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Supermarkets rate high in pharmacy customer satisfaction

Wegmans, Publix, Winn-Dixie rank at top for grocery stores in annual J.D. Power study

Russell Redman

August 5, 2020

4 Min Read
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Wegmans ranked No. 1 in the supermarket category with a pharmacy customer satisfaction score of 904, the third-highest rating among all brick-and-mortar pharmacies.Russell Redman

Supermarkets again earned the top average score in pharmacy customer satisfaction among brick-and-mortar operators in the J.D. Power 2020 U.S. Pharmacy Study.

The annual survey, which polled 13,378 customers who filled or refilled a prescription in the previous three months, measures pharmacy customer satisfaction with chain drug, supermarket, mass merchant and mail-order pharmacies using a 1,000-point scale. Areas examined include prescription ordering, cost competitiveness, pharmacists, non-pharmacist staff, prescription pickup, the store and prescription delivery.

For the fourth straight year, supermarkets garnered the highest overall satisfaction rating for brick-and-mortar pharmacies, with an average category score of 866, edging out mass merchants (859) and chain drugstores (850). This year, however, mail order pharmacies came in first overall, with an average segment score of 869, after supermarkets had posted the top overall rating in the previous three years.

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As in last year’s J.D. Power pharmacy study, supermarkets accounted for six of the top 10 brick-and-mortar players.

Wegmans Food Markets ranked No. 1 in the supermarket category with a pharmacy customer satisfaction score of 904, the third-highest rating among all brick-and-mortar pharmacies. The Rochester, N.Y.-based food and drug retailer had posted the highest overall mark in the previous two years.

Related:Retail, pharmacy associations offer best practices for touchless prescription fulfillment

“We’re honored to receive the highest satisfaction rating among supermarket pharmacies for the third year in a row,” John Carlo, senior vice president of pharmacy at Wegmans, said in a statement. “This recognition is a direct result of the care and dedication that our pharmacy employees provide to their customers every day.”

Two independent pharmacy networks led brick-and-mortar operators in customer satisfaction. AmerisourceBergen’s Good Neighbor Pharmacy finished first with a score of 915, followed by McKesson’s Health Mart at 905.

Rounding out the top 10 in brick-and-mortar pharmacies were Publix (889), Sam’s Club (885), Winn-Dixie (883), H-E-B (878), ShopRite (876), Stop & Shop (871), and Costco Wholesale and Target/CVS Pharmacy, both scoring at 870.

Other supermarkets rated in pharmacy customer satisfaction this year by J.D. Power included Albertsons (867), Kroger (866), Fry’s (860), Giant (860), Giant Eagle (844), Hy-Vee (843), King Soopers (837) and Safeway (829).

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Publix Super Markets launched same-day delivery of prescriptions this spring via ScriptDrop.

Walmart, the nation’s third-largest pharmacy retailer, posted a below-average score (850) in the mass-merchant pharmacy segment. Meanwhile, pharmacy customers rated the biggest U.S. drugstore chains — Walgreens (849) and CVS Pharmacy (845) — just below the chain drugstore category average in terms of satisfaction. Rite Aid exceeded the segment average with an 861 score.

Related:Supermarket pharmacies lead in customer satisfaction

Humana Pharmacy ranked highest in the mail-order category for a third consecutive year with a score of 904, followed by UnitedHealth’s OptumRx (886), Kaiser Permanente Pharmacy (883), Walmart Pharmacy Mail Services (876) and Cigna’s Express Scripts (871). Scoring below the segment’s average were CVS Health’s CVS Caremark (852) and Aetna Rx Home Delivery (845) as well as Walgreens’ AllianceRx Walgreens Prime (828).

“When you look at the major pharmacy business trends of the past couple of years — CVS acquiring Aetna, Walgreens partnering with Humana and Walmart moving into health insurance — it’s clear that pharmacy operators are positioning themselves to become hubs of consumer health care, edging into the space once reserved for primary care physicians’ offices,” according to James Beem, managing director of healthcare intelligence at J.D. Power.

“What has not been clear until now is exactly how consumers would react to the shift,” he noted. “Simply put, they’re embracing it, and it’s driving higher overall satisfaction and increased spending as they use more health and wellness-oriented services.”

For example, J.D. Power’s 2020 study found that 48% of retail pharmacy customers have used at least one health-and-wellness-oriented service provided by their pharmacy this year, up 5% from 2019. Overall customer satisfaction with retail pharmacies is 26 points higher (on a 1,000-point scale) this year among customers who use health and wellness services versus those who didn’t.

Greater use of primary care also lifts satisfaction and spending, according to the study, which was conducted from September 2019 to May 2020. Patients who use at least one health-and-wellness-oriented service from their pharmacy spend an average of $11 more per customer ($35) than those who don’t use these services ($24). When customers use two or more health and wellness services, the average spend jumps to $58, and satisfaction jumps to 907 (versus 861 for those who don’t use any services).

On the digital side, prescription ordering remains low, but satisfaction with that online service is high. J.D. Power said only 9% of brick-and-mortar pharmacy customers order their prescriptions via digital channels. Despite the low utilization rate, satisfaction among customers ordering digitally through a brick-and-mortar pharmacy scores at 859, five points higher than among those who only visit the store in person. By contrast, 32% of mail-order pharmacy customers get prescriptions via digital channels, and these customers have even higher levels of satisfaction, with a score of 867.

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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