Why do you think your store came out on top? Standards, service and availability of stock are key reasons. We really focus on keeping the store free of clutter and the aisles clear. But the biggest reason for our success is our staff. We have enthusiastic employees who want to help customers, which makes a huge difference to the customer shopping experience.
There are two other large supermarkets on your doorstep. How do you stay ahead of them? We make sure we maintain good, solid standards every day. I can’t do anything about other stores’ promotions, so I just make sure we are the best in town.
How do you make a difference in the store personally? The biggest thing for me is being on the shop floor all day, every day. Yes, I am the store manager and I have an office but I’m out there because that’s what matters, that’s where it happens and that’s where my customers and my colleagues are. I also try to notice when my colleagues do something well – I try to give the credit and the recognition they have earned.
What do you enjoy about working for Sainsbury’s? We have a great level of communication with head office and we are always kept up to date on recent developments. And this shop is new, which is great – everything looks brand new and we want to keep it that way. I also have a great team here. Out of 290 staff, 285 were new to Sainsbury’s when we opened and the recent snow really bought the team together. I had staff walking miles to get to work – I have colleagues who are 4ft 8in tall and the snow was 4ft 5in deep! They walked to work to open the shop for the community, and the effort they put in is rewarded with customer loyalty.
What big promotions have you had in store recently? Valentine’s Day has been a big one – lots of Champagne, flowers and chocolates. We also got the schools in the community to design love hearts. We stuck them up in the window and each school got a prize for the best heart. All the staff dressed up in something red and pink. One of them was dressed as a giant red sparkly heart, which lightened the atmosphere and made it fun. I wore a not-very colour co-ordinated pink shirt and a bright red tie.
And how many Valentine’s cards did you get? I hope I will be lucky enough to get one when I go home tonight!
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