For people ordering groceries online, check out Thrive Market. Their record is in Goods Unite Us. I have been a member for years because they have a lot of the brands available at WholeFoods but cheaper, especially organic products. They also have private label. Worth the annual membership.
One minus I found in OpenSecrets.org is that one of the founders donated to Vivek Ramaswamy’s primary run in 2023 🤮. But no 2024 donations reported there at least.
Thank you for all of this detailed info! Could you add Harris Teeter to your research list? We recently got one in my area, and I would love to know how they compare.
Harris Teeter is currently a unit of Kroger though that may change if/when Kroger merges with Albertsons and is forced to divest of some of its Harris Teeter locations.
What do you do when the stores on this list are not affordable or are not in the area? I am on social security places like Costco, Fresh Market and Thrive are just impossible for me. I am sure there are many more in the same boat.
Then do what works for you. Not everyone can afford to shop elsewhere for groceries. But there may be other purchases to cut back, buy less, or just let those that can switch take this.
I am definitely planning to do that. I bought my first packets of vegetable seeds to attempt to grow my own. This will be interesting for an old fart like me. 😂
Wow, what a phenomenal service to pull all this information together!
As a blue dot in Austin, TX, a couple of comments on our local grocers. First, I feel like just for the sheer perversity, there needs to be a big headline about the tragedy that is/was Whole Foods. When our formerly fair trade, pro environment, pro diversity Austin-based chain got bought by Amazon, there was nothing more emblematic of the takeover than the weird plastic glowing blue Alexa kiosks that sprouted up right in the middle of the bulk food section like an alien fungus. The parasitization is complete and barely a husk of the corpse remains. RIP, Whole Foods.
Second, HEB. It hurts my heart to see them rated so low. We would be hard pressed to find a local company in Texas that *didnt* contribute to Trump, and HEB has been a great corporate citizen through local giving, helping preserve here in Austin some of the local character that has rapidly been squeezed out and replaced with tech bro blandness. They were also really stellar on pandemic preparedness — they rolled out curbside shopping lightning fast, and I have no doubt whatsoever that making this so easy (and without a significant extra cost) saved lives and slowed the spread of the virus. I credit them their continued resistance to Trump, their willingness to defy Abbott on schools, and their continued support of DEI (I didn’t find the latter to be a surprise given what I’ve seen of them over the years, and their significant Hispanic & immigrant clientele in my area.). Maybe we can lobby them to a better spot on some of the other issues.
I hear you on Whole Foods. I was such a fan up until Bezos corrupted the stores. And they are awful to their workers, hence why one of the Philly locations just voted to unionize.
H-E-B is very Texas. Mixed bag, lots of contrasts. It's wild to me how Butt was so tight with Abbott (🤮) and gave him so much money, but now they're on the outs because of the school voucher topic. I'm with you...knowledge is power. Lobby them for change!
Thank you sooo much for doing this research. I’ve been searching for a list! I still need an alternative for Target/Amazon for household shopping for things I can’t find at Costco. Is there another list for household? Also, do you have scores for Kohls, Home Goods, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Walgreens/CVS/Rite Aid?
I haven't done any of the other segments yet. I'll get to them. As far as home stuff, I've noticed since I canceled my Amazon Prime and stopped shopping at Target in 2023, I don't find myself "needing" things I thought I needed. Costco does it for me. When I need furniture, etc., I go to the thrift stores and look for gently used stuff. Some good stuff in those places!
Local hardware stores are the best bet if you have them. It's going to be rare in any category for a big box store to make the "good" list. That business model is meant for max profitability and extraction.
In the home improvement area, we also have the option to shop specialty stores within home improvement: local lumber yard for wood, paint store for paint, carpet store for carpet, etc. It's always a little more expensive, and if we can swing it, we're supporting our local communities.
Thank you for doing this analysis! I think a lot of people especially women who shop for their households but don’t have time to do this level of research will appreciate it.
We're in Dallas, and we have no real choices. We do "big" shopping at Costco, but for regular groceries we don't have much of a choice when the biggest stores here are Kroger and Tom Thumb, not to mention Walmart. If we had better choices, I'd shop at them. I try to tell myself that I at least contribute to local people keeping their jobs, but that's the best I got.
