Four stores had no out-of-stocks this week and none of our shoppers had a disappointing experience. But Sainsbury's Murrayfield store in Edinburgh just edged it thanks to its great customer service, spotlessly clean store and full basket.
The checkout assistant offered to help pack and demonstrated care when handling the products and the store was bright and airy.
Service levels were high elsewhere too. Staff were polite and helpful in Tesco Extra in Slough and were offering samples of South African Granny Smith apples. The only downside was that own-label deep-fill steak pie was not stocked.
Most staff were very helpful in Morrisons in Dukinfield, Cheshire. The checkout assistant couldn't be faulted and our shopper left the store with a good lasting impression. However, the bakery assistant did not initially seem pleased when asked for help, there was a long wait to pay and Toblerone was not stocked.
Asda in Sutton provided another positive experience. An assistant went out of his way to find organic milk, which was not on shelf, saving the store from an out-of-stock listing. Premium own-label Parma ham was not stocked.
Anchor spreadable 250g was not stocked and Ben and Jerry's was out-of-stock at Waitrose in Saxmundham. All tills were open but there was still a queue of almost five minutes.
Winner: Craig Brown, store manager, Sainsbury’s, Murrayfield
What have you done to make the store feel spacious and clean? We've made sure we don't clutter aisles with excessive stacks and open up aisle space for promotions. Colleagues are encouraged to see things through the eyes of the customer. If they see a problem they will stop and sort it out.
What ranges have you brought in as manager? We ask for customer feedback so if there's something they get somewhere else we try to accommodate that. One area where we have extended is the range of ethnic and Polish food. It's quite a diverse area and I've got a lot of Asian and Polish staff it's interesting to get feedback from them to make sure the range is right.
Which categories are growing fastest? The big thing is the World Cup, particularly party food. We very much planned the World Cup as a huge event. Each department picked a team to sponsor and we tie that into the products we sell. The bakery sponsored the US and sampled bagels and muffins when they played. Sales of those items doubled on the day.
How do you keep customer service standards high? We do colleague observations every month. If we see someone giving great service we bring them into the daily huddle and reward them by getting them to explain what they did so they're role-modelling for other colleagues. We also nominate them for a £10 Shining Star award.
Does your store have many fundraising events? Our store supports Dreamz4U, a Scottish charity that grants the wishes of terminally ill children. Last month we did a charity It's a Knockout with every store in Scotland sponsored to take part. We raised £12,000.
How much freedom do you have from head office? Our range is very much directed by head office but I've got a good relationship with the business units. I try to work with them to ask if we can look at stocking a particular range.
I've been with the company for three years and noticed a gap in the Scottish hotplate range of fruited pancakes and potato scones. Now they're in hotplates in every one of our stores in Scotland.
Read more
Grocer 33: Cottage cheese puts Asda back on top (3 July 2010)
The checkout assistant offered to help pack and demonstrated care when handling the products and the store was bright and airy.
Service levels were high elsewhere too. Staff were polite and helpful in Tesco Extra in Slough and were offering samples of South African Granny Smith apples. The only downside was that own-label deep-fill steak pie was not stocked.
Most staff were very helpful in Morrisons in Dukinfield, Cheshire. The checkout assistant couldn't be faulted and our shopper left the store with a good lasting impression. However, the bakery assistant did not initially seem pleased when asked for help, there was a long wait to pay and Toblerone was not stocked.
Asda in Sutton provided another positive experience. An assistant went out of his way to find organic milk, which was not on shelf, saving the store from an out-of-stock listing. Premium own-label Parma ham was not stocked.
Anchor spreadable 250g was not stocked and Ben and Jerry's was out-of-stock at Waitrose in Saxmundham. All tills were open but there was still a queue of almost five minutes.
Winner: Craig Brown, store manager, Sainsbury’s, Murrayfield
What have you done to make the store feel spacious and clean? We've made sure we don't clutter aisles with excessive stacks and open up aisle space for promotions. Colleagues are encouraged to see things through the eyes of the customer. If they see a problem they will stop and sort it out.
What ranges have you brought in as manager? We ask for customer feedback so if there's something they get somewhere else we try to accommodate that. One area where we have extended is the range of ethnic and Polish food. It's quite a diverse area and I've got a lot of Asian and Polish staff it's interesting to get feedback from them to make sure the range is right.
Which categories are growing fastest? The big thing is the World Cup, particularly party food. We very much planned the World Cup as a huge event. Each department picked a team to sponsor and we tie that into the products we sell. The bakery sponsored the US and sampled bagels and muffins when they played. Sales of those items doubled on the day.
How do you keep customer service standards high? We do colleague observations every month. If we see someone giving great service we bring them into the daily huddle and reward them by getting them to explain what they did so they're role-modelling for other colleagues. We also nominate them for a £10 Shining Star award.
Does your store have many fundraising events? Our store supports Dreamz4U, a Scottish charity that grants the wishes of terminally ill children. Last month we did a charity It's a Knockout with every store in Scotland sponsored to take part. We raised £12,000.
How much freedom do you have from head office? Our range is very much directed by head office but I've got a good relationship with the business units. I try to work with them to ask if we can look at stocking a particular range.
I've been with the company for three years and noticed a gap in the Scottish hotplate range of fruited pancakes and potato scones. Now they're in hotplates in every one of our stores in Scotland.
Read more
Grocer 33: Cottage cheese puts Asda back on top (3 July 2010)
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