We asked. Thousands voted. These grocery stores are the most desired on the MS Coast.
Coast residents long deprived of variety when choosing where to purchase their groceries have made their voices heard about what supermarket chains they would like to come to South Mississippi.
More than 4,000 people responded to a recent Sun Herald survey that asked which stores residents would like to see come here next.
Out of 4,114 responses, Kroger and Trader Joe’s received the most votes.
Respondents were asked to select one of one of seven options: Kroger, Trader Joe’s, Publix, Costco, Whole Foods, Fresh Market or something else.
Here are the results:
- Kroger: 21.4%, 882 votes
- Trader Joe’s: 20.6%, 848 votes
- Publix: 20.3%, 839 votes
- Costco: 16.9%, 697 votes
- Whole Foods: 13.7%, 565 votes
- Fresh Market: 5.5%, 230 votes
- Something else: 1.2%, 53 votes
Kroger is the second largest operator of supermarkets across the U.S. behind Walmart.
The closest Kroger store is about two hours away in Laurel, a city north of Hattiesburg.
Trader Joe’s, the runner-up, is known for smaller stores with a wide selection of house branded frozen foods and cheap produce. There are locations in Baton Rouge and Metairie.
Publix is a Florida-based supermarket famous for its friendly customer service, produce and wildly popular “pub sub” sandwiches.
Next was the big-box retailer Costco, which operates member-only stores across the country. Many Sun Herald subscribers that read the print newspaper and e-edition shared their preference for the Washington-based store. There are Costco locations in Mobile and New Orleans.
Rounding out the survey was Whole Foods and Fresh Market, two stores known for higher priced premium products.
Lack of supermarket options on the MS Coast
The survey comes on the heels of an Aldi opening to much fanfare in Ocean Springs. Shopping at the $4 million store will be a different experience than at other supermarkets on the Coast.
Although the Coast has a dearth of nationally known supermarket chains, there are some smaller stores with loyal fans throughout South Mississippi.
Residents in Hancock, Harrison and Jackson counties frequent Rouses Supermarkets, Jerry Lee’s and Claiborne Hill, as well as specialty markets like Lee’s in East Biloxi.
For now, Walmart is still the largest supermarket chain in South Mississippi.
Foot traffic at grocery stores skyrocketed in January in February when compared to data from 2020 and 2021, according to SafeGraph.