I’m an 82 year old widow who counts on my part time income at a grocery store to cover all my bills. This grocery chain based out of Florida contributes 86% to republicans and 14% to democrats. My hourly salary is much better than any of the other grocery stores in town. Plus it is located just 2 minutes away and has the best selection of groceries in the area. I’m so torn between shopping there and driving a bit further. Their sales are great. Maybe I can work from the inside to get them to contribute at least more equally. 🤷♀️
Thank you for taking the time to deep dive this and share your findings with others! Your chart and explanations have been so helpful as it’s often challenging to keep track of when many companies may support DEI but also donate primarily to Republican candidates or vice versa. I’ll definitely be prioritizing Costco and our local co-op for my grocery shopping since it’s the only one out of the “best” list nearby! Thanks again!
So glad you find this helpful! I did my Costco trip on Saturday. Place was PACKED -- more than usual. I'm hoping people are starting to vote with their wallets. I have a few good local co-ops too. Between that, Costco and Hannaford, I'm good.
This is amazing, thank you! I'm so relieved that Stop and Shop scored well since that's my go-to. I just learned from another one of your posts that my favorite Peet's coffee was made by Nazis. 😔 Using the power of our dollars as best we can is absolutely essential.
Stop & Shop is not great to their workers. Some of them are preparing to go on strike because yet again, Stop & Shop is not negotiating with the union in the best interest of their employees.
This is so helpful, thank you. We have a Fresh Market here and I hardly ever shop there. I’ll make it a point to go more often. I mostly shop from local farmers, but I’m in the southeast so we get fresh produce year round. I try very hard to not support Cargill in any way. I don’t eat meat or refined sugars so I was already mostly there, but was trying to get out of Kroger because the stores are absolutely full of Cargill and because Kroger sucks in every imaginable way.
What I’ve been trying to share is that Walmart is both one of the countries largest employers and one of our largest impoverishers. Then they gaslight poor people into thinking they can’t afford to shop anywhere else. If you’re shopping at Walmart, you’re paying way too much for utter crap. You’re also willingly providing them with free cashiering services and, since a large percentage of their employees are on public assistance, you’re also paying their staff with your tax dollars.
Walmart has destroyed so many aspects of America. So many food deserts can be traced to putting a Walmart into a community. They and Amazon are the literal worst.
first of all, this collection is lovely. i started shopping locally at a co-op and a combination of other stores recently. trying to weed walmart, amazon, aldi, and less consistently, target out of my shopping diet even though i've been on PA (public assistance) for almost a year after graduating from college. this means longer shopping efforts from driving between stores and going a bit insane about comparing sales numbers, but i'm dedicated to this. you're doing necessary work <3 shopping local is the way
The Fresh Market is even more expensive than Whole Foods, also known as Whole Paycheck. I believe that makes it the most expensive grocery in town. I think the ratings might have been more effective had they been completely neutral rather than leaning Democrat. And I’m a Democrat.
Thank you so very much for this. I will shop accordingly! 💛 Remember when people boycotted Bud Light and brought them to their knees, the effects of which they are still feeling to this day? (For the record, I did not agree with the boycott…it was done out of ignorance and hate.) My point in using this as an example though is that we really do have the power to force change, and it is by depriving these ginormous companies of the only oxygen they seem to understand - money.
This is great stuff. It shows how DATA can be an incredibly valuable motivator of change. The more you know, the more you know how to be better—at whatever you do.
Also: You don’t have to eat eggs for breakfast! While “the price of eggs” has been weaponized by MAGA people (and the media eats it up) we do not have to buy into that. (puns all intended)
And: Learn to cook. Make your own soup. Bake. The move to “Buy already made meals by App” is just another part of the *rot economy*, that part of capitalism that rots your brain and keeps you dependent on big business.
For people ordering groceries online, check out Thrive Market. Their record is in Goods Unite Us. I have been a member for years because they have a lot of the brands available at WholeFoods but cheaper, especially organic products. They also have private label. Worth the annual membership.
I've ordered from the before. I need to add them to the analysis. Thanks for reminding me.
One minus I found in OpenSecrets.org is that one of the founders donated to Vivek Ramaswamy’s primary run in 2023 🤮. But no 2024 donations reported there at least.
Thank you for all of this detailed info! Could you add Harris Teeter to your research list? We recently got one in my area, and I would love to know how they compare.
Harris Teeter is currently a unit of Kroger though that may change if/when Kroger merges with Albertsons and is forced to divest of some of its Harris Teeter locations.
