Grocery Stores with the Longest Lines 2026

Many Americans make a trip to the grocery store every week. Although it’s a routine errand, it can quickly eat into your evening when a quick stop turns into 20 minutes of staring at candy bars and tabloids, wondering if you picked the wrong lane.

At Solitaired, we know those checkout lines well. In fact many of our players have found themselves playing a quick game of Klondike or Spider as they slowly creep closer to the cash register. That’s why we wanted to learn more about where the worst grocery stores lines are located in the U.S.

To do this, we collected more than 11 million Google reviews from grocery stores in 75 cities across the country. We then analyzed those reviews for mentions of keywords related to lengthy waits. In addition to the overall ranking for long lines, we also analyzed reviews for mentions of poor pricing and customer service. Read on to learn more about our findings.

Key Takeaways

• Cincinnati, OH, Aurora, CO, and Baltimore, MD, are the top three cities with the worst grocery store lines.
• Denver, CO, Nashville, TN, and Louisville, KY, are the top three large cities with the worst grocery store lines.
• Metro Market, Smart & Final, and Pick 'n Save are the top three grocery chains with the worst lines.
• WinCo Foods is the top large grocery chain with the worst lines.
• Jersey City, NJ, New York, NY, and Reno, NV, grocery stores have the worst prices.
• Aurora, CO, Denver, CO, and Cincinnati, OH, grocery stores have the worst customer service.

Where Americans Are Waiting the Longest in Lines

Going to the grocery store is a normal part of life, but waiting forever in checkout lines is only part of the typical routine in some places. Up first for cities with the worst grocery store lines is Cincinnati, OH, with a long line score of 95.0. When looking at the specific grocery chains that leave customers waiting longest, it was Walmart and Kroger leading the way.

Coming in second place with a long line score of 84.9 is Aurora, CO, where King Soopers, Walmart, Sprouts, and Safeway rank as the grocery chains with the longest lines on average.

This is followed by Baltimore, MD, with a score of 80.7, as three Walmart Supercenters across the city claim the top spot for the lengthiest waits.

Up next in fourth place is Reno, NV, with a long line score of 76.8. Similar to Baltimore, MD, three Walmart Supercenters rank for the longest lines in the city. Overall, Walmart, Save Mart, WinCo Foods, and Smith's are the top grocery stores in the city where customers report long lines. Wrapping up the top five is Memphis, TN, following closely behind with a score of 73.8.

In addition to the cities most plagued by long grocery store lines, we also wanted to learn more about the grocery store chains that keep customers waiting longest. Up first with 32.19% of long line mentions is WinCo Foods, which has more than 140 locations across the country. While WinCo Foods has multiple locations in Oklahoma and Texas, a majority of stores are located on the west coast.

Coming in second for longest lines is Kroger with 31.17% of negative reviews mentioning lengthy waits at checkout. In total, Kroger has more than 1,200 locations across the country in 16 states including Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.

With 910 locations throughout the U.S., Safeway claims third place for grocery stores with the longest lines, as 28.73% of negative reviews include complaints about long lines. This is followed by Walmart (28.62%) and Publix (27.98%) claiming fourth and fifth place, respectively.

Cities with the Worst Grocery Prices and Customer Service

Grocery shopping includes more than just standing in line to purchase your items. The prices we pay and the interactions with workers can also make or break a trip to your local store. That’s why we also analyzed reviews to determine which locations have the most complaints regarding prices and customer service.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the average four-person family spends about $1,000 a month on groceries. While this price can vary based on family size, dietary restrictions, and more, grocery store pricing can ultimately make or break a family’s budget. Overall, we found that Jersey City, NJ, residents are the most likely to complain about prices at their grocery stores as the city tops our ranking with a high-price score of 95.0.

Up next is New York, NY, with a score of 92.2, claiming second place for the worst grocery store prices. Following behind are Reno, NV, (72.4), Boston, MA, (69.6), and Oakland, CA, (65.5), claiming third, fourth and fifth place, respectively.

From rude to unhelpful interactions, customer service complaints can vary from one store to the next, but we found that some of the worst experiences are had in Colorado. Leading the way as the first Colorado city in the top 10 for worst grocery store customer service is Aurora, CO, with a bad service score of 95.0. This is followed by Denver, CO, in second place with a score of 93.2.

Further down the ranking, we find our third Colorado city, Colorado Springs, which ties with Nashville, TN, for seventh place with a bad service score of 72.8. Tennessee is another state with multiple cities topping the worst customer service ranking as Memphis, TN, claimed sixth place with a score of 75.3.

Kill Time in Line with Solitaired

Long checkout lines are not likely to disappear anytime soon. From staffing shortages to peak shopping hours, delays are part of the modern grocery experience in many cities across the U.S. While we at Solitaired can’t tell you the best time or stores to visit to ensure a speedy checkout, we can provide you with entertainment while you wait.

So next time you grow bored of the magazine racks and conversations of other nearby shoppers, try your hand at a game of Spades, Hearts or Golf. With this simple distraction, you’ll be at the front of the checkout line before you know it.

Methodology

In February 2026, we analyzed 11.1 million Google business reviews of 4,898 grocery stores across 75 U.S. cities to establish frequencies of customer complaints about long lines and waits, high prices, and poor customer service.

For each store, we analyzed the frequencies that certain keywords appeared in reviews of 3 or fewer stars, to detect patterns of customer dissatisfaction. For city rankings we aggregated these findings across whole city populations, and for brand rankings we did the same.