Most Pharmacy Customers Prefer Independents
Among patrons of bricks-and-mortar pharmacies, customers of independent pharmacies are the most satisfied, with 84 percent highly satisfied, according to Caredata.com's second annual Retail Pharmacy Customer Satisfaction Survey. Trailing independents were supermarket pharmacies (73 percent highly satisfied), mass merchandise pharmacies (68 percent), and chain drugstores (62 percent). The survey, conducted in March 2000 in the top 20 U.S. markets, queried more than 18,000 female heads of households who had filled a prescription in the past year on their satisfaction with the pharmacy they used most often.
The results of this survey echo those of a Consumer Reports survey released last fall. According to the Consumer Reports survey (October 1999), independent pharmacies scored the highest of all pharmacy outlets. Independent pharmacies were ranked first in all categories for all types of retail pharmacy outlets, including chain, supermarket, and mass-merchandise pharmacies.
Consumer Reports concludes its article by recommending, "If you are unhappy with your drugstore and have the option of dealing with an independent pharmacy, take it, especially if insurance pays for your prescriptions. Our survey shows that independents are usually far more attuned to your personal needs and total health picture."