Good to know! Thanks so much, Jeffrey!
Can you look at Aldi and WinCo too please?
Thank you so much for doing this for us!!!!!
Have you ever heard of IGA? We have several grocery stores in New England that go by the name of Adam’s that go under an IGA umbrella.
What do you do when the stores on this list are not affordable or are not in the area? I am on social security places like Costco, Fresh Market and Thrive are just impossible for me. I am sure there are many more in the same boat.
Then do what works for you. Not everyone can afford to shop elsewhere for groceries. But there may be other purchases to cut back, buy less, or just let those that can switch take this.
I am definitely planning to do that. I bought my first packets of vegetable seeds to attempt to grow my own. This will be interesting for an old fart like me. 😂
Wow, what a phenomenal service to pull all this information together!
As a blue dot in Austin, TX, a couple of comments on our local grocers. First, I feel like just for the sheer perversity, there needs to be a big headline about the tragedy that is/was Whole Foods. When our formerly fair trade, pro environment, pro diversity Austin-based chain got bought by Amazon, there was nothing more emblematic of the takeover than the weird plastic glowing blue Alexa kiosks that sprouted up right in the middle of the bulk food section like an alien fungus. The parasitization is complete and barely a husk of the corpse remains. RIP, Whole Foods.
Second, HEB. It hurts my heart to see them rated so low. We would be hard pressed to find a local company in Texas that *didnt* contribute to Trump, and HEB has been a great corporate citizen through local giving, helping preserve here in Austin some of the local character that has rapidly been squeezed out and replaced with tech bro blandness. They were also really stellar on pandemic preparedness — they rolled out curbside shopping lightning fast, and I have no doubt whatsoever that making this so easy (and without a significant extra cost) saved lives and slowed the spread of the virus. I credit them their continued resistance to Trump, their willingness to defy Abbott on schools, and their continued support of DEI (I didn’t find the latter to be a surprise given what I’ve seen of them over the years, and their significant Hispanic & immigrant clientele in my area.). Maybe we can lobby them to a better spot on some of the other issues.
I hear you on Whole Foods. I was such a fan up until Bezos corrupted the stores. And they are awful to their workers, hence why one of the Philly locations just voted to unionize.
H-E-B is very Texas. Mixed bag, lots of contrasts. It's wild to me how Butt was so tight with Abbott (🤮) and gave him so much money, but now they're on the outs because of the school voucher topic. I'm with you...knowledge is power. Lobby them for change!
Thank you sooo much for doing this research. I’ve been searching for a list! I still need an alternative for Target/Amazon for household shopping for things I can’t find at Costco. Is there another list for household? Also, do you have scores for Kohls, Home Goods, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Walgreens/CVS/Rite Aid?
I haven't done any of the other segments yet. I'll get to them. As far as home stuff, I've noticed since I canceled my Amazon Prime and stopped shopping at Target in 2023, I don't find myself "needing" things I thought I needed. Costco does it for me. When I need furniture, etc., I go to the thrift stores and look for gently used stuff. Some good stuff in those places!
I saw another list that included Ace, Home Depot, and Lowe’s as bad guys. No alternatives that I can see.
Local hardware stores are the best bet if you have them. It's going to be rare in any category for a big box store to make the "good" list. That business model is meant for max profitability and extraction.
In the home improvement area, we also have the option to shop specialty stores within home improvement: local lumber yard for wood, paint store for paint, carpet store for carpet, etc. It's always a little more expensive, and if we can swing it, we're supporting our local communities.
Local hardware stores.
Oh no Ace too?
Thank you for doing this analysis! I think a lot of people especially women who shop for their households but don’t have time to do this level of research will appreciate it.
My pleasure!
We're in Dallas, and we have no real choices. We do "big" shopping at Costco, but for regular groceries we don't have much of a choice when the biggest stores here are Kroger and Tom Thumb, not to mention Walmart. If we had better choices, I'd shop at them. I try to tell myself that I at least contribute to local people keeping their jobs, but that's the best I got.
