Publix Tops Newsweek Customer Service List
Publix Super Markets has earned high rankings on Newsweek’s 2020 America’s Best Customer Service list, appearing as No. 1, with a score of 9.01, in the national supermarket category and No. 9 overall – the only supermarket retailer to make the overall top 10. Additionally, Publix Pharmacy was No. 3 in Florida on Newsweek’s 2020 list for Best-In-State Customer Service.
The other companies to make the national supermarket list were Wegmans Food Markets, No. 2, with a score of 8.99, and Trader Joe’s, No. 3, with a score of 8.95. In the national superstore and warehouse club store category, the top retailers were Costco, No. 1, with a score of 8.75; Meijer, No. 2, with a score of 8.48; and BJ’s Wholesale Club, No. 3, with a score of 8.24. Among pharmacies and drug stores, Giant Eagle Pharmacy came in second nationally, with a score of 8.19.
To compile its second annual list, Newsweek teamed with global data research firm Statista to survey more than 20,000 U.S. customers from July to August 2019 who had bought, used or researched a product or service in the past three years. The final assessment and rankings were based on how likely respondents would be to recommend the brands to friends and family, and their evaluation of the brands in the terms of quality of communication, professional competence, range of services, customer focus, and accessibility.
Interestingly enough, Publix didn’t garner a top three spot among supermarkets in its home state of Florida; that honor went to Trader Joe’s, Kroger and Whole Foods Market. The 20 states that Newsweek looked at for in-state customer service were Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin
“These recognitions are a testament to Publix’s values and philosophy of treating our customers like royalty,” noted Maria Brous, director of communications at Lakeland, Florida-based Publix. “Since our founding in 1930, we have maintained a culture focused on our customers and associates, and we’re honored to be acknowledged for customer service excellence in our industry.”
In 2019, Publix, ShopRite and Trader Joe's were the top three supermarkets in Newsweek's inaugural customer service list.
With more than 1,200 locations in the Southeast, Publix is No. 12 on Progressive Grocer’s 2020 PG 100 list of the top food retailers in North America. Kroger, Costco, Meijer, Whole Foods, BJ’s, Trader Joe’s, Wegmans and Giant Eagle are Nos. 3, 5, 19, 24, 27, 28, 36 and 39, respectively, on the list.
