07 May 2009
About Town |
| Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, a
position it has held since 1437. It is the seventh
largest city in the United Kingdom and the second
largest Scottish city after Glasgow.
The city attracts one million visitors a
year, making it the second most visited tourist
destination in the United Kingdom after London.
It the 2001 Census, Edinburgh had a population
of 448,624, a rise of 7·1 per cent on 1991.
According to the European Statistical agency,
Eurostat, Edinburgh sits at the heart of a Larger
Urban Zone covering 665 square miles with a
population of 778,000.
Edinburgh has the strongest economy of
any city in the UK outside London. Its strength
is reflected by its Gross Value Added (GVA) per
capita, which was measured at £28,238 in 2005. |
The difference in quality was obvious
 I HAD decided I wanted to buy a camcorder, so headed
to the Shop@Panasonic store on Haymarket Terrace.
Bill and Adam were standing by the counter and both
welcomed me, before Bill asked if I needed any help.
I said I was in the market for a new camcorder, but did not
have a clue what was available or how much a product would
cost. Bill asked what my budget was and I said I hadn’t really
thought about it.
He asked me if I had a “modern TV” and I said that I bought a
32in Panasonic Viera about three years ago.
Bill said: “It’ll have an HDMI socket, that’s for high definition,
Adam will show you a wee bit of footage that we shot in HD.
New Panasonic TVs, not only take an SD card from a digital still
camera, but they’ll take movie footage from an SD card.”
Adam started the footage. He told me: “This was shot on a
high-definition camcorder and that’s the sort of quality you can
expect.”
I admitted that the footage was “jawdropping and
phenomenal”.
To illustrate the HD quality, Adam ran through some footage
that had been filmed in standard definition – the difference in
quality was obvious.
Bill said: “If you’ve not got the budget, we could do a deal on
an end-of-line camera in HD.”
The SD9 camera was on display at £499, but Bill offered it to
me for £449.
“It started life at £699,” Bill said, “it’s a super camcorder, but
it’s now coming to the end of its life, as new models come out.”
Between them, Bill and Adam talked me through the products
in the Panasonic range and then Bill mentioned his other store
in Glasgow, which is a camcorder centre.
He said: “From last year’s line-up, we are doing some sell-off
deals on HD camcorders. There’s one, that’s got a 40GB hard
disc drive, we’re selling that model offer for £399.”
Bill left Adam and I to talk through the options.
I told Adam I liked the Panasonic model that the two of them
had demonstrated.
Adam said: “From a budgetary point of view, if you can go HD,
then do it, as you’ve seen the quality you can achieve.”
He gave me some information on the Panasonic model and I
said I would return to make my purchase.
Summary: Bill and Adam’s two-man show had me captivated.
The demonstration was very good – I would have had no
hesitation in parting with my hard-earned cash for the
Panasonic product there and then.
Score: 10 out of 10 |
Bowled over by Cameron’s enthusiasm
 NEXT on my schedule in Edinburgh was a visit to the
Sony Centre on Shandwick Place.
On entering the store, I was attracted to a 46in TV (KDL46EX1),
which was on sale at £2,579. After browsing for a few minutes,
Cameron approached me and explained that the TV was wireless. He told me the transmitter, as well as connected equipment, could
be housed away from the TV.
Cameron took me to a demonstration area at the back of the
store, where a 40in version of the set was on display. The 40in
version was priced at £2,299, while the 52in version was £2,999.
Cameron pointed out that the TV is a 100Hz set. “It’s 100Hz and
wireless,” he said, “you can’t really get any better.”
He then took me to the front of the store to show me the ZX1,
Sony’s 9mm thick TV panel.
I asked Cameron for some details on the 40in wireless TV and he
printed some information from the Sony Style website.
Handing it to me, Cameron said there was another TV he wanted
to show me. “We have a fantastic offer,” he said.
“The KDL-40E4000 is priced at £1,149, and comes with a free Bluray
player (BDPS350), which normally retails at £219.”
