Special Report
20 Most Popular Stores in America
May 24, 2019 6:03 pm
Last Updated: January 6, 2020 4:22 am
Source: tsz01 / Getty Images
15. United States Postal Service
> Pct. of total US retail foot traffic: 0.45%
> Pct. of post offices visitors in April: n/a
> No. of U.S. stores: 31,600
> Annual revenue: $69.0 billion
Unsurprisingly, The United States Postal Service (USPS) has more stores than any of its peers amongst the most popular stores in America. The USPS has thousands more locations than the retail store with the second highest number of locations, Subway. If it were a private sector company, the USPS would rank as the 43rd largest company in the United States and the 137th largest in the world, according to the Fortune 500 list. With more than 31,600 retail locations, the USPS has annual revenue of about $69 billion.
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14. Kroger
> Pct. of total US retail foot traffic: 0.46%
> Pct. of supermarkets & groceries visitors in April: 9.19%
> No. of U.S. stores: 2,764
> Annual revenue: $121.2 billion
Kroger, the most popular grocery store in April of 2019, welcomed more than twice the share of visitors as the next most popular grocery chain. This may come as a surprise to coastal readers, as Kroger only captures less than 0.15% of supermarket shoppers on the West Coast and Northeast. In the South and Midwest, however, 60% and 40% of shoppers, respectively choose Kroger for their grocery shopping.
24/7 Wall St.
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13. Shell
> Pct. of total US retail foot traffic: 0.48%
> Pct. of gas stations & convenience stores visitors in April: 9.45%
> No. of U.S. stores: 14,000
> Annual revenue: $388.4 billion
Of the different convenience store gas stations, Shell’s were the second most popular in the United States. Shell’s stores were visited by 0.5% of all American shoppers in April, and by 9.45% of gas station and convenience store shoppers. Shell’s revenues ($388.38 billion in 2018), were predominantly from businesses in its downstream operations, including oil products and chemicals.
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12. Taco Bell
> Pct. of total US retail foot traffic: 0.50%
> Pct. of restaurants visitors in April: 2.73%
> No. of U.S. stores: 6,446
> Annual revenue: $10.8 billion
Taco Bell is a division of Yum! Brands and has 6,446 stores in the United States. It is the third most popular restaurant in the country, though it also ranks behind Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks, which serve food as well. Taco Bell reported $10.79 billion in revenue in 2018. Taco Bell ranks behind fellow Yum! Brands restaurants Pizza Hut and Kentucky Fried Chicken in terms of revenue, but has captured a much higher share of retail foot traffic in the United States.
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11. Dollar General
> Pct. of total US retail foot traffic: 0.51%
> Pct. of discount stores, warehouses & wholesale stores visitors in April: 19.98%
> No. of U.S. stores: 15,472
> Annual revenue: $25.6 billion
Not including restaurants or the post office, Dollar General has among the most stores of retail stores on this list. Consumables like paper products, cleaning supplies, perishable foods, and health and beauty products are Dollar General’s largest driver of business, accounting for over three quarters of total sales.
Dollar General brought in nearly 20% of discount store foot traffic in April. The company also reported a 9.2% increase in revenue in fiscal 2019.
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