Abstract
A survey of 3,000 households yielded 1,248 (42%) usable responses. Patrons of independent pharmacies had fewer problems getting prescriptions filled than patrons of chain or discount stores and were more satisfied than patrons of most other sources. Based on multivariate analysis of an abridged set of independent variables, females and older people with lower incomes rated professional service more important than their counterparts rated it. Convenience was almost a universal patronage factor. Patrons of independents were influenced by the reliable pharmacist and credit factors, whereas patrons of chains were influenced by price and other products and services.