Cameron reiterated the Blu-ray offer several times and I told him
that I was impressed with the offer and he printed some information
on the model from the Sony website.
I thanked Cameron for his time and said that I would return
once I had decided which TV to buy, although I said I was “very
tempted” by the free Blu-ray player offer.
As I was leaving the store, Cameron added: “If you have any
questions whatsoever, please do not hesitate to contact me.”
Summary: Cameron’s enthusiasm for the products was infectious
and his presentation style was relaxed. Sensing that the 40in
wireless TV might have been slightly out of my reach, he bounced
back with another 40in TV, that came with a Blu-ray player thrown
in for good measure. Nice work.
Score: 9 out of 10 |
Bravia effort from Gary
 WALKING along Rose Street, I noticed a
Sony poster in the window of Hi-Fi
Corner promoting a free, three-year
warranty on Sony Bravia TVs. So I went
into the store to fi nd out more.
Gary greeted me and said: “The promotion is
that buyers of Sony TVs get a free, three-year
warranty, but on all the other TVs we sell, we do
a free five-year warranty.”
I asked what other TVs the store sold. He
pointed to a 37in LG set (£400 ex-display) and a
40in Samsung (£850 ex-display).
The Samsung, Gary explained, was part of
Samsung’s 8 Series, which he said was well
specified. “It’s got all the toys you’d expect a TV
to have,” Gary said. “It’s full HD 1080p, it’s 100Hz
and 24 frames per second and it’s got a 70,000:1
contrast ratio, which is pretty good for LCD.”
I asked if the Samsung model was futureproof.
Gary said: “Yes, because it’s got HDMI
profile two inputs and it has legacy inputs for
attaching DVD players or Wii consoles.”
I asked Gary for some information on the
Samsung TV and he handed me a lealet.
Summary: Gary lost points for not asking me
any questions. The store was clean, but lost a
point for the way the store was presented. Gary
also did not demonstrate either of the sets, or
attempt to close the sale.
Score: 5 out of 10 |
Good refl exes from Ben
 WALKING along Princes Street,
I went to the Currys.digital store
as I was keen on buying my first
digital SLR.
The display was just inside the
store on the right-hand side, so I
started to browse the products.
I quickly spotted two models,
both of which were priced within my
budget. The Sony (A350) was retailing
at £439, while the Panasonic Lumix
(G1), was at £489.
Ben approached me and asked if
he could be of any help.
He asked me if I had used an SLR
before and I said I had owned a film SLR about 10 years ago.
He picked up the Sony model on display and, handing it to me, demonstrated the
camera’s ‘live view’ feature, as well as its adjustable screen. He talked me through the
programme modes, before explaining that the camera had image stabilisation built-in.
Ben asked me what I would be using the camera for and I said it would mainly be used
to capture memorable events, such as holidays. Ben then handed me the Panasonic
model, but I said I preferred the Sony. He told me that the Sony came with an 18-70mm
zoom lens and a battery. He said a Sony kit bag, which came with an additional battery,
normally retailed at £120, but it could be bundled with the camera for £60. A 4GB memory
card, meanwhile, which normally sold at £35, could be added to a package for £25.
Before leaving the store, Ben mentioned ‘Whatever Happens’, the product support
package would offer me “peace of mind”. Ben quickly found out that the monthly
premium on the camera would be £4·49 per month.
Summary: Ben seemed relaxed, yet very confident when it came to talking about the
SLRs. I was pleased that he gave me the chance to play with the cameras.
Score: 8 out of 10 |
Boom Shack alack
 IN THE window of the Telecare
Radioshack store on Nicolson
Street, I noticed a Humax
Freesat set-top box, so went in
to fi nd out more.
Three members of staff
welcomed me and I explained that
I was interested in finding out more
about Freesat.
One of the sales staff said:
“Freesat is a high-definition service,
but you need a satellite dish.”
He asked if I had Sky installed in
the past and I told him that I stopped
our Sky subscription about six
months ago.
