Scale for service quality and customer loyalty in groceries

Local trade is currently under the threat of competition from department stores; thus, it is crucial to concentrate on satisfaction and loyalty. To develop an instrument to evaluate satisfaction and loyalty in delicatessens and to study the influence of socio-demographic variables on these aspects. A personal interview was applied that was composed of 36 items grouped into six dimensions: treatment of costumers, facilities, product, services, loyalty and value added, conducted with 712 participants. Positive and homogenous overall scores were obtained, specially product, loyalty and handling of customer scales, the latter being the most explicative factor of satisfaction. Men and the 21-35 year age group show low satisfaction. Three scales are positively associated with the loyalty scale.