All Over Albany

Poll: Multiple Cap Region supermarket chains rank above regional average

Yep, Wegmans does top this ranking of grocery store brands for the Northeast, as compiled by the polling firm Harris. But the thing that caught our eye about these rankings: Six grocery chains with presences in the Capital Region ranked above the category average for the Northeast -- and three of them are relatively new arrivals.

In descending order, those chains were: Trader Joe's (2), Whole Foods (3), ShopRite (4), Hannaford (5), BJ's Wholesale Club (Groceries) (6), and Price Chopper (9).

Other brands with local supermarket presences -- Aldi, Sam's Club, Target, and Walmart -- ranked below the regional average.

We gotta admit, we're not sure whether these sorts of lists actually tell us anything because they're not based on direct assessment/measurement/analysis of price/value/experience/whatever for the chains. That link at the top has a methodology section at the bottom -- basically, this was an (methodically done) online poll that asked people to rate brands. So, if anything, the rankings give some sense of to what degree people are fans (or not) of a certain brand.

For what it's worth, Wegmans and Trader Joe's also ranked 1-2 in the Consumer Reports' national ranking of supermarket brands this year. The CR rankings were also based on a survey of the public.

Earlier on AOA: Wegmans? Really? Please explain.

[via @rachbarnhart]

image: Harris Poll EquiTrend