She listed Tom Thumb as subsidiary to Albertsons which got a score of 4 so I'll be shifting a bit that way here in DFW area
I’m an 82 year old widow who counts on my part time income at a grocery store to cover all my bills. This grocery chain based out of Florida contributes 86% to republicans and 14% to democrats. My hourly salary is much better than any of the other grocery stores in town. Plus it is located just 2 minutes away and has the best selection of groceries in the area. I’m so torn between shopping there and driving a bit further. Their sales are great. Maybe I can work from the inside to get them to contribute at least more equally. 🤷♀️
Thank you for taking the time to deep dive this and share your findings with others! Your chart and explanations have been so helpful as it’s often challenging to keep track of when many companies may support DEI but also donate primarily to Republican candidates or vice versa. I’ll definitely be prioritizing Costco and our local co-op for my grocery shopping since it’s the only one out of the “best” list nearby! Thanks again!
So glad you find this helpful! I did my Costco trip on Saturday. Place was PACKED -- more than usual. I'm hoping people are starting to vote with their wallets. I have a few good local co-ops too. Between that, Costco and Hannaford, I'm good.
Yes, we went Saturday as well and it was SO BUSY!
This is amazing, thank you! I'm so relieved that Stop and Shop scored well since that's my go-to. I just learned from another one of your posts that my favorite Peet's coffee was made by Nazis. 😔 Using the power of our dollars as best we can is absolutely essential.
I learned about Peet's years ago and that was tough. I used to love their coffee.
Stop & Shop is not great to their workers. Some of them are preparing to go on strike because yet again, Stop & Shop is not negotiating with the union in the best interest of their employees.
https://www.wickedlocal.com/story/news/2025/02/20/stop-and-shop-strike-contract-dispute-new-england-teamsters-local-25/79292377007/?taid=67b7a62c9af67c0001fe86e9&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter#
This is so helpful, thank you. We have a Fresh Market here and I hardly ever shop there. I’ll make it a point to go more often. I mostly shop from local farmers, but I’m in the southeast so we get fresh produce year round. I try very hard to not support Cargill in any way. I don’t eat meat or refined sugars so I was already mostly there, but was trying to get out of Kroger because the stores are absolutely full of Cargill and because Kroger sucks in every imaginable way.
What I’ve been trying to share is that Walmart is both one of the countries largest employers and one of our largest impoverishers. Then they gaslight poor people into thinking they can’t afford to shop anywhere else. If you’re shopping at Walmart, you’re paying way too much for utter crap. You’re also willingly providing them with free cashiering services and, since a large percentage of their employees are on public assistance, you’re also paying their staff with your tax dollars.
Walmart has destroyed so many aspects of America. So many food deserts can be traced to putting a Walmart into a community. They and Amazon are the literal worst.
Don’t forget all those dollar stores! I think it was Politico that did a piece on how dollar stores literally set their employees up to be robbed.
Fabulous work!
Thank you! I learned so much putting it together.
first of all, this collection is lovely. i started shopping locally at a co-op and a combination of other stores recently. trying to weed walmart, amazon, aldi, and less consistently, target out of my shopping diet even though i've been on PA (public assistance) for almost a year after graduating from college. this means longer shopping efforts from driving between stores and going a bit insane about comparing sales numbers, but i'm dedicated to this. you're doing necessary work <3 shopping local is the way
The Fresh Market is even more expensive than Whole Foods, also known as Whole Paycheck. I believe that makes it the most expensive grocery in town. I think the ratings might have been more effective had they been completely neutral rather than leaning Democrat. And I’m a Democrat.
Great idea...you are free to implement that methodology when you do your version! Better get to work.
Thank you so very much for this. I will shop accordingly! 💛 Remember when people boycotted Bud Light and brought them to their knees, the effects of which they are still feeling to this day? (For the record, I did not agree with the boycott…it was done out of ignorance and hate.) My point in using this as an example though is that we really do have the power to force change, and it is by depriving these ginormous companies of the only oxygen they seem to understand - money.
I will not shop at any Kroger stores
This is great stuff. It shows how DATA can be an incredibly valuable motivator of change. The more you know, the more you know how to be better—at whatever you do.
Also: You don’t have to eat eggs for breakfast! While “the price of eggs” has been weaponized by MAGA people (and the media eats it up) we do not have to buy into that. (puns all intended)
And: Learn to cook. Make your own soup. Bake. The move to “Buy already made meals by App” is just another part of the *rot economy*, that part of capitalism that rots your brain and keeps you dependent on big business.
P.S. Misfits Market seems to be a Good business
So all of the stores I can shop at suck. I’ll have to figure out another way to protest them.