Knowledgeable staff who went out of their way to help our shopper played a big part in ensuring Morrisons in Llanelli took this week's title.
The store had a nice atmosphere, said our shopper, and appeared clean and fresh. Its single out-of-stock product was New Covent Garden Food Co carrot and coriander soup.
Most of the staff at Waitrose in Chiswick were also helpful, leading our shopper to the product she was looking for and asking if they required further assistance. However, the cashier failed to say hello or goodbye and the own-label baguette and Scotch pancakes were out of stock.
There were also two out-of-stocks at Asda in Coatbridge, Lanarkshire: the soup and the Cathedral City mature Cheddar. The store was clean and tidy and the staff were friendly and helpful.
Many shelves were being re-stocked when our shopper visitedSainsbury's in Osmaston Park, Derby, which made it difficult to navigate the store, particularly the biscuit aisle, where two trolleys had been left. One of the chiller cabinets had broken down, which meant cold meats and pâtés were unavailable.
The checkout assistant let down Tesco in Weston-super-Mare, barely smiling when our shopper made conversation and failing to say hello or goodbye. Pillars in front of the shelves made some items hard to reach.
Winner: Valerie Powell, store manager, Morrisons, Llanelli
How do you reward good customer service? We receive letters every day and I put those up on a board so that all the staff can see them. It makes me feel very proud to think that someone has taken the time to write in and is so complimentary about the staff.
Do you raise money for charity? To raise money for breast cancer we held a contest to guess the weight of a very heavy pink cake, which a customer then won. We did other things among the staff, such as guessing the number of sweets in a jar. We have also got an event at the end of the month for our local hospice, where customers will be asked to guess the value of a hamper.
What products have sold well recently? Thanks to barbecue season our Market Street department has been doing particularly well, especially the butchery counter, which can cut kebabs and burgers. The salad bar, where we produce all in-store salads from scratch, is also doing well.
How much freedom do you get from head office? I get direction from retail operations daily, but the day-to-day running of the store is down to me. I've got a great relationship with the people at head office. They are are very supportive and that helps me to run my store.
When did you join Morrisons? I joined the company 10 years ago after working for Woolworths as a district manager and at House of Fraser. While you can transfer the management skills, the pace of the operation is completely different but more enjoyable.
Why is Morrisons a good company to work for? We value the people who work for the company and provide everything that is needed for job satisfaction in terms of communication, training, recognition and reward. It's an excellent company to work for.
What training do you provide? We recruit people with skills and knowledge, but if someone joins without experience we can quite easily provide training. It is ongoing even colleagues who have been with the company for 10 years are constantly going on training and development courses. We always praise colleagues when they do well in their observation.
Read more
Grocer 33: Asda cheapest with soups and sauces (10 July 2010)
The store had a nice atmosphere, said our shopper, and appeared clean and fresh. Its single out-of-stock product was New Covent Garden Food Co carrot and coriander soup.
Most of the staff at Waitrose in Chiswick were also helpful, leading our shopper to the product she was looking for and asking if they required further assistance. However, the cashier failed to say hello or goodbye and the own-label baguette and Scotch pancakes were out of stock.
There were also two out-of-stocks at Asda in Coatbridge, Lanarkshire: the soup and the Cathedral City mature Cheddar. The store was clean and tidy and the staff were friendly and helpful.
Many shelves were being re-stocked when our shopper visitedSainsbury's in Osmaston Park, Derby, which made it difficult to navigate the store, particularly the biscuit aisle, where two trolleys had been left. One of the chiller cabinets had broken down, which meant cold meats and pâtés were unavailable.
The checkout assistant let down Tesco in Weston-super-Mare, barely smiling when our shopper made conversation and failing to say hello or goodbye. Pillars in front of the shelves made some items hard to reach.
Winner: Valerie Powell, store manager, Morrisons, Llanelli
How do you reward good customer service? We receive letters every day and I put those up on a board so that all the staff can see them. It makes me feel very proud to think that someone has taken the time to write in and is so complimentary about the staff.
Do you raise money for charity? To raise money for breast cancer we held a contest to guess the weight of a very heavy pink cake, which a customer then won. We did other things among the staff, such as guessing the number of sweets in a jar. We have also got an event at the end of the month for our local hospice, where customers will be asked to guess the value of a hamper.
What products have sold well recently? Thanks to barbecue season our Market Street department has been doing particularly well, especially the butchery counter, which can cut kebabs and burgers. The salad bar, where we produce all in-store salads from scratch, is also doing well.
How much freedom do you get from head office? I get direction from retail operations daily, but the day-to-day running of the store is down to me. I've got a great relationship with the people at head office. They are are very supportive and that helps me to run my store.
When did you join Morrisons? I joined the company 10 years ago after working for Woolworths as a district manager and at House of Fraser. While you can transfer the management skills, the pace of the operation is completely different but more enjoyable.
Why is Morrisons a good company to work for? We value the people who work for the company and provide everything that is needed for job satisfaction in terms of communication, training, recognition and reward. It's an excellent company to work for.
What training do you provide? We recruit people with skills and knowledge, but if someone joins without experience we can quite easily provide training. It is ongoing even colleagues who have been with the company for 10 years are constantly going on training and development courses. We always praise colleagues when they do well in their observation.
Read more
Grocer 33: Asda cheapest with soups and sauces (10 July 2010)
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