5 major discount stores in America, ranked from worst to best by customers
5 major discount stores in America, ranked from worst to best by customers
Whether you're someone who enjoys getting lost in the aisles of Target, a person who feels a rush from finding a deeply discounted designer item at TJ Maxx, or a shopper who appreciates the affordability of groceries at Walmart, chances are high you've visited a discount store in recent months. You're not alone—according to data from Placer.ai's 2024 Retail Foot Traffic Recap, visits to discount and dollar stores increased by 2.8% between 2023 and 2024.
Discount chains and dollar stores became particularly appealing to customers amid the COVID-19 pandemic. TJX, which owns TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and HomeGoods, saw the highest sales in the company's 45-year history in 2021. Then, inflation reached historic highs in 2022, and as some discount stores raised prices, customers began cutting back, threatening many well-established companies. As of February 2025, however, the story of TJX is growth and expansion, a reminder that the retail industry remains in flux.
The legacy of discount chains in the U.S. dates back more than 60 years. Kmart was the first to launch a discount superstore to set itself apart from the era's department store landscape, attracting customers with heavily slashed prices, huge inventories, and name brands. The idea garnered a lot of attention: When the first Kmart opened in Michigan in March 1962, there was a line of 4,000 customers waiting for the doors to open. Not long after, the first Target followed suit in Minnesota in May of that year, and then Walmart debuted in Arkansas in July.
Today, Target and Walmart—along with companies like Costco and Amazon—rule the retail industry, thanks to their web-based marketplaces and ability to create independent supply chains. (For its part, Kmart has all but disappeared.) In recent years, though, deeply discounted direct shipping upstarts like Temu and Shein have threatened the dominance that retail giants Target and Walmart have long held.
Amidst the many changes the retail world has faced since 2020, certain brands have stood out to customers. To see which reigns supreme, Stacker ranked five major discount stores in the U.S. using data from the American Customer Satisfaction Index. Stores are ranked by 2025 customer satisfaction, and ties were broken by the percentage point change from 2024. The stores included are the ones for which the ACSI received enough responses to rank customers' options. Big box stores like Walmart and Costo were not included.
Read on to learn what customers think of some of the biggest names in the discount business.
#5. Dollar Tree
- Customer satisfaction: 73%
- Change from 2024: -1%
The parent company Dollar Tree owns Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, and a variety of combination stores in over 16,000 locations across the U.S. and Canada. It appeals to customers with its "thrill-of-the-hunt" atmosphere, where shoppers can find new and unique toys, decor, and other novelties that rotate frequently.
Recently, Dollar Tree—which got its start in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1953—has come under fire for raising its prices amid inflation. In 2021, $1.25 became the minimum price for the chain. In March 2024, the company announced that the minimum would go up to $1.50, with the maximum also increasing from $5 to $7. After disappointing sales in 2024, Dollar Tree also revealed it would be closing about 1,000 stores over the next several years, most of which would be Family Dollar locations, which have seen an increase in shoplifting, leading to losses.
#4. Dollar General
- Customer satisfaction: 73%
- Change from 2024: +1%
Dollar General has more than 20,000 stores across the U.S., selling everything from food to cleaning supplies from both private brands and international ones (like Coca-Cola or Procter & Gamble) at slashed prices. The chain attracts customers with small neighborhood stores designed to simplify shopping, in direct contrast to many discount stores' warehouse approach.
The company began in Kentucky in 1955 with the goal of selling goods for no more than a dollar. Today, in the wake of record-high inflation rates, that's not necessarily the case. According to a 2022 report from CNN, about 20% of the merchandise at Dollar General costs $1 or less. However, almost everything is under $10, Business Insider reported in 2023.
While these changes don't seem to have hurt Dollar General, which reported strong earnings in December 2024, the chain is cutting back in some ways, with several store closures in January 2025. On the whole, though, Dollar General plans to open 575 new U.S. stores over the course of the year.
#3. Burlington
- Customer satisfaction: 73%
- Change from 2024: -3%
The Burlington Company, which operates the Burlington Coat Factory, began in 1972 as a single store attached to a factory in Burlington, New Jersey, specializing in selling coats at low prices. Today, the company has more than 1,000 stores across the country, and though it's still known for its large selection of outerwear, it also sells clothing for all ages, accessories, and home goods. (You may remember Burlington's "We're more than great coats" jingle from the 1990s.)
More than half a century later, Burlington has maintained its large warehouse setting, emphasizing the company's discounts, which can be as much as 60%. Throughout 2025, Burlington is moving forward with its plan to open 100 new stores.
#2. Big Lots
- Customer satisfaction: 75%
- Change from 2024: -3%
Big Lots started in 1967 as Consolidated International, Inc., offering extremely low prices on vehicles and auto parts. The company has expanded to sell furniture, electronics, home decor, and a variety of other products at discounted prices. It offers a "treasure-hunt atmosphere," in which customers can sort through a broad array of products to find one-of-a-kind items.
In recent years, Big Lots has faced some serious challenges, though, culminating in the company filing for bankruptcy in September 2024. Initially, that meant going-out-of-business sales at all Big Lots locations, but in December, the company revealed that it had reached a deal to save hundreds of stores. As of February 2025, there were plans to keep 200 Big Lots locations open under new ownership.
#1. TJX (Marshalls, TJ Maxx)
- Customer satisfaction: 82%
- Change from 2024: +4%
The TJX company and its brands, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and HomeGoods, sell a wide array of items such as clothing, household wares, and beauty supplies across its nearly 5,000 stores in the U.S. and eight other countries. The chains appeal to customers because they provide known brands and designer labels at 20 to 60% off full price, with a frequently rotating selection.
The company began in 1976 and is notable for attracting customers across a broad spectrum of incomes and age brackets. TJ Maxx stories, in particular, have maintained their appeal, especially among younger customers, thanks to influencer shopping hauls on TikTok and name drops during Bama Rush OOTDs (i.e., videos of aspiring University of Alabama sorority girls sharing where they bought their outfits for Rush Week).
Data reporting by Rob Powell. Story editing by Jaimie Etkin. Copy editing by Kristen Wegrzyn. Additional writing by Louis Peitzman. Photo selection by Lacy Kerrick.
