Consumer Reports' Lowest-Rated Grocery Store Is An East Coast Fixture

In 2019, Consumer Reports evaluated and ranked 96 different national grocery stores and supermarkets. The independent, nonprofit review organization used data from thousands of customer surveys collected the previous year to assess different categories that, together, indicated customers' satisfaction with the store. Each chain was ranked on cleanliness, prices, service, checkout speed, selection, and the quality of its food items. The top-rated grocery stores were Central Market, Wegmans, and Heinen's. The store that fared worst, according to Consumer Reports, was an East Coast fixture: Key Food Stores Co-op.

Key Food Stores Co-op, which is a collection of individually-owned and operated supermarkets, operates stores in Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Florida. As per Consumer Reports, the chain received the lowest possible scores in competitiveness of prices, produce variety and quality, availability of healthy options, organic food prices, local product selection, and the quality of its store-prepared and store-brand foods. It received especially poor marks for the quality of its meat and poultry, the variety of international products available in stores, and even its cleanliness. It was also ranked one of the grocery stores with the least helpful employees. Customers gave the chain middle-tier scores for checkout speed, and it did not receive good or excellent ratings for any categories. Rachel Geissler, a representative of Key Food, responded to Consumer Reports' ranking, telling the organization, "At Key Food, we have recognized that the consumer is changing, shopping habits are different, and we value the honest feedback."

Key Food operates close to 400 stores along the East Coast, with the majority of its locations in New York. Customers have left reviews on Google for different Key Food stores, and most locations have an average 4-star rating with hundreds to thousands of reviews. However, on Yelp, the company has a 2.4-star rating based on reviews collected from three different locations. One its Bronx, New York stores only has a 1.6-star rating on Yelp.

Customers regularly complain about the supermarket chain on social media, taking to Reddit to voice concerns and frustrations. In post to r/parkslope, customers compare Key Food to Lidl. The original poster claims, "Key Food is a disgusting food store that is disgustingly overpriced for terrible quality food." People rushed to the comments in agreement, claiming the stores sell expired food, are overpriced, and that the employees are unfriendly. It may also be one of the grocery chains with the worst meat departments. Customers posting to r/astoria noted the local store regularly sold rotten meat and poultry.

In another post, made to r/longislandcity, customers complained that shelves were empty, the store was dirty, and the food was rotten or expired. Customers in the Greenpoint neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York were similarly fed up with Key Food. In a post to r/Greenpoint, a shopper issued a safety alert, claiming that the store's produce and bread gets moldy right away. Other Redditors agreed, saying that the stores have always had low-quality produce.