At 7am in the loading bay of Tesco's Sheldon store, near Birmingham, there is a daily scene of such good-natured co-operation that it could be a contender for a new, and less celebrity-obsessed, Tesco TV advert. Because the 20,000 sq ft outlet is located in a residential area, delivery lorries can only be unloaded from 7am-8pm. So the whole team has to get involved in unloading the stock and filling the shelves before the store opens at 8am. And the managers are usually in the thick of it, says store manager Emma Grant. This infectious camaraderie has helped the branch to scoop this week's Top Store award. "Getting the stock off the lorry is great fun and we share a fantastic team spirit. It is all hands on deck. Managers work shoulder to shoulder with floor staff. It is a really satisfying start to the day!" The happy atmosphere at Grant's store was not lost on our shopper, who was also impressed by the strong availability and number of checkouts operating. It used to be a Safeway store before it was converted three years ago, and data from CACI shows that Asda, and in particular Morrisons, are actually more suitable outlets for the Sheldon area than Tesco. Although Grant does not have the biggest store in town, her staff are pulling together to prove that it is really is the early bird that catches the worm.



Q&A with Emma Grant Store manager of the week


 


Which products are selling well at the moment? We are having a huge push on our half-price British strawberries. I know customers prefer locally produced fruit and veg because we have a range meeting each week so I can find out what customers are asking for. Because we are a smaller store it is easier for me to approach shoppers and find out what they would like us to stock. I also have more time to develop customer relationships. We do not want to give them any opportunity or reason to shop elsewhere. What would you like to change about your store? I would like a bigger car park but we are located in a residential area so there is no space to expand. Also, this store was a Safeway three years ago and had smaller footfall. Because the car park fills up so quickly we have a good incentive to get shoppers through the checkouts as quickly as possible and keep the queues to a minimum. Everyone here is till and shop-floor trained. We get a lot of footfall as we are on the main road to Birmingham Airport and the National Exhibition Centre. Who are your nearest competitors? We have large Asda and Sainsbury's stores near us and also an Iceland, which has just had a refit. I don't feel threatened by them as our strong availability and excellent customer service means shoppers come to us and know they can get what they want. Week after week, shoppers speak to the staff on a first name basis and I believe our checkout staff are the best around. But we can't get complacent. People are more prepared than ever to shop around - not just at the big stores, but at the smaller independents as well. How do you support the community? We provide IT equipment to four local primary schools through our voucher scheme. I'm also raising money for our charity of the year, the British Red Cross, by doing a skydive with one of our managers and, yes, I am nervous!


 


Asda High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire


2 - The wannabe DJ announcing promotions over the tannoy at this Asda store irritated our shopper after a while. However, the staff were friendly and the checkout assistant packed our shopper's bags. The store was out of stock of the Old El Paso fajita dinner kit and mange tout and a large pallet blocked the cereal aisle. We visited on 15 June at 1.45pm. Our shop lasted 51 minutes. Time spent at the checkout was three minutes.


 


Morrisons Bishopbriggs, Glasgow


0 - This Morrisons store impressed our shopper with its tidy aisles, great customer service and excellent availability. Unfortunately, the checkout assistant charged our shopper for flat mushrooms rather than the closed cup variety. Of the 20 checkouts, 10 were operating, which was sufficient. We visited on 15 June at 10.30am. Our shop lasted one hour and 15 minutes. Time spent at the checkout was four minutes.


 


Sainsbury's Worksop, Nottinghamshire


0 - The cheerful staff at this Sainsbury's were stacking shelves and checking stock when our shopper visited. But she reported that some signage was obscured by 'current offer' notices and staff only pointed rather than guided her to the location of items. However, the store offered a full basket and there were lots of special offers. We visited on 15 June at 10.23am. Our shop lasted one hour and three minutes. Time spent at the checkout was four minutes.


 


Somerfield Caldicot, Gwent


1 - It was a swift visit for our Gwent shopper as neither the white grapefruit, After Eights nor Persil Biological Gel tablets were stocked and the Müller Fruit Corner was sold out. The staff were chirpy and the checkout assistant packed our shopper's bags for her. Six of the 10 checkouts were open and queues were minimal. We visited on 15 June at 10.57am. Our shop lasted 45 minutes. Time spent at the checkout was six minutes.


 


Tesco Sheldon, West Midlands


0 - Although there were groups of shelf-stackers and packers in the fruit and vegetable aisles, they were polite and did not obstruct our shopper's path. A full basket was provided and the checkout assistant was particularly friendly. All of the checkouts were open, so there were no long queues. We visited on 15 June at 10.30am. Our shop lasted one hour and 10 minutes. Time spent at the checkout was three minutes.


 


Waitrose Esher, Surrey


1 - This Waitrose was clean and tidy and the staff seemed to be having a good time. Some of the shelf-stackers were even singing and shouting at each other! However, own-label croissants were sold out and the checkout assistant did not offer to help pack our shopper's bags. We visited on 15 June at 4.00pm. Our shop lasted 39 minutes. Time spent at the checkout was nine minutes.


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