Daily Research News no. 2391 - Super Service at US Supermarkets

News Article no. 2391

Published June 2 2003

Super Service at US Supermarkets

Americans give supermarkets significantly better marks for customer service than any other sector, according to the annual Harris Poll, which ranks fifteen industries. Supermarkets were included for the first time and achieved the highest rating for any sector in the 6 years the question has been asked - 85% believe they do a good job of serving their consumers.

Second placed are packaged food companies, also new to the ratings this year, with 75%. The chasing pack also includes hospitals (73%), banks (72%), computer hardware (71%), and software (70%) companies. At the bottom of the list, only 30% think tobacco companies and managed care companies do well in this respect. Health insurance companies (40%) and oil companies (42%) are only marginally better.

Comparing with previous years, both computer hardware and software have recovered half the ground they lost last year - after riding high in the late nineties they fell c.20 points in 2001-2, perhaps due to the tech stocks crash.

Health insurance companies are down from 51% to 40% after a rise last year, and Pharmaceutical companies also saw a ten-point slide in their score from 59% to 49%. Humphrey Taylor, Chairman of The Harris Poll, Harris Interactive, suggests that bad publicity related to drug prices has been the main factor in a long slide, from 79% in 1997, to 73% in 1998, 66% in 1999, and 59% in 2000. After two static years, hopes that the trend might have bottomed out are dashed by the latest figure.

The Harris Poll(r) surveyed 1,010 adults (aged 18+) by telephone between April 10 and 15, 2003 and is operated by Harris Interactive(r) . Figures were weighted for age, sex, race, education, number of adults and number of voice/telephone lines in the household.

Tables

Table 1: Do you think (industry) generally do a good or bad job serving their consumers?

Base: All Adults
RANK ORDER Good Job Bad Job Not Sure/ Refused
% % %
1 Supermarkets 85 11 4
2 Packaged food companies 75 15 10
3 Hospitals 73 20 7
4 Banks 72 22 5
5 Computer hardware companies 71 14 15
6 Computer software companies 70 13 17
7 Car manufacturers 64 26 10
8 Airlines 64 22 14
9 Telephone companies 57 37 6
10 Life insurance companies 56 27 18
11 Pharmaceutical and drug companies 49 45 6
12 Oil companies 42 48 10
13 Health insurance companies 40 52 8
14 Managed care companies such as HMOs 30 53 17
15 Tobacco companies 30 62 8

Table 2: Trends 1997-2003
Base: All Adults
TREND (GOOD JOB) CHANGE
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2002
-2003
% % % % % % %
Supermarkets N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 85 N/A
Packaged food companies N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 75 N/A
Hospitals 77 73 71 72 67 73 73 -
Banks 75 72 68 73 71 74 72 -2
Computer hardware companies 80* 78 80 76 78 59 71 +12
Computer software companies 80* 77 80 78 80 60 70 +10
Car manufacturers 70 69 70 67 67 64 64 -
Airlines N/A 78 71 66 51 63 64 +1
Telephone companies 80 76 67 64 61 58 57 -1
Life insurance 64 63 61 62 60 55 56 +1
Pharmaceutical and drug companies 79 73 66 59 57 59 49 -10
Oil companies 59 64 55 39 27 38 42 +4
Health insurance companies 55 48 41 39 38 51 40 -11
Managed care companies 51 45 34 29 29 33 30 -3
Tobacco companies 34 32 31 28 28 25 30 +5

NOTES:
* In 1997 'computer companies' were rated together (i.e. hardware and software companies were not measured separately).

** Because airlines were not included in 1997, the trend for airlines is from 1998 - 2002.

For further information see www.harrisinteractive.com

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