Top 10 Retail Chains

Consumer Reports lists the top 10 retail chains in its March issue as follows:

1. Costco
2. Kohl's
3. JC Penney
4. Target
5. Macy's
6. Meijer
7. Sears
8. Sam's Club
9. Kmart
10. Walmart

In case you're wondering, the rated the stores based on quality, selection, value, checkout, service, and layout.

Here's my take on each of these:

1. I love, love, love Costco -- it's one of the companies I would (and do) promote for free.

2. We shop a lot at Kohl's for clothes and tennis shoes.

3. I haven't shopped much at JC Penney in the past several years. Not sure why I haven't...

4. I think of Target as "the upscale Walmart." We're in one at least once a month.

5. Really? I hate Macy's.

6. We shop at Meijer more than any other store on this list. I love their stores. Plus their charges ring up as grocery purchases so I earn 6% cash back on purchases there using my Blue Cash Preferred card. I also get 6% back on all the gift cards I buy there (Panera, Chilis, gas at Meijer stations, etc.)

7. I hate Sears more than I hate Macy's. Way more. I do not know how they made it into the top 10.

8. I haven't been into a Sam's Club in years since I belong to Costco.

9. Kmart is in the same boat as Sears IMO (since they are co-owned.)

10. Personally, I like Walmart supercenters. The store by us is not a supercenter though and is a bit run down.

How about you? See any stores on this list you especially like or dislike?

Comments

[Matt]

My rate
1. Costco
2. Target
3.Kohl's
4.Walmart
5.Meijer

All the others are bleh, I can do without.

[Old Limey]

The only two on the list that we ever use are Costco & Kohls. One, not on the list, that I use a lot is Home Depot. When I need garden products I go there first and if I don't like their selection I go to a small nursery chain called Summerwinds where I pay a little more.

[JP]

Walmart, really? Consumer Reports needs to visit www.peopleofwalmart.com. Walmart is always a horrible experience.

Kmart sucks... according to Rain Man.

Surprised Meijer made the list as it's only located in 5 states.

[Bad_Brad]

I agree 100% on Costco. I love Costco.

I also agree 100% on Sears. I'm not even sure how they're still in business.

I know it's not a bricks and mortar retailer, but Amazon should be on this list somewhere. Anytime I'm about to buy an item at a bricks and mortar store, I always check Amazon for a quick price benchmark, as well as to read product reviews. Amazon has done more for the consumer of products than any company on the list, IMHO.

[Jeffinwesternwa]

KMart and Sears, what R these people smokin?...KMart is always dirty, outa stock and priced higher than Wal MArt. Sears,? ...there time has come and gone, hard to find help, high prices, do they sell anything other than toold and appliances anymore ? LoL.... the NEW Walmart Supercenters are amazing, clean, safe, great everyday prices and selection, should be #1! I'd add Fred Mayer (Kroeger) to the list IMHO...

Costco for jewelry and electronics and few other items but overall, I find they are expensive exccept on their private brands.

[BD]

JC Penney can have some insane sales from time to time. I've bought sweaters there for $2. That's thrift store prices!

I love Kohl's for clothing though. They consistently have good sales, and good quality clothing that's totally affordable.

And the Walmart Supercenter is a staple of life, of course.

Those are the only three stores I use out of this list. (If I could, I'd use Costco too, but there isn't one close to here).

[Alex]

Meijer is awesome. Walmart opened a supermart across the street from one in GH and it can compete with Meijer.

[KH]

My list?

1. Target! We have 2 supertargets in my town. I buy everything except groceries there (their produce is not fresh), the styles are good, the store is attractive, the prices are reliably good on everything. Housewares, drugstore items, kids clothing, clothes for me, electronics, kids toys--I love the 1 stop shopping & awesome return policy! I'm a single mom with a full-time job, I only have a limited amount of time for errands.

2. I'm a once-per-year or less shopper at Sam's Club (I just go there for printer cartridges but unless I need vast quantities of discount groceries I don't bother with their other stuff because it is mostly just junky versions of branded stuff--not worth the money you pay for the label), Sears (kitchen appliances when I did a remodel 4 years ago but I haven't been there since), and Macy's (when I needed a new dress to attend my father's wedding). We just heard that the Sears store here is closing soon, oh well. Costco is finally building a store in my town so I'm planning on switching my Sam's membership to Costco instead. Our Penney's store is attractive and has good prices on decent quality stuff like clothing, but I usually buy these items at Target instead because Target sells the other things I need too.

That's it.

Kmart & Walmart in my town are depressing and poorly stocked with junky merchandise, dirty--ugh. Haven't been in either store for at least 5 years.

Kohl's sells poorer quality merchandise than Target that is also outdated and overpriced. And despite being a huge store they don't have much selection on most things, they are out of the most popular sizes/colors, and their stuff is dusty--it looks like has sat there for 6 months without selling. Having to find/carry their coupons to get the basic price which isn't even that good anyway is irritating and the store is located out or the way. I haven't bothered going there in years.

We don't have a Meijer in my town. I buy groceries at an upscale local chain (HyVee's) because they have a large selection & sell the freshest produce and also best cuts & selection of meat. We have several discount groceries in town that are slightly cheaper on many grocery items but I'd have to go to a different store for produce and I don't have the time for 2 grocery trips each week.

[joe]

ill be extremely honest,,and i hope i dont come across as ignorant,but ive not shopped at a Meijer store before,but i get good deals with my walmart card!

