Two retailers boasted strong availability this week, but a super-efficient checkout assistant helped Tesco in Coatbridge pip Sainsbury's in Ipswich to the top store award.
The staff around the immaculate store were "very kind and polite", noted our shopper, and helped him find several items. He was also impressed that shelves appeared full, items were easy to find and there was no queue at the checkout.
Sainsbury's provided an enjoyable shopping experience too, but its checkout assistant took a minute longer to scan the items and did not offer to pack. Staff were helpful around the aisles, though, and plenty of tills were open.
Morrisons in Brighton had one out-of-stock item and the shelf price of the Danone Bio Activia was different to that on the receipt. Staff around the store were helpful, though, and our shopper noted that the checkout assistant was very polite and offered to pack.
Waitrose's Sudbury branch also had one out-of-stock item and the household aisle was congested with packing trolleys. However, helpful staff escorted our shopper to several items, plenty of tills were open and the checkout assistant was friendly.
All the tills were open at Asda in Hemel Hempstead, but our shopper still had to wait in a long queue. Staff were friendly, though, and the checkout assistant offered to pack.
Winner: Peter Mushet, store manager, Tesco, Coatbridge
What's the local competition like? Our closest competitor is Asda here in Coatbridge and we have a Morrisons a couple of miles away in Airdrie. We compete well customers have told us they shop with us because we offer a clean, bright and friendly store and they particularly like our non-food, such as our clothing range.
How are your Christmas lines faring? Some of our confectionery lines, such as tins of Cadbury Roses and Nestlé Quality Street, are on promotion at two for £10 at the moment. You would be surprised at how many customers have started stocking up they have proved very popular, despite Christmas being far off yet.
What about your non-food offer? Between 35% and 40% of our stock is non-food, which is a good balance. Last year, we began training five staff up to have a specialist knowledge in the electrical items we sell. So if a customer wants to know more detail about a TV we are selling, for example, we can offer the same depth of knowledge that specialist retailers do. Our non-food sales are up 2% to 3% despite the downturn, so it is clearly working.
If you could change one thing about your store, what would it be? I'm torn between two things. Our customers have said they would like some changes to the car park. They find the lanes a bit too narrow and it can get quite congested, so we are looking at how we can improve it. Also, more than 90% of Extra stores have a filling station, and we are one of the few that don't. We would really benefit from having one, as there is the demand for it and our customers would be able to take advantage of the petrol vouchers we offer.
How did the launch of Clubcard 2 go in your store? Really well. We put a lot of effort into communicating to customers and staff how the double points system works compared with the doubling up of vouchers. We also manned the store entrances, which gave customers the opportunity to ask questions and find out more.
Will you be getting any new concessions? We currently have a Travelex, a Tesco Direct Desk, a phone shop and a café. We are looking to introduce an optician too, but nothing has been finalised yet.
The staff around the immaculate store were "very kind and polite", noted our shopper, and helped him find several items. He was also impressed that shelves appeared full, items were easy to find and there was no queue at the checkout.
Sainsbury's provided an enjoyable shopping experience too, but its checkout assistant took a minute longer to scan the items and did not offer to pack. Staff were helpful around the aisles, though, and plenty of tills were open.
Morrisons in Brighton had one out-of-stock item and the shelf price of the Danone Bio Activia was different to that on the receipt. Staff around the store were helpful, though, and our shopper noted that the checkout assistant was very polite and offered to pack.
Waitrose's Sudbury branch also had one out-of-stock item and the household aisle was congested with packing trolleys. However, helpful staff escorted our shopper to several items, plenty of tills were open and the checkout assistant was friendly.
All the tills were open at Asda in Hemel Hempstead, but our shopper still had to wait in a long queue. Staff were friendly, though, and the checkout assistant offered to pack.
Winner: Peter Mushet, store manager, Tesco, Coatbridge
What's the local competition like? Our closest competitor is Asda here in Coatbridge and we have a Morrisons a couple of miles away in Airdrie. We compete well customers have told us they shop with us because we offer a clean, bright and friendly store and they particularly like our non-food, such as our clothing range.
How are your Christmas lines faring? Some of our confectionery lines, such as tins of Cadbury Roses and Nestlé Quality Street, are on promotion at two for £10 at the moment. You would be surprised at how many customers have started stocking up they have proved very popular, despite Christmas being far off yet.
What about your non-food offer? Between 35% and 40% of our stock is non-food, which is a good balance. Last year, we began training five staff up to have a specialist knowledge in the electrical items we sell. So if a customer wants to know more detail about a TV we are selling, for example, we can offer the same depth of knowledge that specialist retailers do. Our non-food sales are up 2% to 3% despite the downturn, so it is clearly working.
If you could change one thing about your store, what would it be? I'm torn between two things. Our customers have said they would like some changes to the car park. They find the lanes a bit too narrow and it can get quite congested, so we are looking at how we can improve it. Also, more than 90% of Extra stores have a filling station, and we are one of the few that don't. We would really benefit from having one, as there is the demand for it and our customers would be able to take advantage of the petrol vouchers we offer.
How did the launch of Clubcard 2 go in your store? Really well. We put a lot of effort into communicating to customers and staff how the double points system works compared with the doubling up of vouchers. We also manned the store entrances, which gave customers the opportunity to ask questions and find out more.
Will you be getting any new concessions? We currently have a Travelex, a Tesco Direct Desk, a phone shop and a café. We are looking to introduce an optician too, but nothing has been finalised yet.
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