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H-E-B ranked first in Dunnhumby’s 2025 Retailer Preference Index (RPI), according to Eat This, Not That’s January 29, 2026 report. That coverage says H-E-B placed first for the fourth consecutive year and led the index’s five reported pillars. It is a specific ranking—not proof that every grocery-chain study names H-E-B the best.
What does the report say?
The RPI top ten, as reported by Eat This, Not That, were H-E-B, Market Basket, Woodman’s, Costco, Aldi, WinCo Foods, Trader Joe’s, Amazon, Wegmans, and ShopRite. The five pillars named in that coverage were Price, Promotions, and Rewards; Quality; Digital; Operations; and Speed and Convenience. It says H-E-B earned top marks across all five.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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H&M eGift Card | $100.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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H&M eGift Card | $50.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Albertsons eGift Card - $100 - Standard | $100.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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Instacart eGift Card | $200.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
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H&M Physical Gift Card | $50.00 | Buy on Amazon |
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The result is useful to shoppers because it takes more than shelf prices into account: the reported categories also encompass product quality, digital services, store operations, and convenience. But the available reporting does not establish how those pillars were weighted or how the 2025 survey was conducted. The original 2025 RPI report was not available in the sources reviewed, so the ranking should be attributed to the index and its secondary coverage rather than treated as a fully verified, universal verdict.
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Grocery rankings answer different questions. A preference index, a customer-satisfaction measure, and a broader industry scorecard can produce different leaders without directly contradicting one another.
#1 Best Overall
- H&M Gift Cards may be used in H&M stores and online
- Redemption: Instore and Online
- No returns and no refunds on gift cards.
- . Not refundable or redeemable for cash except as required by law.
| Ranking | What the available coverage says | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| Dunnhumby 2025 Retailer Preference Index, as reported in January 2026 | H-E-B ranked first; the reported pillars were Price, Promotions, and Rewards; Quality; Digital; Operations; and Speed and Convenience. Eat This, Not That | A retailer-preference ranking spanning five reported dimensions. Exact 2025 sample size, field dates, and weighting are not established in the available coverage. |
| Supermarket News Super50, reported in June 2026 | Trader Joe’s ranked first, Publix second, and H-E-B third. The measure considered customer satisfaction, technology use, loyalty-program attributes, and labor satisfaction. Supermarket News | A broader supermarket scorecard with criteria beyond shopper preference. |
| 2026 ACSI supermarket satisfaction results, as covered by The Kitchn | Trader Joe’s was named the leader, with H-E-B behind Publix. The Kitchn | A customer-satisfaction result, not the same outcome as the RPI. |
These rankings also do not necessarily use the same store universe or geography. Their rank numbers are not positions on a shared scale, and the available sources do not provide enough primary methodology detail to compare sampling rigor or criterion weights across the studies.
What figures should not be mistaken for 2025 results?
Some statistics associated with earlier RPI coverage may look like details of the headline ranking, but they belong to earlier editions.
Rank #2
- H&M Gift Cards may be used in H&M stores and online
- Redemption: Instore and Online
- No returns and no refunds on gift cards.
- . Not refundable or redeemable for cash except as required by law.
- 10,000 U.S. shoppers: The San Antonio Express-News reported this for an RPI edition described in 2023. The survey was conducted in November 2022 and combined with two prior survey waves and financial data. It is not the established sample size for the 2025 RPI. San Antonio Express-News
- 11,000 consumers: Eat This, Not That reported this figure for the RPI edition it covered in January 2025. It should not be assigned to the 2025 RPI. Eat This, Not That
- 72% and 46%: The 2023 Express-News report said 72% of shoppers had a “Strong Emotional Connection” to H-E-B and that H-E-B captured 46% of its customers’ grocery spending. These are historical figures, not stated 2025 outcomes. San Antonio Express-News
- 38%: Eat This, Not That reported in 2025 that 38% of a retailer’s long-term success relied on its Price, Promotions, and Rewards proposition. That figure is tied to prior RPI coverage, not established as a new finding from the 2025 edition. Eat This, Not That
What might explain H-E-B’s strong showing?
In the 2025 coverage, Scott Benedict, director and executive professor at Texas A&M University’s Center for Retailing Studies, pointed to product quality, private brands, store efficiency, cleanliness, and merchandising. As quoted by Eat This, Not That, he said: “They carry high quality products, they have an incredible private brands program, they run very efficient, high-caliber stores—they’re always clean and well merchandised,” adding, “They understand their customer, which is tough for retailers to master.” These comments offer an expert’s explanation, not a breakdown of how much each factor contributed to H-E-B’s score. Eat This, Not That
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Dunnhumby’s Americas president, Matt O’Grady, described the consumer backdrop in the 2025 coverage: “Shopper confidence dropped as concerns about higher prices, fewer job opportunities, and stagnant wages eroded purchasing power.” That context helps explain why a ranking that includes price and value-related considerations matters, but it does not reveal the 2025 index’s exact scoring weights. Eat This, Not That
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Redemption: Instore and Online
- No returns and no refunds on gift cards.
Rank #4
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- No returns and no refunds on gift cards.
Rank #3
- Redemption Steps: Customer must present eGift QR code payment either printed, or on mobile device to Checker as tender.
- Albertsons Companies gift cards can be redeemed at any of our store locations or for online transactions. For online purchases, gift cards must first be loaded to the applicable Albertsons Companies banner wallet (example Safeway, Jewel, Vons, etc).
- Checker Instructions: Total order, Press EFT FULL, Scan QR code (printed or mobile version) with handheld scanner.
- Self-checkout Instructions: Select "Pay with Scan" when prompted for payment type, then scan QR code with handheld scanner."
- Visit ALBERTSONS.THEGIFTCARDSHOP.COM/RETAIL to find a store location near you
What should a shopper take away?
- If “best” means first in Dunnhumby’s 2025 RPI, the reported answer is H-E-B.
- If you are comparing chains for your own budget, treat a national ranking as a starting point: local prices, product availability, and access to stores or services can change what works for you.
- Do not use the older sample sizes or H-E-B performance figures as evidence about the 2025 edition; the available coverage does not establish that edition’s sample size, field dates, or detailed weighting.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
