Food retailers representing four retailer types (family operated grocery stores, produce markets, meat/egg/dairy markets, and convenience stores) in rural Georgia communities were surveyed as to their marketing objectives. Qualitative marketing objectives were ranked by the marketers as to marketing intentions, and by customers as to marketing expectations. More definitive and quantitative marketing objectives were also ranked by the food retailers as to the priority of implementation in their own retail establishment. Differences in the rank order of marketing objectives were observed within and among the four food retailer categories. Without exception, subtle differences in the rankings occurred.