranking was ninth in Citizenship. Costco also was the top performer in the following demographic categories: GOP and Suburban. It was third among Millennials and fifth with Baby Boomers. Trader Joe’s was No. 1 with Democrats and second with Baby Boomers. The retailer also was third in the Urban category and fourth in the Suburban category.