H-E-B, Sam’s Club lead in pharmacy customer satisfaction

Customer satisfaction is on the rise with brick-and-mortar pharmacies in the U.S., and it’s not more evident than in Sam’s Club and H-E-B stores. 

The J.D. Power 2023 U.S. Pharmacy Study shows customer satisfaction rose 6% in 2023, reports Chain Store Age. 

In the mass merchandiser pharmacies category, Sam’s Club is tops for the eighth consecutive year and Costco is No. 2. 

H-E-B was the leader in the supermarket pharmacies section, marking the third year in a row the San Antonio-based company was the leader. Wegmans finished second and Publix was No. 3.

Good Neighbor Pharmacy finished No. 1 on the brick-and-mortar chain drug store pharmacies for the seventh year in a row. Rite Aid ranks third. 

“Customers are rewarding pharmacies that deliver personalized service, including interactions where communications occur on a first-name basis and when the pharmacist is available to answer questions,” said Christopher Lis, managing director of global healthcare intelligence at J.D. Power. “These elements of personalized service are moments of truth to help brick-and-mortar pharmacies forge meaningful connections with customers.”

Other findings of the J.D. Power study were:

Consumers prefer to know their pharmacist. When they know their pharmacist by name, overall satisfaction is higher. Knowing staff and/or technicians by name also helped with customer satisfaction

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The study showed a convincing 83% want their health and wellness services at their pharmacy for things like vaccinations or flu shots, health screenings, and COVID-19 testing

More consumers are engaging with their pharmacy via digital technology. Over 80% of survey respondents said they deal with pharmacy needs digitally