Two retailers provided a full basket and impressive service this week, but Tesco in Amersham beat Waitrose by a whisker thanks to its shorter queue and a particularly "efficient and friendly" checkout assistant.
Staff at the Amersham store were helpful around the aisles and the queue was short at the checkout, where the polite assistant greeted our shopper, asked if she needed help packing and gave instructions on how to pay.
Waitrose in Bridport also impressed. The items were easy to find and our shopper noted how neat the fruit & veg display looked. An elderly customer was struggling to reach an item and an assistant rushed to help her. But while polite, the checkout assistant did not offer to pack.
A fight between two shoppers distracted the checkout assistant at the new Morrisons in Crawley. The store, which had one out-of-stock item, was clean but crates and boxes cluttered the aisles and the staff lacked product knowledge.
Availability let Asda in Bishopbriggs down. But staff escorted our shopper to several items and asked if he needed any more help, there was no queue and the polite checkout assistant packed his bags.
Sainsbury's in Swadlincote had three out-of-stocks and a long queue. Staff did, however, apologise for the out-of-stocks and suggest alternatives.
Winner: Nathan Painter, deputy manager, Tesco, Amersham
Out shopper described her visit as a "pleasant experience". How did you pull it off? By understanding what the customer needs and providing a decent level of service. The store gets really busy so it's extremely important to maintain strong on-shelf availability, too. We have a team of 440 here and I motivate staff by communicating with them and celebrating their successes when they achieve things over and above the normal. Making sure they are fully trained to do their jobs well and have the right tools is key, too.
Have you had any new and exciting products in? Three weeks ago we rolled out the top 20 chart Blu-ray films, which have been well received. We are hoping to introduce a back catalogue of other films too, eventually, as well as some at lower price points. We have also extended our Polish range in the past month with several new chilled lines such as meats to tap into our customers' needs.
What products are selling particularly well at the moment? Our non-food is doing well, especially our BBQ and clothing ranges. Customers are really taking to our school uniform offer, where they can get the complete outfit for just £15, and our autumn clothing ranges are proving popular, too. Our three-for-£10 offer on wines and spirits has also gone down particularly well with customers.
How is Clubcard 2 faring? The response has been very strong, which shows we have listened to what our customers want. They are really enjoying earning and spending the extra points. We have seen a significant uplift in the number of customers signing up, too.
Tell me about your Shoulder to Shoulder initiative. A couple of months ago we moved five of our computers from out the back on to the shop floor so more staff are available around the aisles to help customers when they need it. It has proved hugely effective. All the team can access them to check for stock and prices.
How do you and your staff socialise outside work? We hold team-building days and staff from each department regularly go out and socialise together at events such as football matches.
Staff at the Amersham store were helpful around the aisles and the queue was short at the checkout, where the polite assistant greeted our shopper, asked if she needed help packing and gave instructions on how to pay.
Waitrose in Bridport also impressed. The items were easy to find and our shopper noted how neat the fruit & veg display looked. An elderly customer was struggling to reach an item and an assistant rushed to help her. But while polite, the checkout assistant did not offer to pack.
A fight between two shoppers distracted the checkout assistant at the new Morrisons in Crawley. The store, which had one out-of-stock item, was clean but crates and boxes cluttered the aisles and the staff lacked product knowledge.
Availability let Asda in Bishopbriggs down. But staff escorted our shopper to several items and asked if he needed any more help, there was no queue and the polite checkout assistant packed his bags.
Sainsbury's in Swadlincote had three out-of-stocks and a long queue. Staff did, however, apologise for the out-of-stocks and suggest alternatives.
Winner: Nathan Painter, deputy manager, Tesco, Amersham
Out shopper described her visit as a "pleasant experience". How did you pull it off? By understanding what the customer needs and providing a decent level of service. The store gets really busy so it's extremely important to maintain strong on-shelf availability, too. We have a team of 440 here and I motivate staff by communicating with them and celebrating their successes when they achieve things over and above the normal. Making sure they are fully trained to do their jobs well and have the right tools is key, too.
Have you had any new and exciting products in? Three weeks ago we rolled out the top 20 chart Blu-ray films, which have been well received. We are hoping to introduce a back catalogue of other films too, eventually, as well as some at lower price points. We have also extended our Polish range in the past month with several new chilled lines such as meats to tap into our customers' needs.
What products are selling particularly well at the moment? Our non-food is doing well, especially our BBQ and clothing ranges. Customers are really taking to our school uniform offer, where they can get the complete outfit for just £15, and our autumn clothing ranges are proving popular, too. Our three-for-£10 offer on wines and spirits has also gone down particularly well with customers.
How is Clubcard 2 faring? The response has been very strong, which shows we have listened to what our customers want. They are really enjoying earning and spending the extra points. We have seen a significant uplift in the number of customers signing up, too.
Tell me about your Shoulder to Shoulder initiative. A couple of months ago we moved five of our computers from out the back on to the shop floor so more staff are available around the aisles to help customers when they need it. It has proved hugely effective. All the team can access them to check for stock and prices.
How do you and your staff socialise outside work? We hold team-building days and staff from each department regularly go out and socialise together at events such as football matches.
No comments yet