The whole "meat quality access" thing is very complex. I researched this maybe 15-20 years ago, something like that. Maybe more. I was frustrated because I didn't understand why Choice grade at one store was sooo much better than choice grade at another store. What is going on? I didn't get it.
You have to go into the cattle farming forums to understand it. I did that and learned a lot. I could write pages about it. But the gist of it is, the restaurants or grocery stores or whoever would hire buyers to go out and buy the best possible beef for a given price. They were authorized to pay a certain price but no higher.
First the USDA would inspect a farm's beef and grade it. Then the buyers, who are experts at identifying tender flavorful juicy beef that a consumer would like, would study info on what the cows were fed, how old were they, where they grazed, etc., and then would inspect the meat themselves beforehand, and give it a grade of their own. Then there would be an auction. Obviously, the grocery stores would get priced out of the best beef because the restaurants would be willing to pay top dollar, much higher than the best grocery store buyers were authorized to pay.
Then the grocery stores and warehouses or whatever would bid on what's left. Back then, the warehouses bid less than they do now - apparently - because the quality has gone up for warehouse beef in recent years.
But that info finally got me to understand why HT had consistently better USDA Choice grade beef over other stores such as what Safeway had, even though they both had the same USDA Choice label. Hence, it's often worthwhile to pay more per pound for USDA Choice grade beef from one store that you trust, than USDA Choice grade beef from another store. Cheaper is not a better deal, because it's not the same beef even if it has the same USDA Choice label.
Now, since HT was bought out by Kroger, the quality has dropped. It's not as good as it was five years ago, but it's still pretty good.
And with that, in addition to buying from a source you trust, it's a good idea to learn how to do your own careful inspection through the glass at whatever store you're buying beef.
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Some of the best beef that I have ever eaten. 
