BOSTON — Supermarkets with pharmacies are outpacing chain drug stores by many important customer-service measures, according to data presented here this week by James Wilson, president, Wilson Health Information, New Hope, Pa., during the Pharmacy and Technology Conference of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, Alexandria, Va. For example, when asked — “How much do you trust your pharmacist as a source of information on medications?” — 60% of those saying they chose a supermarket pharmacy most often said druggists in the food channel were most trusted, while chain drug stores registered 55%, and mass merchants were at 57%. More supermarket customers have a personal relationship with their pharmacist, the study noted, with 16% saying they had a very close relationship, while 10% said they had such a relationship with drug chains, and 12% for mass merchants. Customers saying they were satisfied with the counseling and advice from a pharmacist also registered higher at supermarkets, with 59% saying they were very satisfied, while 53% said they were very satisfied at chain drug stores, and 55% for mass merchants. In the Wilson study, which was sponsored by the German pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim, independent drug stores generally ranked highest, with mail order at the bottom of the list.

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