Although it did not have the best availability, Tesco in Craigmarloch, Lanarkshire, offered the best overall customer service.
A pleasant assistant made conversation as she helped our shopper to find the right shelf for lasagne verdi which eventually turned out to be out of stock and also asked if she could help with anything else. There was no queue at the checkout and the assistant greeted our shopper and offered to help pack.
Asda in Luton had no items out-of-stock. However, there were two errors on the receipt. The checkout assistant showed no interest in our shopper and spent most of his time blowing his nose.
Chilli powder was out of stock in Morrisons in Warminster. Staff on the shop floor were polite and helpful but the team was let down by the checkout assistant,who failed to greet or say thank you.
Waitrose in Ashbourne did not stock 11 items, as the store's range focused on premium own label. The layout was a mixed success. The fresh produce and alcohol aisles were spacious, but general grocery was cramped with narrow aisles. The checkout assistant was friendly and packed our shopper's bags as he scanned the items.
Sainsbury's in Salford was clean and tidy but staff pointed towards items rather than walking our shopper to them, and the cashier was slow. The cauliflower was out of stock.
Winner: Susan Devine, store manager, Tesco, Craigmarloch
What were the main challenges when you joined this store? I've worked for Tesco since 1997 but joined this store 16 weeks ago. Fundamentally the biggest challenge is that you have to understand the customer base. It's then about building relationships with the team in-store and being mindful that they're going through a period of transition.
What areas of the store have you changed? Clothing has started to pick up since we re-introduced the men's range. We try to continually change the clothes facing the customer and put together new outfits, so if you come in for your shopping every week you'll always see something different.
How much influence do you have on ranging? Tesco produces a managing range report but the store manager governs range in their store, making decisions on local choice and additional products. For example, we've added some more loose fresh produce lines following customer requests.
Which lines have been introduced recently? The company as a whole is raising the profile of its deli counters so we have some new lines such as individual quiches and flavoured cold meats. We've just brought in fresh olives so that will be a line where we'll see how customer demand goes.
What else is planned in the store? All the refrigeration cabinets are being replaced from next month and we're getting a whole new frozen section. It will be a huge benefit to the customer to have clean, modern equipment and deeper fresh cabinets that can hold more stock. The new equipment will be eye-opening for customers and tempt them to buy and browse more in those areas.
Your deputy manager is also female. Does having an all-woman senior management team make any difference to the store? Perhaps we do look at things differently when it comes to clothing, the cleanliness of the store and maybe we are a bit more demanding. Tesco is certainly bringing through more female store managers we have three girls in our store working towards becoming managers.
Read more
Grocer 33: Asda well ahead of rivals to retake top spot (24 July 2010)
A pleasant assistant made conversation as she helped our shopper to find the right shelf for lasagne verdi which eventually turned out to be out of stock and also asked if she could help with anything else. There was no queue at the checkout and the assistant greeted our shopper and offered to help pack.
Asda in Luton had no items out-of-stock. However, there were two errors on the receipt. The checkout assistant showed no interest in our shopper and spent most of his time blowing his nose.
Chilli powder was out of stock in Morrisons in Warminster. Staff on the shop floor were polite and helpful but the team was let down by the checkout assistant,who failed to greet or say thank you.
Waitrose in Ashbourne did not stock 11 items, as the store's range focused on premium own label. The layout was a mixed success. The fresh produce and alcohol aisles were spacious, but general grocery was cramped with narrow aisles. The checkout assistant was friendly and packed our shopper's bags as he scanned the items.
Sainsbury's in Salford was clean and tidy but staff pointed towards items rather than walking our shopper to them, and the cashier was slow. The cauliflower was out of stock.
Winner: Susan Devine, store manager, Tesco, Craigmarloch
What were the main challenges when you joined this store? I've worked for Tesco since 1997 but joined this store 16 weeks ago. Fundamentally the biggest challenge is that you have to understand the customer base. It's then about building relationships with the team in-store and being mindful that they're going through a period of transition.
What areas of the store have you changed? Clothing has started to pick up since we re-introduced the men's range. We try to continually change the clothes facing the customer and put together new outfits, so if you come in for your shopping every week you'll always see something different.
How much influence do you have on ranging? Tesco produces a managing range report but the store manager governs range in their store, making decisions on local choice and additional products. For example, we've added some more loose fresh produce lines following customer requests.
Which lines have been introduced recently? The company as a whole is raising the profile of its deli counters so we have some new lines such as individual quiches and flavoured cold meats. We've just brought in fresh olives so that will be a line where we'll see how customer demand goes.
What else is planned in the store? All the refrigeration cabinets are being replaced from next month and we're getting a whole new frozen section. It will be a huge benefit to the customer to have clean, modern equipment and deeper fresh cabinets that can hold more stock. The new equipment will be eye-opening for customers and tempt them to buy and browse more in those areas.
Your deputy manager is also female. Does having an all-woman senior management team make any difference to the store? Perhaps we do look at things differently when it comes to clothing, the cleanliness of the store and maybe we are a bit more demanding. Tesco is certainly bringing through more female store managers we have three girls in our store working towards becoming managers.
Read more
Grocer 33: Asda well ahead of rivals to retake top spot (24 July 2010)
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