The Survey Says

A couple of months ago, after a shopping visit at Walmart, I noticed on my receipt an invitation to log onto a web site and participate in a customer satisfaction survey. I think they were offering a yachting vacation on the Mediterranean – or maybe it was a dollar off my next purchase of Cheetos – for five minutes of my time.

Since then, I’ve received periodic emails from them asking if I’ll participate in the next survey, and the next, and the next. The questions are usually about various aspects of customer service: Was I satisfied with . . .? Did I notice that . . .? Would I prefer to have . . .?

I couldn’t help thinking Walmart seems worried. Well, maybe the impregnable retail giant should be concerned. Consumer Reports recently concluded an extensive study that says Walmart’s vaunted “everyday low prices” are not necessarily the lowest every day. And in other areas that should matter to shoppers – like quality, service, items in stock, lines at check out and the general level of staffing help – the Bentonville Behemoth is purely middle of the pack.

Consumer Reports surveyed nearly 31,000 shoppers. They reported that JC Penney, Sears, Dillard’s and Meijer had prices that were at least as good as Walmart’s. Furthermore:

● Almost three-quarters of respondents who shopped at Walmart found at least one problem to complain about, and half had two or more complaints.

● One of those complaints was about the service. The survey reported that “shoppers at Kmart, Walmart, and Sam’s Club were more likely than others to complain about the staff.” In fact – and this may surprise you as much as it did me – the survey’s leader in customer service was Dillard’s.

● Sometimes, the staffing complaint was about too few people working in the store. Consumer Reports said 29 percent of respondents complained about long checkout lines and “the problems were much worse than average at Kmart, Walmart and Meijer.”

It wasn’t only Walmart that took a hit. Target, the arch rival that haunts Walmart’s dreams each night with its high-concept store design and cheap chic reputation, wasn’t the survey respondents’ dream retailer either. According to Consumer Reports, “Survey respondents judged the quality of Target’s women’s clothing and watches and jewelry below average, and the store’s kitchenware, home décor, and men’s and children’s apparel average.”

So who survived this rant session? Costco. Its prices, value, quality, selection and overall customer satisfaction busted the curve.

It sounds as if, like it or not, Walmart got the survey statistics it feared most. I, on the other hand, never got my Mediterranean vacation.