Supermarket Satisfaction Ratings

Forget collectables, ALDI continues to dominate supermarket ratings

Australia’s biggest supermarkets have moved away from simply fighting it out over the lowest prices, with an increasing focus being placed on ‘value’ and the overall customer experience – not to mention miniature toys for every $30 you spend on groceries! Coles and Woolworths have made their respective “Down Down” and “Cheap Cheap” slogans far less prominent in recent years, while ALDI continues to differentiate itself on price, but at the same time promotes its products as being ‘good different’.

‘Good’ is certainly the supermarket buzzword of the day, but which chain really has the happiest shoppers at a time when quality is just as important as cost in the eyes of many? Competitive prices remain a big factor in determining where Australians shop, but consumers can also see the benefit of paying a little extra for quality when it comes to their favourite products in particular. Of course, the added bonus of mini collectables also helps get us spending a little more!

In Canstar Blue’s latest supermarkets review, almost 3,000 shoppers were asked about their experiences of buying groceries from their local store of choice, with their collective feedback forming our 2019 customer satisfaction ratings. Survey respondents were asked to score the supermarket they most recently visited on a range of factors relating to customer service & staff accessibility, store layout & presentation, the quality of their private label products, variety of products, freshness of fruits, vegetables & meats, value for money, special deals and overall satisfaction.

Best-Rated Supermarkets

Canstar Blue’s 2019 supermarket review saw the five biggest chains compared and rated in the following order for overall satisfaction:

• 1^st ALDI
• 2^nd IGA
• 3^rd Coles
• 4^th Woolworths
• 5^th Foodland

It’s the seventh time in nine years that ALDI has emerged victorious in our annual review. The only chain to stop ALDI has been Foodland in 2013 and 2017.

While ALDI was ahead of the pack with five stars for overall customer satisfaction again this year, every supermarket chain scored at least one five-star rating. Coles, Woolies and Foodland all got top marks for their variety of products, but ALDI was the only chain to get five stars for the quality of its private labels.

Foodland was rated best for store layout & presentation, while IGA earned the only five-star review for customer service. Foodland and ALDI were rated best for food freshness, but when it comes to value for money, ALDI was the clear winner.

What matters most to shoppers?

In addition to finding out which supermarket chains are rated highest, our research also identified what drives customer satisfaction at the checkout.

Supermarket loyalty & switching

With plenty of options available when it comes to getting your grocery shopping done, sticking to the same supermarket chain may not be the best strategy for your household budget. 28% of respondents to our latest survey said that they do all of their shopping with same supermarket chain, and responded with the following reasons when asked why:

• It’s the most convenient to shop at (e.g. close to home): 73%
• I’m familiar with the store layout and don’t want to change: 64%
• I like collecting rewards points with the supermarket: 57%
• I think it has the best quality products: 39%
• I think it is the cheapest: 37%

While 28% of Aussies stick to the same supermarket, one in five (22%) think they could save money by shopping elsewhere, and 10% have started to use a different supermarket in the last year. When asked why shoppers have switched, they responded with:

• To save money: 59%
• The new supermarket is now more convenient to get to (e.g. close to home): 29%
• I was frustrated by something at the old supermarket (e.g. lack of parking): 23%
• To buy better quality products: 22%
• To earn rewards points with the new supermarket: 22%

Supermarket private labels & the cost of basics

With the supermarkets introducing their own products into almost every aisle, the grocery shop often becomes a choice between supermarket-owned and branded products. 46% of respondents to our 2019 survey think supermarket private label products are good quality, a massive drop from 76% last year. In addition, 27% said they tend to buy supermarket private labels rather than big brands, down from 47% in 2018.

With plenty of competition equalling out the playing field, only 17% of respondents said the costs of basics such as milk and bread determined where they shop, compared to 33% last year, implying that the usual suspects on the grocery list have less say than they used to. Survey respondents also seem to have more willpower, with only 37% making impulse purchases, compared to 58% last year.

• Average reported spending at the supermarket has remained fairly consistent with last year ($141 vs $137 a week).

Supermarket frustrations

Grocery shopping can be a struggle at times, particularly if you have kids in tow, or you’re rushing to grab something quick for dinner. We asked survey respondents for their biggest pet peeves when the weekly grocery shop comes around, with queues at the checkout the biggest issue for shoppers.