An older member of staff said that it was “very straightforward” to simply plug a
Freesat box in to the TV, using the existing cables from the satellite dish.
The third member of staff said: “Freesat is the high-definition version of Freeview,
with all the Freeview channels, plus a couple of extras. There’s the BBC HD channel,
Channel 4 HD and if you watch the football on ITV, it says press the red button to get the
HD signal.”
One of the staff said, the Humax Foxsat HD box is “one of the best boxes on the
market, with a lot of good write-ups.” The Humax box was priced at £139, down £10
on the usual price. The older man photocopied a piece of Humax point-of-sale for me,
which explained a little about the Freesat proposition and he logged on to the Freesat
website to show me what’s available on the platform.
Summary: The three-man welcome kicked off this visit nicely. In addition, points
were awarded for ascertaining my needs, for product knowledge and for the store’s
customer service. The score lost a point for suggesting that the Channel 4 HD is on
Freesat – it is not.
Score: 6 out of 10 |
They don’t, Ron, Ron…
 IN NEED of a new washing machine, I headed to the John Lewis store
in the St James Centre. I made my way to the electricals department on
the fi rst fl oor and started to browse the products on display, where I was
greeted by Ron, who asked if I needed any help.
I explained what I was looking for and Ron said he would find someone to assist me.
After a minute or so, Paul joined me. He asked about my family circumstances.
I said I was married, with a little boy.
“You probably don’t have a massive amount of washing,” he said, but I disagreed.
He told me that a “6kg, 7kg or 8kg machine would be ideal”.
Paul recommended three Bosch models and a John Lewis model, but did not explain
how the products differed.
He said that John Lewis offers a free delivery service and will take the old appliance
away for £9.
I asked for some information to take away and he handed me brochures from Bosch,
Electrolux and John Lewis.
Summary: While Paul ascertained through questions what my domestic set-up was, he
was unable to match my responses to suitable products and seemed unable to explain
the difference between the four products he presented.
Score: 3 out of 10 |
Dents in my confi dence
 WITH my house move imminent,
I went to Wallaces on
Dalry Road to choose a new
fridge.
The store was a hive of activity as
a number of products had just been
delivered, which made the store
seem slightly chaotic.
As I walked into the store, a man
was walking backwards pulling a
boxed fridge-freezer. Just before
there was a major collision, a man
welcomed me and asked if I was
looking for anything in particular.
I explained that I was looking for
a fridge and he asked if I was after
an under-counter or fridge-freezer.
Under-counter, I said. He showed me a Hotpoint model (£184·99) and a Whirlpool
(£199), both of which were 600mm wide. The man then showed me a Lec slimline model
at £169. I was shocked to see that the Hotpoint model had many dents on the door, which
would have put me off buying that particular product.
He said the store stocked Bosch, too. He led me to a another showroom in the store’s
basement. On display was a Bosch model (£265) and a Gorenje model (£245).
Back in the main showroom, another member of staff, told me that I had been the first
customer in the new showroom. Prices, the man said, were inclusive of delivery, but I
would have to arrange with the council for my old appliance to be taken away.
“The council will do two uplifts a year for you, free of charge,” he added.
“I thanked him for his help.
Summary: The man was friendly and welcoming. He asked me a question, which
enabled him to present four fridges to me. He gave me delivery details, but was unable
to differentiate between the products, which I found disappointing.
Score: 4 out of 10 |
I would go
for a Sebo
 MY HUSBAND and I were keen to buy a vacuum
cleaner for a new flat, so went to see what was
on offer at Jenners, the House of Fraser-owned
department store, on Princes Street.
Inside the store, we made our way to the small
electrical appliances department on the second floor.
We found the vacuum cleaners display and were
joined by Margaret.
“I’d go for a Sebo,” Margaret said.
She handed us leaflets on two Sebo models – the
Automatic X4 Extra upright at £250 and the Airbelt K1
Komfort cylinder on sale at £170.
Margaret pointed out that Sebo machines had a fiveyear
guarantee, while other models had either one-year
or two-year guarantees.
