Grocery Stores Focus on Customers’ Health
By Tracy Turner, The Columbus Dispatch, Ohio
Dec. 21–Carol Hedderich stops by the grocery store on a typical day to pick up eggs, milk, bread and get her blood pressure checked or have her cholesterol levels measured.
“In this day and age, it’s nice to have a place that offers so many services in one place.”
The Clintonville resident was at Giant Eagle recently to take part in a class the grocery store offered to teach seniors about the new Medicare Prescription Drug Plan.
“I can come in, get my food shopping done, ask the pharmacist any questions I have and get whatever health screenings I need,” she said. “It’s so convenient.”
Determined to set their stores apart from the competition, grocery stores are now focusing on customers’ health.
Some stores offer flu and pneumonia immunizations, or diabetes, skin-cancer or osteoporosis screenings. Others employ registered dietitians to consult with consumers. Some offer health-information classes to teach good-nutrition habits.
In some ways so much alike, grocery stores now “seek to build a deeper connection to the customer by offering a more personal touch,” said Neeli Dendapudi, an associate professor of marketing in the Fisher College of Business at Ohio State University.
“As the population ages and more people are living longer, supermarkets are trying to make their stores truly a one-stop shopping location,” Dendapudi said. “It’s where you buy your food, so why not get advice there as to what kinds of food you should buy to be healthy?”
Grocers offer more also to gain control of the market, said Tom Jackson, president of the Ohio Grocers Association.
“Grocers know that food, diet and health go together.
“We aren’t just purveyors of food anymore. We’re part of the community, so we need to know what’s going on in the minds and hearts of our customers and do our best to fulfill their expectations.”
Wal-Mart is doing it, too, adding walk-in clinics in some of its stores in Florida. Target has opened clinics in some Midwest stores.
While neither chain would say if plans include opening clinics in central Ohio, one grocer, Kroger, already operates a clinic in one of its Columbus stores.
The Patient Care Center, at Kroger’s Upper Arlington store, offers blood-pressure, cholesterol, osteoporosis, diabetes and skin-cancer screenings, as well as help in chronic-disease management, spokeswoman Monica Gordon said.
Meijer offers flu and pneumonia shots and has a registered dietitian in its stores, spokeswoman Judith Clark said.
“Customers are more health conscious than ever and want these services available to them in our stores,” Clark said.
Whole Foods, which built its business on promoting healthful life choices through organic and natural foods, offers informational and nutrition classes at its stores through a partnership with Wellness Community Columbus, spokeswoman Michele Mooney said.
“We’re not doctors, but we do believe that if you are following a healthy diet, you can find what you need at our stores.”
Giant Eagle offered in-store strep tests late last year, until the state Medical Board protested, saying that Ohio law limits the practice of medicine to licensed doctors.
Giant Eagle still offers flu and pneumonia shots, as well as educational sessions on diabetes, food allergies and the new Medicare Prescription Drug Program.
“Our focus is on convenience for our customers,” spokesman Mike Duffey said in an e-mail.
That’s a plus for Len Fries, 79, of Upper Arlington. He attended the grocery store’s recent session on Medicare benefits, without which, he said, he’d “have been lost.”
“Giant Eagle helped me understand it and figure out what medicines would be covered under which plan,” Fries said. “This kind of service makes me want to continue to give them my business.”
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