• Queues at the checkout: 18%
• Items I want being sold out/unavailable: 15%
• Other customers (e.g. blocking the aisle, getting in the way): 13%
• Self-service machines: 7%
• Having to bring my own shopping bags: 6%
• Trying to find a car park: 6%
• Not being able to find a staff member to assist: 6%
• People using the wrong lane (e.g. too many items for 10 items or less): 5%
• Store layout/not being able to find what I want: 4%
• Store opening/closing times: 2%
• Checkout operator talking too much 1%

Despite the lengthy list of gripes, 15% said they have no supermarket frustrations.

Supermarket Plastic Bag Ban

With supermarket chains phasing out and eventually banning single-use plastic bags at the checkout last year, shoppers were divided, with some praising supermarkets for being more environmentally-friendly, while others weren’t happy about having to pay extra for a multi-use bag. In our latest survey, 72% of all respondents agreed with the plastic bag change.

23% of respondents said that bringing their own bags to the supermarket every time is a hassle, while 36% stated that they had always brought their own reusable bags to the shops, even before the plastic bag ban. 57% would also like to see supermarkets to do more to reduce plastic in other areas, such as food packaging, meaning there are still areas supermarkets can improve their environmental footprint.

Supermarket Phone Plans

Supermarket Chains

ALDI

German grocery giant and supermarket disrupter ALDI has again claimed top spot in these supermarket ratings. While ALDI doesn’t have the same number of stores as Coles and Woolworths, it’s fighting back against the duopoly with often lower prices, with its own brands offering real competition against the major brands stocked by other supermarkets. ALDI also offers something different with its ‘Special Buys’, one-off or seasonal products ranging from specialty foods to snow gear to luxury skin cream!

• Rated five stars for value for money, freshness of fruit and veggies, deals and specials, quality of private label products and overall satisfaction, ALDI was also rated four stars for the layout and presentation of its stores, plus the variety of products available. However, it got just three stars for customer service.

IGA

The Independent Grocers of Australia works by utilising group purchasing and marketing, while store management and ownership stays independent. More and more solo shops are joining the IGA name, which currently has more than 1,400 locations across Australia, from small corner shops to sprawling supermarkets. Many IGA shops also carry more local brands, speciality products, or imports for some different variety from your usual supermarket stock.

• Scoring the only five-star rating for customer service, IGA was also rated four stars for variety of products and overall satisfaction, with three stars in all remaining categories, including layout of store, quality of private label products and value for money.

Coles

One of Australia’s two biggest supermarket chains, Coles now stands as a publicly listed company on the Australian Stock Exchange, having previously been owned by the Wesfarmers Group, which now holds a 15% share in the business. Coles has more than 800 stores across Australia, meaning you’ll likely come across one on your travels. In addition to physical stores, Coles also offers online grocery shopping with the choice of ‘Click & Collect’ or home delivery, ideal for when you’re run off your feet.

• Coles was rated five stars for its variety of products, but four stars in the majority of categories, including value for money, deals and specials, as well as overall customer satisfaction. It also got three stars for customer service.

Woolworths

Often referred to as ‘Woolies’, Woolworths has around 1,000 locations around Australia, with its parent company – Woolworths Limited – also including Dan Murphy’s and Big W, in addition to a number of other smaller businesses. Similar to main rival Coles, Woolworths has ventured into the online market, offering an online grocery experience for time-pressed shoppers, as well as offering the Click & Collect pickup or home delivery service.

• Scoring similar results to Coles, Woolworths was rated five stars for variety of products and three stars for customer service, plus four stars in all remaining categories, including overall satisfaction.

Foodland

The South Australian chain stays true to its local values, with all Foodland branded products made in Australia, with over half of them made in SA itself. That means zero imported goods in the Foodland private label range. Outside of its stores, the company works to be an active part of South Australian communities by supporting local charities, schools and sporting clubs. Each Foodland supermarket is independently owned and locally-focussed – so you can get all the advantages of a large chain with the community focus of your old-fashioned local business. With over 100 stores in South Australia, there are a scattering of stores in both the Northern Territory and New South Wales.

• Rounding out the results this year, Foodland was rated five stars for freshness of fruit and veggies, as well as store layout and variety of products, with four stars for customer service, value for money and overall satisfaction. It was also rated three stars for deals and specials, along with quality of private label products.

About the author of this page

This report was written by Canstar Blue’s home & lifestyle journalist, Tahnee-Jae Lopez-Vito. She’s an expert on household appliances, grooming products and all things grocery and shopping. In addition to translating our expert research into consumer-friendly ratings reports, Tahnee spends her time helping consumers make better-informed purchase decisions on all manner of consumer goods and services, while highlighting the best deals and anything you need to be aware of.

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