Wal-Mart rates high in customer satisfaction

A survey conducted at the Wal-Mart Supercenter at 2120 E. Independence St. shows that the store gets solid marks for customer satisfaction but is yet to win the hearts of loyal customers.

People Solution Strategies, a consulting firm based in St. Louis, conducted the Wal-Mart Customer Loyalty Study and recently released it at the National Grocers Association convention in St. Louis.

The study shows customers agreed that the Wal-Mart Supercenter provided competitive prices, friendly employees and good store conditions. When it came to loyalty, 49 percent believed the store deserved their loyalty. According to 58 percent of the respondents, the store was their primary supermarket, while 24 percent indicated they have switched supermarkets twice in the past year.

Customers ranked Wal-Mart less highly in terms of its in-stock position and on the number of employees available to assist customers.

Forty-two percent of people said there weren't always enough employees to serve customers and 60 percent said they did not agree that managers work to solve problems quickly.

On products being in-stock, 40 percent did not agree that the products they want to buy are always in stock. More than one-third did not agree that they would recommend the store to their friends and neighbors.