Love was in the air at Asda's Wythenshawe branch, where shoppers stocking up on Valentine's Day gifts, cards, food and drink made this store a bustling one.

The retailer landed our top store award because its staff coped well, with two helpful assistants making time to escort our shopper to items he struggled to find. It also boasted strong availability, with no out-of-stock items.

Sainsbury's in Kidlington would have been vying for top stop if it hadn't been for newspapers littering the entrance. It provided a full basket, the checkout assistant was polite and plenty of tills were open.

The Waitrose in Lichfield looked immaculate and had no out-of-stock items, but not enough tills were open. The checkout assistant was helpful, though, and offered to pack after apologising for the queue.

One out-of-stock item and a mistake on the receipt - with our shopper not being charged for the toilet roll she bought - let down the Morrisons in Ipswich. Our shopper was, however, particularly impressed with one assistant who informed her about vinegar types and then helped her find the olives.

Availability disappointed at Tesco's Pulborough branch, although the store was particularly busy because a nearby Sainsbury's had been closed for refurbishment. Our shopper's opinion wasn't improved by the many gaps on shelves or by being directed to the wrong aisle by a member of staff.


Winner: Mark McBurnie, Asda, Wythenshawe
What offers do you have on at the moment? We currently have some great £1 promotions on certain health and beauty lines. These include Palmolive, Dove roll-on deodorant and Lynx, so it is hardly surprising they are among our best sellers at the moment. Our Valentine's Day stock flew off the shelves, with our £15 bouquets of flowers going down particularly well.

How much say do you have over what you stock? We have got the right to ask head office for extra lines to stock and can also de-list items if they are not right for our customers. Last year we de-listed certain fish lines and some premium meat as our customers were not taking to them as well as other products. We extended our pet food and our laundry ranges because there was strong demand for them. This replaced certain home and leisure lines, including some lights, cushions and candles.

Why are you introducing more self-service checkouts? We are getting six more because we are in a shopping centre and get a lot of customers popping in for just a few items. They are replacing a couple of basket-only tills.

What has been the most effective change to the store in the past year? Our marketing and value campaign, which includes our rollbacks and other promotions, has driven sales. We are constantly changing to meet the needs of customers. For example, we are promoting home cooking items more, including cheese graters and frozen food lines, because our customers have shown more interest in them than before.

What have you done to improve customer service lately? Last month we started asking customers to give us in-store feedback if they wanted. It is an opportunity to change something, such as products or how we can improve our service and stand out even more compared with our competitors. We have had some great feedback so far. Communicating with customers and going that extra mile is key to great service. Every month we reward staff who have done something really good to help customers, by treating them to a meal.

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