The data doesn’t lie: Americans love Trader Joe’s. The grocer continues to outperform its competitors when it comes to fair pricing, diverse inventory, and customer service. A report from Solitaired recognized Trader Joe’s as the best grocery store chain in the U.S., and called out Walmart, Kroger, and Safeway for having the worst customer reviews and ratings. And now, The Axios Harris Poll 100 has crowned Trader Joe’s America’s “Most Visible Brand” of 2025.
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Results from the 2025 Axios Harris Poll 100 reputation rankings reveal that 60 percent of Americans believe companies view tariffs “as an opportunity to raise prices more than needed to boost profits.” Moreover, 70 percent of survey respondents say businesses are “taking further advantage of inflation to increase their profit margins.”
However, these concerns don’t seem to apply to Trader Joe’s. The grocer came out on top in first place, climbing 12 spots from last year’s 13th-place ranking. Shoppers dubbed Trader Joe’s an “inflation fighter,” noting the chain continues to prioritize its customers despite ongoing food shortages and tariffs on imported goods.
After receiving the sixth-largest increase in score, Trader Joe’s is considered one of 2025’s “fastest risers,” according to the poll. The grocery chain increased its previous score by 3.5 points for a total of 82.1 points.
Survey results stemmed from a rigorous five-month process. During the first round, 6,231 participants named two companies they believe have the best and worst reputations today. These nominations determined the survey’s list of “100 most visible brands.”
In the second stage, respondents were asked which of the 100 brands they were most familiar with. Then, they were given two companies from the list and scored their character, trajectory, trust, culture, ethics, citizenship, vision, growth, and products/services. These determined a brand’s Reputation Quotient (RQ) score and overall Axios Harris Poll 100 ranking. This round involved 16,585 people. The final round asked 4,240 adults to complete an online questionnaire about brands and politics.
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In the end, participants awarded Trader Joe’s the best RQ score with 82.1 points. Trader Joe’s is also one of only two grocers to make it into the top 25. The title of “Most Visible Brand” isn’t only a nod to Trader Joe’s fair pricing, but its company values and allyship.
“Americans have shifted their attention almost singularly toward inflation and high prices,” Harris Poll CEO John Gerzema told MediaPost. “And so now, corporate reputation is make or break on allyship: Are they looking out for my bottom line or theirs? The companies that are thriving [this] year are intentional, empathic and most of all, dependable.”
Costco trailed closely behind Trader Joe’s, coming in fifth place with 80.6 points. The next grocer on the list was Aldi, which fell 18 spots to 32nd place. Kroger earned 76.7 points and took 35th place. However, it was Walmart that had the worst performance review. The big-box chain came in 81st place out of 100, with a total of 68.3 points.
Here is the overall top 10 rankings of The Axios Harris Poll 100, alongside their RQ score.
- Trader Joe’s (82.1 points)
- Patagonia (82 points)
- Microsoft (80.7 points)
- Toyota Motor Corporation (80.6 points)
- Costco (80.6 points)
- Samsung (80.4 points)
- Arizona Beverage Company (80.2 points)
- Nvidia (80.2 points)
- UPS (80 points)
- Apple (80 points)
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