Asda, Sainsbury's and Waitrose all boasted full baskets this week, but excellent customer service, combined with eye-catching displays, put Asda in first place.
Our shopper was effusive about the store in Bearsden, Glasgow, saying it was a pleasure to shop there because "nothing was too much trouble for the staff". The store was tidy and the meat, fish and hot takeaway displays were fresh and well presented.
Waitrose in West Ealing was let down by a surly assistant, who made no eye contact and failed to say hello or goodbye. Our shopper described the services as so non-existent that she may as well have used the self-service checkout.
Service was better at Sainsbury's in Melksham, where staff were helpful and efficient, although their manner was a little aloof.
Empty cardboard boxes littering the shop floor of Morrisons and a large number of staff unloading trolleys detracted from the otherwise neat and well-stocked Swadlincote branch. The own-label four-packs of white muffins were not stocked, but our shopper was impressed by the deli express area and polite staff.
Tesco's staff were apologetic about the four items not stocked at Stowmarket, explaining Toblerone was only available in 100g; it stocked six-packs of own-label muffins not four-packs; white grapefruit had been delisted and only its Basics garlic bread was stocked.
Winner: Colin Dobbie, deputy store manager, Asda, Bearsden
Are you expecting any visits from MPs after David Miliband's trip to Asda in South Shields last week? We've got very good links with our local MPs and could be hosting as many as one mobile surgery a week, typically on Saturdays. Whenever this happens before an election or at any other time we flag it up on our Community Board. It's positioned near the entrance of the store so gets quite a lot of interest.
What has been the reaction to Andy Bond's decision to step down? A lot of the staff know him as the athlete who did a sponsored cycle from Lands End to John O'Groats last August, but most of us haven't met him so I couldn't comment on the staff reaction. It's not something we've particularly spoken about.
Other stores are better suited to the area. How do you compete? Having nationally advertised promotions means we're at the front of consumers' minds when it comes to getting a good deal. Last week's wine offer of three bottles for £15 on premium brands such as Wolf Blass was very popular, no doubt spurred on by better weather and the promise of summer.
Is any section doing particularly well at the moment? Why? Our meat, fish and takeaway hot food counters are set up as a triangle in the centre of the store. The aisles feed off them, so they benefit from lots of traffic and staff capitalise on this by ensuring the displays are visually appealing at all times.
Anyone who mans the counter will have been given specialist training in their area, so customers have come to expect and appreciate a certain level of knowledge. It's an increasingly important section for us.
Have you made changes to any other displays to drive traffic? Yes. We now make sure that any items discounted in our George clothing range are on show opposite the café. Encouraging people to contemplate bargains over a cuppa is a good way to boost sales.
Are there any expansion plans on the horizon? The building was remodelled in 2005, so we're not planning to expand at the moment. However, we hope to add another exit lane to the carpark to alleviate congestion during peak times.
Our shopper was effusive about the store in Bearsden, Glasgow, saying it was a pleasure to shop there because "nothing was too much trouble for the staff". The store was tidy and the meat, fish and hot takeaway displays were fresh and well presented.
Waitrose in West Ealing was let down by a surly assistant, who made no eye contact and failed to say hello or goodbye. Our shopper described the services as so non-existent that she may as well have used the self-service checkout.
Service was better at Sainsbury's in Melksham, where staff were helpful and efficient, although their manner was a little aloof.
Empty cardboard boxes littering the shop floor of Morrisons and a large number of staff unloading trolleys detracted from the otherwise neat and well-stocked Swadlincote branch. The own-label four-packs of white muffins were not stocked, but our shopper was impressed by the deli express area and polite staff.
Tesco's staff were apologetic about the four items not stocked at Stowmarket, explaining Toblerone was only available in 100g; it stocked six-packs of own-label muffins not four-packs; white grapefruit had been delisted and only its Basics garlic bread was stocked.
Winner: Colin Dobbie, deputy store manager, Asda, Bearsden
Are you expecting any visits from MPs after David Miliband's trip to Asda in South Shields last week? We've got very good links with our local MPs and could be hosting as many as one mobile surgery a week, typically on Saturdays. Whenever this happens before an election or at any other time we flag it up on our Community Board. It's positioned near the entrance of the store so gets quite a lot of interest.
What has been the reaction to Andy Bond's decision to step down? A lot of the staff know him as the athlete who did a sponsored cycle from Lands End to John O'Groats last August, but most of us haven't met him so I couldn't comment on the staff reaction. It's not something we've particularly spoken about.
Other stores are better suited to the area. How do you compete? Having nationally advertised promotions means we're at the front of consumers' minds when it comes to getting a good deal. Last week's wine offer of three bottles for £15 on premium brands such as Wolf Blass was very popular, no doubt spurred on by better weather and the promise of summer.
Is any section doing particularly well at the moment? Why? Our meat, fish and takeaway hot food counters are set up as a triangle in the centre of the store. The aisles feed off them, so they benefit from lots of traffic and staff capitalise on this by ensuring the displays are visually appealing at all times.
Anyone who mans the counter will have been given specialist training in their area, so customers have come to expect and appreciate a certain level of knowledge. It's an increasingly important section for us.
Have you made changes to any other displays to drive traffic? Yes. We now make sure that any items discounted in our George clothing range are on show opposite the café. Encouraging people to contemplate bargains over a cuppa is a good way to boost sales.
Are there any expansion plans on the horizon? The building was remodelled in 2005, so we're not planning to expand at the moment. However, we hope to add another exit lane to the carpark to alleviate congestion during peak times.
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