Amazon ranked best in customer satisfaction

A consumer survey also shows people are anxious about rising gas prices.

By Karen Datko Feb 16, 2011 12:25PM

This post comes from Matt Brownell at partner site MainStreet.

Americans hate high gas prices but are generally satisfied with online shopping and department stores, according to the latest iteration of the American Customer Satisfaction Index.

MSN Autos:Find the cheapest gas near you

The quarterly survey, which tracks consumers' satisfaction with companies in various industries, shows overall satisfaction in the fourth quarter of 2010 at its lowest level since 2008. As the authors note, however, this drop is largely attributable to dissatisfaction with government services and rising gas prices.

Customer satisfaction stayed more stable in other sectors of the retail industry, with department and discount stores improving slightly in the eyes of consumers and supermarkets seeing a slight decrease in the fourth quarter. Nordstrom and the supermarket chain Publix maintained their leads in their respective fields, though runners-up Macy's and Whole Foods saw the most improvement in the quarter. Post continues after video.

Wal-Mart's supermarket business remains the bottom feeder of the sector with a score of 71 on a 100-point scale, a record it will surely hope to turn around with its new emphasis on fresh, healthy food.

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The biggest winner of all was Amazon.com, which dominated both online retail and retailers in general with a score of 87. Overall, satisfaction with e-commerce fell slightly from 83 in 2009 to 80 in 2010, though websites still bested brick-and-mortar retailers.

The top performers in selected retail sectors were:

Internet brokerage: Charles Schwab.
Internet retail: Amazon.com.
Internet travel: Expedia.
Department and discount stores: Nordstrom.
Health and personal care stores: Walgreen.
Specialty retail stores: Barnes & Noble and Costco tied.
Supermarket: Publix.

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