It was a poor week for availability for most retailers but Waitrose in Brackley – one of its first Market Town formats – boasted no out-of-stock items and, with the helpful staff “all smiles”, it’s this week’s winner.

The 33 items were easy to locate and the aisles were clear of stacking trolleys. Free samples of soup were offered and there were a lot of discounts on fresh bread. There was no queue at the checkout where the assistant made polite conversation with our shopper and offered to pack her bags.

Sainsbury's in Tollgate was immaculate and provided a full basket so would have been vying for the top spot had it not been for the cheese not being scanned. Staff were helpful, pointing our shopper to the eggs, and the checkout assistant was also polite. Our shopper was impressed with the paper-saving double-sided receipt.

Tesco in Ashby de la Zouch was let down by one out-of-stock item. Although the store was clean, stacking trolleys cluttered aisles. The staff looked smart but an assistant gave minimal answers and appeared unfriendly when asked about the missing baguette.

Morrisons in Aylesbury was let down by availability and an inadequate number of tills being open. The store was offering flu jabs.

Asda’s Harpurhey branch was also also let down by poor availability and had a littered floor but staff were helpful and escorted our shopper to the items.


Winner: Steve Laughton, store manager, Waitrose, Brackley
What would you change about your store? We only opened in July and are one of the first Market Town formats for Waitrose, focusing on great customer service and locally sourced produce, which is doing really well especially our fruit and veg. The store is just 13,000 sq ft. It would be great to have a bigger offer as well as more services and ranges. Many customers would like a coffee shop .

Can customers request extra products to be stocked? Yes - we are continually reviewing our format and customers can have an input on what they want by talking to staff and myself -- that's the best way. Alternatively they can fill out a form with any requests at the welcome desk. Starting from next week we will sell greeting cards and stationery because customers requested them.

How do you compete with your rivals? There is only one other supermarket in this town, which is a Tesco. One of our main focuses is customer service. We offer a superior element of service to customers to make their shop pleasurable and enjoyable. We always have excellent availability and quality products.

What offers do you have on? We recently had £8 off a one-litre bottle of Baileys, bringing the price down to £10, and all our party food is currently half-price. Our wine has also been trading well - there is not much competition for it in this town and there have been some good promotions on it.

What is the best initiative that has been introduced to the store? Our Fresh On Service strategy provides fantastic customer service. Partners are trained to help customers with really great product knowledge.

How does being a Waitrose partner motivate staff? Pay is performance-related and we also get bonuses every year. The store was previously a Co-op and we kept about half the staff. They have shown a great attitude and becoming partners means they get a say in how the business is run.

How do you and your staff socialise outside work? We have a budget for our social club, which is run by six partners who work in the branch. We regularly hold events - after we opened we had a summer ball at the Hilton and we have a Christmas party coming up, which will be attended by more than 80 partners.

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