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H-E-B ranks first in supermarket pharmacy customer satisfaction

Mass merchants top grocery stores in annual J.D. Power U.S. Pharmacy Study

Russell Redman

July 28, 2021

4 Min Read
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H-E-B received the highest customer satisfaction score among grocers in the J.D. Power 2021 U.S. Pharmacy Study, with last year's top scorer Wegmans coming in second.H-E-B

H-E-B earned the top score among supermarkets in pharmacy customer satisfaction in the J.D. Power 2021 U.S. Pharmacy Study, even as the grocery store channel saw its satisfaction rating decline from a year ago.

The annual survey, released Wednesday, polled 12,646 customers who filled or refilled a prescription in the previous three months. To gauge pharmacy customer satisfaction, J.D. Power examines areas such as prescription ordering and filling, cost competitiveness, pharmacists, non-pharmacist staff, prescription pickup, the store and prescription delivery at chain drug, supermarket, mass merchant and mail-order pharmacies and rates them on a 1,000-point scale.

San Antonio-based H-E-B ranked first in the supermarket category with a pharmacy customer satisfaction score of 896, surpassing last year’s grocery channel leader and overall winner Wegmans Foods Markets, which garnered an 892 rating this year for the No. 2 spot among grocers. Topping all companies in the 2021 study was independent drugstore network Good Neighbor Pharmacy (AmerisourceBergen), with a 912 score.

H-E-B noted that, besides a first-place finish in overall satisfaction, H-E-B Pharmacy was rated highest among supermarkets in cost competitiveness and the prescription ordering and filling process, according to the J.D. Power study. Overall, H-E-B operates nearly 290 pharmacies in Texas.

Related:Walmart, Amazon up the ante in pharmacy

“This award illustrates a true team effort of H-E-B Pharmacy Partners working together to achieve our Bold Promise of building the greatest retailing company,” Craig Norman, senior vice president of pharmacy at H-E-B, said in a statement. “This recognition is a direct result of everyone’s hard work, leadership and dedication to the health and wellness of our customers.”

After earning the highest overall satisfaction rating among brick-and-mortar pharmacies for four straight years, supermarkets were edged out by mass retailers in J.D. Power’s 2021 study. Mass merchants tallied an average segment score of 866 (up from 859 in 2020), followed by supermarkets at 863 (down from 866 in 2020) and chain drug stores at 856 (up from 850 in 2020).

Mail order finished first among all pharmacies for the second consecutive year, with an average segment score of 877, up from 869 in the 2020 study.

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Rounding out the top 10 in brick-and-mortar pharmacies were Sam’s Club (891), McKesson’s Health Mart (891), Stop & Shop (885), H-E-B (878), Publix Super Markets (884), Albertsons Cos. (882), and CVS Pharmacy at Target (879) and Costco Wholesale (877).

Related:Supermarkets rate high in pharmacy customer satisfaction

Despite a dip in pharmacy customer satisfaction from a year ago, supermarkets accounted for five of the top 10 brick-and-mortar players. Other grocery chains rated this year by J.D. Power were Winn-Dixie (868), ShopRite (867), Fry’s (860), Kroger (855), Giant Eagle (850), Dillons (849), Hy-Vee (847), Safeway (836) and King Soopers (822).

Rite Aid led drugstore chains this year with an 861 satisfaction score, topping bigger rivals CVS Pharmacy (847) and Walgreens (860) but coming in behind independent pharmacy networks Good Neighbor (912) and Health Mart (891).

Walmart, the third-largest U.S. pharmacy retailer, turned in a below-average score (856) in the mass merchant pharmacy segment. Sam’s Club and CVS Pharmacy at Target led with respective scores of 891 and 879, while Costco’s mark of 877 came in well above the category’s average rating.

For a fourth straight year, Humana Pharmacy took the top spot in the mail-order category, with a score of 906, followed by Kaiser Permanente Pharmacy (887), Aetna Rx Home Delivery (884), Cigna’s Express Scripts (878), UnitedHealth’s OptumRx (870), Walmart Pharmacy Mail Services (862) and CVS Caremark (861). Walgreens’ AllianceRx Walgreens Prime service wasn’t listed among the mail category’s leaders this year.

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The overall high marks in the 2021 U.S. Pharmacy Study, J.D. Power’s 13th, reflect U.S. consumers’ strong degree of trust in retail pharmacies for health care services, considering that the nation is still grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic, according to James Beem, managing director of health care intelligence at J.D. Power.

“It was not long ago that the major pharmacy chains, health care providers, health plans and consumers were all asking themselves whether or not people would ever feel comfortable receiving treatment in a retail setting,” Beem said in a statement. “While we have been seeing consumer satisfaction with retail health services grow steadily, this year marks a significant turning point in which most customers are now using these services.

“The fact that this happened during a pandemic should send a clear signal that retail pharmacies are transforming health and wellness services in America,” he noted.

Among the 2021 study’s findings, 51% of retail pharmacy customers said they’ve used health and wellness services at their pharmacy within the past 12 months, up from 48% in 2020 and 43% in 2019. Vaccinations and routine health screenings were the most frequently used services.

Use of health and wellness services also translates into higher spend. The research revealed that pharmacy customers using at least one health and wellness-oriented service each spend an average of $28, compared with $23 for those who don’t use these services. Overall satisfaction and brand advocacy also rise when pharmacy customers use health and wellness services, with overall satisfaction scores gaining 24 points and Net Promoter Scores (NPS) increasing 10 points, J.D. Power reported.

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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