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12 GROCERY & DEPARTMENT STORES GOURMET NEWS OCTOBER 2013 www.gourmetnews.com Grocery & Department Stores Costco, Hy-Vee and Trader Joe's Named Top Grocery Chains in 2013 Customer Service Survey BY LUCAS WITMAN Consumer research and consulting firm Temkin Group's 2013 Customer Service Ratings are out, and several regional and national supermarket chains are featured quite prominently on the list. Top among these, three grocers tied for eighth place in the survey, including Costco, Hy-Vee and Trader Joe's. In all, 17 supermarket and club stores appeared among the top 100 companies with the best customer service in the nation. Each year, Temkin Group compiles its list of companies with the best customer service in the United States, based on a comprehensive consumer survey covering 19 different industries. Industries considered include airlines, auto dealers, banks, car rental companies, credit card issuers, fast food chains, hotel chains, insurance carriers, retailers, wireless providers and more. In general, the grocery industry ranked among the three industries with the overall highest levels of customer service satisfaction, along with fast food and retailers. This year, 235 separate companies were included in the list. Data was collected from an online survey of 10,000 consumers conducted in January of this year. Participating respondents represent a diverse range in terms of geography, gender, ethnicity, age and income. Respondents to the Temkin Group survey were asked to rate each company on a scale from 1 (highly unsatisfied) to 7 (highly satisfied). Percentage scores were then determined by taking the percentage of consumers who rated a business as 6 or 7 and subtracting the percentage that rated it as 1 or 2. Based on the survey, Costco, Hy-Vee and Trader Joe's tied with a score of 69 percent. Three supermarket chains, Publix, H-E-B and Aldi, followed close behind in the 12th slot, with 68 percent of respondents expressing their approval. Sam's Club finished in 15th place, with a customer satisfaction score of 67 percent. And in 20th place, Savea-Lot received a score of 65 percent. Other grocers making the top 100 in Temkin Group's Customer Service Ratings include (in order) Piggly Wiggly, Kroger, Shop Rite, BJ's Wholesale Club, Whole Foods, Safeway, Albertson's, Winn Dixie and Stop & Shop. The No. 1 company overall in the 2013 survey was the national banking and insurance company USAA. USAA received a customer satisfaction score of 76 percent. The bank was followed by A Credit Union (73 percent), Ace Hardware (71 percent), Charles Schwab (71 percent) and Dollar Tree (70 percent). GN BRIEFS United Supermarkets, LLC Changes Name to The United Family United Supermarkets, LLC's parent company is changing its name as the result of a strategic branding initiative for the entire organization. Moving forward, United Supermarkets, LLC will be known as The United Family™, reflecting the company's multiple store brands as well as its rich family history. As part of the branding initiative, The United Family has formed an internal Brand Stewardship Committee to help define, articulate and document the organization's brand portfolio, which consists of four retail brands: United Supermarkets, Market Street, Amigos and United Express, along with its subsidiary operations, R.C. Taylor Distributing, Praters and Llano Logistics. The branding initiatives will not impact the company's commitment to "Ultimate Service," part of the bedrock on which The United Family has built its reputation over the past nine-plus decades. Now in its 97th year of operation, The United Family is a Texas-based, family-owned grocery chain with stores in 30 markets across north and west Texas. The United Family currently operates 57 stores under its four unique brands.