H-E-B recently dropped to No. 3 in a customer experience ranking that it once led.
In February, H-E-B was in a three-way tie for first with Trader Joe’s and Wegmans in the supermarket category of the American Customer Satisfaction Index 2019-20 report. In an updated report, the San Antonio grocer is now third.
Trader Joe’s and Wegmans are still tied for first place, while Publix and Costco tied for second.
READ ALSO: H-E-B cuts ties with Dallas advertising firm after founder’s racist remarks
The annual report examines customer satisfaction among the top retailers in the United States, both online and traditional. After customer surveys and evaluations, the index will rate the companies, like department stores and supermarkets, on a scale of 0 to 100.
The first report conducted surveys from Jan. 8 to Dec. 23 of 2019, while the second round of evaluations occurred during the coronavirus pandemic from April 1 to Sept. 30. The index updated the report Tuesday to reflect the customer’s experience during a difficult time.
Overall, customer expectations of retailers and businesses alike took a small hit or showed no increase at all due to COVID-19, the report noted. H-E-B dropped from 84 points to 82, causing their fall to No. 3.
READ ALSO: Study: H-E-B scores highest in consumer satisfaction report for COVID-19 precautions
Despite the slight drop in the index, H-E-B has received plenty of accolades. Earlier this month, the grocery store chain ranked first for its delivery accuracy in a mystery shopping study from Ipsos, a global research firm.
In July, a report from KPMG, a global network of professional firms, named H-E-B as the second-best company with the best customer experience.
The San Antonio-based company was also named the top grocery store in the United States by Food & Wine magazine in July and by global consumer research company Dunnhumby in January.
Priscilla Aguirre is a general assignment reporter for MySA.com | [email protected] | @CillaAguirre