[Arimack]

My take is that the list must be a top and bottom list. My take:
1. Costco - Agree with what has been said. Best food period. Only issue is when you start buying something regularly (like kirkland grated parmasan cheese) it becomes a staple in your house, and then they stop carrying it for six months!
2. Kohl's - KH must have a bad store. It is our primary brick and mortar for clothes and shoes.
3. JC Penney - Wouldn't know. Have not found a reason to go to a JC Penny in a half dozen years.
4. Target - agree with the upscale Walmart idea. We go about twice a month.
5. Macy's - I might have walke thru Macy's last time I was in the mall because of parking but then again, the last time I was in the mall was a year ago.
6. Meijer - sounds great from what everyone is saying but we have none within a couple hundred miles of us.
So I assume this must be the bottom of the list (i.e. the worst retailers) because they could not be in the top ten:
7. Sears - aren't they dead yet?
8. Sam's Club - bulk Walmart.
9. Kmart - Like a low rent version of Sears (aren't they dead yet!) that makes Walmart look nice.
10. Walmart - I have, reluctantly, gone to Walmart a few times in the last year and every time my opnion has been reinforces. I end up asking myself, "Why did I come here?"

[KJ]

1. Costco - I had never seen one until after our recent move. The prices are more expensive food wise than what I can get other places except for possibly electronics which we don't buy frequently.
2. Kohl's - I've never been as satisfied with the quality, style, and fit of their clothing over other stores. I shop here very infrequently.
3. JC Penney - I grew up shopping at JCPenney's and was happy with their styles, quality and fit. Some small stores in small towns have poor selection, but overall I've been happy with my purchases.
4. Target - I grew up loving Target. Their clothing has always seemed of poorer quality to me, but I haven't purchased clothing from them in years. I recently moved from a small town with no Target to a larger city with two Targets and I still don't go that often because it's on the other side of the city and I don't like spending an hour in the car with a 19 month old for a 10 minute shopping trip.
5. Macy's - Always seem expensive and I don't like walking through the stinky perfume to get in the door.
6. Meijer - Never been in one. We don't have any locally. (My husband is military and I do the majority of my grocery shopping at the commissary on base.)
7. Sears - We have some tools from here that were gifts from my father in law, but I don't shop here myself.
8. Sam's Club - I grew up with Sams Club and enjoyed making trips here for the samples. We bought organic milk and bulk batches of produce and other frozen foods here. We also used their gas pumps because they were convenient and competitively priced.
9. Kmart - The only one I remember being in closed down when I was still quite young. We never shop here.
10. Walmart - I've been in nice upscale ones and run down dirty ones. They generally are okay. I make about a once month run for miscellaneous household items.

[Wilson]

My two cents:

1. Costco: Out of all the wholesale clubs, I like Costco the most. However, I do not think that many of their prices are competitive unless buying two years' supply of certain items. At that point, is the $0.25 cents in savings really worth it?
2. Kohl's: Love Kohl's! In the last year I have bought 5 dress shirts for a total of $12. They regularaly have them on clearance for $1.20-4.80 each.
3. JC Penney: Over priced. However, I am interested in visiting one since they have changed their pricing strategy.
4. Target: I like Target when looking for trendy or decorative items. However, they grocery section is lacking.
5. Macy's: No opinion.
6. Meijer: Never been in one.
7. Sears: I like Sears when considering work tools or appliances.
8. Sam's Club: A little less appealing than Costco.
9. Kmart: The one time I actually bought something at Kmart, was for 80% off sale at a local store closing. Otherwise, every time I went to the store it was always trashed.
10. Walmart: Sadly, I primarily shop at Wal-mart due to convenience of it being 1 miles from my house. Aside from purchasing sale items at Publix, I do my grocery shopping here. Unless of course, I'm looking for meat.

[Sarah]

My personal take:

Costco - we joined this year, but never use it because of their CC policy. We do not have an American Express, and prefer to use a credit card in stores. We will not be rejoining.

Kohl's - dislike. They do not carry women's talls, and they do not carry business clothes for women.

JC Penney - Love it. This is my go to for work separates. They reliably have tall sizes, and decent quality.

Target - Love it. Consistently have the lower prices when I compare with Walmart, plus the stores are cleaner.

Macy's - Not a huge fan - the prices seem expensive for what seems to be not-great quality.

Meijer - Coming from Michigan originally, I miss Meijer. There is no store near me that holds a candle to meijer when it comes to produce and general merchandise selection.

Sears - Every once in a while I walk through Sears. I never find anything I like there.

Sam's Club - ok. probably will buy a membership there again. or possibly BJs. All the same in my mind. The only reason we are switching from Costco is because of Costco's credit card policy.

Kmart - usually dirty, with sub-par merchandise.

Walmart - usually dirty, sub-par merchandise, more expensive, and low selection. For example, I went in looking for a humidifier, and found one model in the entire store. Went across the street to Target, found a row full of them, plus the one model that walmart had was cheaper at target. (BUT their generic disposable diapers are the best).

[lew]

Sarah - Your JCP must be an exception - mine does NOT reliably carry talls. Kohls carries Lee in talls. We women over 5'10" have a major disadvantage.

As to the list -
Kohls - Great sales, but gotten too trendy
Target - Great for teenagers clothing, most other items are more competitive with Home Depot/Lowes/grocery store than WM
JCP - Ours has gone downhill in the last few years - more juniors, petites and women's sizes, less "real people" clothing.
No Costco, Meijer or Kmart
Sears - ours is disgusting and I can't imagine finding one thing in there I would wear
Sam's Club - Ours is so geared towards the small convenience store owner it's not worth going in
WalMart - unfortunately, my go to store. But like Sam's Club, tend to carry something until you get hooked, then quit!

[Sarah]

Lew - actually I think I a lot of stuff from their websites but I usually purchase worthington brand and they have a few talls in the store. I have never found talls at Kohls but I usually shop for work clothes, not jeans.