Four Denver Metro Grocery Stores Rank Worst in the Country

"Worst Walmart ever," one reviewer wrote of an Aurora grocery store last month. Turns out he might be right.

The Walmart at 14000 East Exposition Avenue in Aurora was ranked the third-worst grocery store in the United States (and the number-one worst Walmart), according to an analysis of 3,000 grocery stores across 100 cities. The Aurora Walmart was beaten only by first-place Giant Eagle Supermarket in Pittsburgh and second-place Metro Thriftway in Kansas City.

But the Aurora Walmart is not alone on the list. Three other Denver metro grocery stores also ranked in the ten worst, making Colorado the only state with more than two stores on the list. The Denver Safeway at 757 East 20th Avenue came in fifth place, followed by two more Aurora Walmarts: 10400 East Colfax Avenue (sixth place) and 3301 Tower Road (eighth place).

The Denver King Soopers at 1331 Speer Boulevard earned an honorable mention for ranking sixteenth.

Rankings are based on Google reviews of grocery stores in the nation's most populated cities, with this study looking at stores in Denver, Colorado Springs and Aurora for Colorado. The four worst-ranked Denver metro stores had ratings of 3.6 or 3.7 stars out of five — and some of the reviews are brutal.

"You can keep your urine-soaked, used-condom-smelling Walmart and I’ll never be back here," one reviewer said of the Aurora Walmart on Exposition Avenue. "An absolute disgrace. Sam Walton would slap the piss out of your management."

Complaints against all four of the Denver metro grocery stores largely revolved around long checkout lines, lack of merchandise, rude employees, dirty stores, products being locked behind glass and listed prices not matching how much the products cost. Several of the Walmart reviews denounced the stores for no longer providing single-use bags, a change implemented when Colorado established ten-cent bag fees in 2023.

"I've never seen such consistency in suckery," another reviewer wrote when summarizing the issues at the Walmart on Exposition Avenue.
The Denver Safeway earned uniquely negative feedback regarding safety and security. Some reviewers criticized the homeless residents who hang out around the store, accusing them of pickpocketing and panhandling customers. Others were outraged by the heavy police presence inside, claiming to be followed throughout the store and wrongfully accused of shoplifting. Many abhor that the grocery carts lock at the store's exit to try to prevent theft.

"Denver calls it the unsafeway for a reason," one reviewer wrote.

"You lose a piece of your humanity every time you shop," another reviewer added. "From crackheads, to theft, to violence, to customers insulting staff and workers insulting customers alike, all while some poor person is staring outside and using the sidewalk as a toilet. It’s like a vortex of horror. ... It just makes you slap your head and feel like Armageddon is at hand."

Safeway and Walmart did not respond to requests for comment about the rankings.

In addition to overall worst, several Colorado grocery stores earned spots on the lists for specific categories of crappiness, judged by how many negative reviews mentioned keywords like "long lines" or "expired food."

Five Aurora grocery stores ranked for worst lines: King Soopers at 3050 South Peoria Street (first place), King Soopers at 1155 South Havana Street (third), King Soopers at 655 Peoria Street (seventh), Sprouts at 1150 South Ironton Street (seventeenth) and King Soopers at 25701 East Smoky Hill Road (26th).

Five King Soopers stores in Aurora and Denver ranked for worst customer service: 4271 South Buckley Road in Aurora (eighteenth place), 3050 South Peoria Street in Aurora (29th), 1155 South Havana Street in Aurora (30th), 6412 South Parker Road in Aurora (36th) and 825 South Colorado Boulevard in Denver (41st).

And three grocery stores ranked for worst food quality: King Soopers at 3050 South Peoria Street in Aurora (eighteenth place), Sprouts at 1150 South Ironton Street in Aurora (29th) and My BargainMart at 2841 East Fountain Boulevard in Colorado Springs (48th) — the only Colorado Springs grocery store to appear on any of the lists.

The analysis also ranked the nation's best grocery stores, but no Colorado stores cracked the top fifty.