Costco has displaced H-E-B as the top-ranked retailer in ChangeUp's 2026 Experience Report, which surveyed more than 6,500 consumers across 300+ brands. The report cited meaningful improvement in Costco's scores for Advocacy and Novelty, while also noting that recent changes have made the trip faster at entry and checkout without sacrificing the browsing experience shoppers enjoy. H-E-B's score was roughly flat year over year.
Other grocers in the top 10 included Sam's Club at seventh, Wegmans at eighth, and Publix at tenth. Trader Joe's landed at fifteenth. The broader finding: consumers are taking fewer shopping trips but arriving with higher expectations for each one — putting pressure on retailers to offer something distinctive.
For produce teams, Costco's ascent is directly relevant — the club channel continues to be a major volume driver for bulk and value-pack produce formats. Retailers looking to compete should watch how Costco is evolving its fresh department experience, as the score gains appear tied to operational improvements rather than just assortment.