The best (and worst) supermarkets, according to Consumer Reports

As I posted earlier this week, Harris Teeter ranked among the Top 10 supermarkets nationwide in a just-released survey by Consumer Reports.

Here are a few more details, along with the rankings of other stores that do business in the Triangle.

Can you guess which Triangle supermarkets were in the very bottom of the rankings?

Harris Teeter came in No. 6 among the 52 national and regional grocery store chains ranked by Consumer Reports as part of an eight-page report on supermarkets and saving money in the May issue of the magazine.

The rankings were based on the reports of more than 24,000 folks who responded to a Consumer Reports survey about their supermarket experiences between April 2010 and April 2011.

Harris Teeter received a perfect score for the quality of its meat and produce and its store cleanliness and a good score on service, which includes employee courtesy and checkout speed. But the Matthews-based store got poor marks for its pricing.

Trader Joe's ranked No. 2 overall, getting perfect scores for service, price and cleanliness. It received a good rating on the quality of its perishables.

Costco ranked No. 5, getting perfect scores in three of the four categories but only a middle-of-the-road ranking on quality of service.

Whole Foods ranked No. 12 with perfect scores for cleanliness and the quality of its meats and produce. It received a good score for service but the lowest score (the dreaded black dot in Consumer Reports 5-tiered scoring system) on pricing.

Aldi came in at No. 20 among the 52 stores, getting highest marks for pricing. No surprise there. And good marks for cleanliness. Aldi received middle-of-the-road scores on the quality of its perishables and on service.

Target/Super Target came in at No. 22, getting a perfect score for cleanliness. And Kroger was close behind at No. 26, putting the supermarket giant at dead middle in the rankings. Kroger got good ratings for cleanliness and the quality of its produce and meat but luke warm ratings for price and service.

Sam's Club and BJ's Wholesale Club came in at No. 34 and No. 35, respectively. Both got perfect scores on pricing but poor scores on service.

So which stores are left, scraping the bottom of the rankings?

Salisbury-based Food Lion came in No. 45 out of 52. It got middle-of-the-road rankings across the board.

And the big loser in the rankings: Walmart Supercenters. It ranked No. 51, receiving the lowest mark for service and poor marks for the quality of its meats and produce. It got luke warm marks for cleanliness but highest marks for pricing.

Noticeably absent from the rankings was Winston-Salem-based Lowes Foods.

What do you think about the rankings? How would you rank Triangle grocery stores based on your shopping experiences? Leave a comment below.