How do people make choices about which pharmacy to go to? Paul Gauvreau decided to find out
by asking customers why they were shopping in one particular store.
• “I shop here because it’s close to where I live.” (The convenience shopper.)
• “I like the pharmacist, I trust him/her.” (This customer has a good relationship with their pharmacist.)
• “The staff makes me feel like part of the family.”
• “I feel like they care about my health.”
• “The entire atmosphere in this store reminds me of home, where I felt welcome.”
• “I don’t feel like another number here or just another patient. They really care about me.”
Paul concluded that this pharmacy succeeded in differentiating itself from the competition in a
unique way: by how they made their customers feel—and this is what will generate the most
intimate loyalty in a customer.