Market Basket is known for giving shoppers a bang for their buck, as its motto, “More for your dollar,” suggests.
And a new report from a consumer organization has found the supermarket lives up to its reputation, with the popular New England chain ranking among the most affordable in the Boston area.
The nonprofit Consumers’ Checkbook evaluated more than a dozen supermarkets on price and quality by comparing the cost of a 150-item list and surveying customers. Market Basket and Wegmans stood out.
Market Basket earned high points for its low prices, while Wegmans — a relative newcomer to the East Coast — was praised by shoppers for the “superior” quality of its products, according to the report.
“Despite a now decade-long Succession-esque power struggle among its ownership family, Market Basket continues to match its low prices with favorable ratings for quality,” the report reads.
The chain has been embroiled in a contentious power struggle and legal battle between its former chief executive and board of directors.
Where cost is concerned, the findings echo a price comparison the Globe undertook over the summer using a 10-item shopping list at five local grocery stores. After the numbers were crunched, Market Basket emerged victorious with a $38.28 total. Wegmans followed close behind at $40.01.
Affordability is a high priority for many shoppers these days, as the double whammy of inflation and tariffs has caused the price of everything from tomatoes to beef at grocery stores to soar.
At Market Basket, prices were 15 percent lower than the average at all stores researchers shopped, the report found. While it received mediocre marks for the quality of its produce and meat, Market Basket scored well on “overall quality,” according to the report.
Meanwhile, Wegmans, the Rochester, N.Y.-based chain that opened its first store in Massachusetts more than a decade ago and now has five stores in the Boston area, scored big points for quality. In the consumer group’s latest survey, “81 percent of its surveyed customers judged it ‘superior’ overall,” according to the report.
The prices at Wegmans were about the same as Shaw’s, lower than at Stop & Shop and Whole Foods, but higher than Walmart, Market Basket, and Price Rite, the report found.
Two stores offered even lower prices than Market Basket, although with smaller selections.
At Aldi, the German-based discount chain, prices were “28 percent lower than the all-store average,” the report found. Unlike conventional supermarkets, shoppers will only find a limited section of national name-brand items.
Price Rite also fared well in the cost category, offering prices about 17 percent lower than the average, according to the report. Walmart’s prices were 10 percent lower.
“For a family that spends $300 per week at the supermarket, a 17 percent price difference totals savings of $2,652 per year; a 10 percent price difference totals $1,560 a year,” the report reads.
Trader Joe’s remains a fan favorite, with 79 percent of survey respondents rating the chain “superior” for overall quality of its products. Its prices were comparable to those at Wegmans and Shaw’s and about 4 percent lower than Stop & Shop’s, according to the report.
Researchers found that prices varied between the two Stop & Shop stores they shopped at.
“The lower-priced Stop & Shop had prices that averaged about 5 percent lower than its higher-priced location. Shaw’s prices were consistent among the locations we shopped for it,” the report reads.
Customers gave Shaw’s, Stop & Shop, and Star Market — along with some other large chains like Target and Walmart — “abysmal ratings” for overall quality, according to the report.
In contrast, Whole Foods and Roche Bros. received rave reviews for their meat and produce but were significantly more expensive, the report found. Overall, prices at Whole Foods were about 17 percent higher than the all-store average, while prices at Roche Bros. were 18 percent higher than the average.
Shannon Larson can be reached at shannon.larson@globe.com. Follow her @shannonlarson98.