It was a close contest between Asda in Eastbourne and Sainsbury's in Fallowfield this week, as both retailers impressed with strong availability and a high standard of customer service.
But Asda clinched the top store award thanks to a smiley assistant who stopped what she was doing to make polite conversation with our shopper and help locate several items around the store. Other pluses were that plenty of tills were open and the friendly checkout assistant offered to pack.
Sainsbury's staff also impressed, escorting our shopper to several items or at least pointing him in the right direction. The queue was short and the cashier greeted our shopper and packed his bags. However, the store was let down by its littered entrance.
Tesco's Copdock Interchange store in Ipswich boasted strong availability, but its customer service wasn't so good, one staff member reportedly "communicating in grunts". Our shopper was also undercharged for the rolls there was no barcode and instead of checking the price, the cashier scanned the next customer's baguette.
At Morrisons in Baillieston, there was one out-of-stock but, on the plus side, an assistant was happy to help our shopper find items.
The bagels were out of stock at Waitrose in Brackley, but our shopper was impressed by the knowledgeable deli counter staff and that the cashier offered to pack.
Winner: Phil Derbyshire, store manager, Asda, Eastbourne
What was your store like on Monday when Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 went on sale? Well, our customers started queuing at just after 9pm and the game went on sale at one minute past midnight. The store was packed. During that first night we sold 400 copies, the majority within the first 40 minutes. We had enough stock to meet demand over the first night then experienced a few difficulties during the couple of days after. We have plenty of supply now, though.
How is the Extra Special range faring since you revamped its packaging? It's doing brilliantly and is so much more noticeable on the shelves than before. We have a promotion on at the moment, where shoppers can get a meal deal for two for £6. It comprises soup, a main dish, an accompaniment and a dessert, which is great value. Extra Special sales have more than doubled since the meal deal was launched. Without taking the meal deal into account, Extra Special sales have increased 20% since the packaging was revamped.
Tell us about your Christmas bargains. Last week we held a technology event, where we offered electrical items for bargain prices, including a Sanyo LCD TV for £280 and a Philips Blu-Ray disc player for £97. They didn't last long at all. We also have great offers on music and video games and have stepped up our George range. The tuxedos are proving particularly popular at just £40 they are cheaper than renting.
How many seasonal staff are you employing? I am recruiting at the moment and will have taken on 40 new staff by the time I have finished. We are currently working with the Jobcentre to recruit a proportion of young and unemployed people because we want to employ a broad range of workers from all walks of life.
How will you celebrate the store's 20th anniversary this weekend? This Sunday we are holding a joint anniversary and Christmas celebration. We have a number of colleagues who have been here since we opened and many customers who have shopped with us all these years. On Saturday we are planning to hold in-store events, such as giveaways, to celebrate.
But Asda clinched the top store award thanks to a smiley assistant who stopped what she was doing to make polite conversation with our shopper and help locate several items around the store. Other pluses were that plenty of tills were open and the friendly checkout assistant offered to pack.
Sainsbury's staff also impressed, escorting our shopper to several items or at least pointing him in the right direction. The queue was short and the cashier greeted our shopper and packed his bags. However, the store was let down by its littered entrance.
Tesco's Copdock Interchange store in Ipswich boasted strong availability, but its customer service wasn't so good, one staff member reportedly "communicating in grunts". Our shopper was also undercharged for the rolls there was no barcode and instead of checking the price, the cashier scanned the next customer's baguette.
At Morrisons in Baillieston, there was one out-of-stock but, on the plus side, an assistant was happy to help our shopper find items.
The bagels were out of stock at Waitrose in Brackley, but our shopper was impressed by the knowledgeable deli counter staff and that the cashier offered to pack.
Winner: Phil Derbyshire, store manager, Asda, Eastbourne
What was your store like on Monday when Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 went on sale? Well, our customers started queuing at just after 9pm and the game went on sale at one minute past midnight. The store was packed. During that first night we sold 400 copies, the majority within the first 40 minutes. We had enough stock to meet demand over the first night then experienced a few difficulties during the couple of days after. We have plenty of supply now, though.
How is the Extra Special range faring since you revamped its packaging? It's doing brilliantly and is so much more noticeable on the shelves than before. We have a promotion on at the moment, where shoppers can get a meal deal for two for £6. It comprises soup, a main dish, an accompaniment and a dessert, which is great value. Extra Special sales have more than doubled since the meal deal was launched. Without taking the meal deal into account, Extra Special sales have increased 20% since the packaging was revamped.
Tell us about your Christmas bargains. Last week we held a technology event, where we offered electrical items for bargain prices, including a Sanyo LCD TV for £280 and a Philips Blu-Ray disc player for £97. They didn't last long at all. We also have great offers on music and video games and have stepped up our George range. The tuxedos are proving particularly popular at just £40 they are cheaper than renting.
How many seasonal staff are you employing? I am recruiting at the moment and will have taken on 40 new staff by the time I have finished. We are currently working with the Jobcentre to recruit a proportion of young and unemployed people because we want to employ a broad range of workers from all walks of life.
How will you celebrate the store's 20th anniversary this weekend? This Sunday we are holding a joint anniversary and Christmas celebration. We have a number of colleagues who have been here since we opened and many customers who have shopped with us all these years. On Saturday we are planning to hold in-store events, such as giveaways, to celebrate.
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