Wal-Mart
As the voice of smart shoppers, Consumer Reports discovered that among popular chain stores Wal-Mart was bested by Costco
According to Consumer Reports:
Wal-Mart was the sole chain to receive below-average quality scores in more than half of the product categories. ..
For all the talk about Wal-Mart's low prices, shoppers said the prices at 10 other retailers, including JCPenney [
(NYSE: JCP) ], Sears [(Nasdaq: SHLD) ], Dillard's [(NYSE: DDS) ], and Meijer, were at least as good. And bigger wasn't necessarily better when it came to the overall shopping experience. Almost three quarters of respondents who shopped at Wal-Mart found at least one problem to complain about, and half had two or more complaints about the store or its staff.
Strikingly, Wal-Mart did not have the mindshare as the low-price leader, which may be reflected in the company's inability to boost same-store sales in the last four quarters. And dollar stores are increasingly creeping into Wal-Mart's grocery turf. But in recent weeks, the company has gone on the offensive, pruning prices on thousands of items.
While some shoppers are turning to the more chic Target
If prices are all that matter, and the Consumer Reports survey is correct that Wal-Mart is no longer the low-cost leader, are shoppers ready to dethrone the retail king?