We asked Margaret why she recommended Sebo.
“Many hotels use Sebo cleaners, and they vacuum
with them every day and they last a really long time.
“The suction is very good.”
Summary: While we were encouraged to see her
promoting products with a high monetary value, she
did not ascertain our needs, instead offering her own
opinion and not seeming to take ours into account.
Score: 3 out of 10 |
Not a Blu-ray
of hope here
 WANTING to find out more about Blu-ray, I
headed to Richer Sounds on Chambers Street.
As I entered the store, I noticed that three men were
standing behind the sales counter, one of whom was on
the phone to a customer.
At the back of the store, another member of staff was
serving a customer, so I found the Blu-ray products on
display and started to browse them.
The Samsung (BDP2500) was priced at £229·95, while
the Denon model (DVD-1800BD) was on sale at £299·95.
A Sony model was not priced.
Another customer entered the store and was promptly
ignored by the two members of staff, who were not
serving customers.
I picked up a copy of the Richer Sounds flyer and
found the page that featured Blu-ray products.
With no sign whatsoever of an approach, I reluctantly
left the store, disappointed that I had been ignored by
two members of staff in a very quiet store.
Summary: As I have said many times before, sales staff
cannot afford to ignore customers and that’s exactly
what happened. I left knowing as much about
Blu-ray as I did when I first entered the store.
Score: 0 out of 10 |
I love to go
a-wandering
 WITH my kitchen renovation almost complete, I
went to Comet on Glasgow Road in search of an
American-style fridge-freezer.
A member of staff greeted me, but as I walked around
the store, I noticed there were six members of staff,
seemingly just wandering around.
As I approached the side-by-side refrigeration area, I
was drawn to a Samsung display that was pushing the J
Series of side-by-side products from Jasper Conran.
The two products on display were a 19·1 cubic foot
frost-free model at £1,468 and a 17·5 cubic foot frost-free
model on sale at £1,663.
With no sign of an approach, I decided, reluctantly,
to leave the store. As I walked to the exit, I counted two
members of staff serving customers, while six other
members of staff were idly wandering around in pairs.
There were no other customers in the store, other
than myself and the two being served.
Summary: My trip to Comet started well with a member
of staff greeting me, but then things changed. As soon
as I got into the white goods sales area, there were no
sales staff to be seen.
Score: 0 out of 10 |
|
Summary
MY team’s day in Edinburgh was a real mixed
bag, with some great examples of customer
service, which it is encouraging to see in these
very difficult times.
We witnessed great enthusiasm and service
from Currys.digital, the Sony Centre and Shop@
Panasonic. At these stores, my team said the
sales staff really seemed to enjoy selling, which
was obvious from their product knowledge.
Special mention has to go to Bill and Adam at
Shop@Panasonic. My team member who visited
these two guys was blown away by their product
presentation and demonstration – “One of the best
I have ever seen,” my colleague said.
As I have said time and time again, in these
tough economic times, retailers should be fighting
for each sale, not chatting to colleagues to the
detriment of serving punters – this is bad practice.
Staff at Comet and Richer Sounds let their
employers down and there is no excuse for that.
As this recession takes hold, dealer principals
and the head offices at multiples really need to
ensure that sales staff are at the top of their game.
Finally, congratulations to Currys.digital, The
Sony Centre and Shop@Panasonic.
As you scored more than seven points, you
have been rewarded for your customer service
with automatic entries into this year’s ERT
Industry Awards in October. Well done!
|
Top of the Town Independent
Independents
Winner
Shop@Panasonic
Commended
Sony Centre
Multiples
Winner
Currys.digital
Commended
None
|
Premier League
|
No of Visits |
Total Points |
Average per call |
| B&O |
2 |
20 |
10 |
| Apple stores |
3 |
25 |
8.3 |
| Shop@Panasonic |
6 |
41 |
6.8 |
| Independents |
44 |
280 |
6.4 |
| Sony Centres |
15 |
90 |
6 |
| Supermarkets |
4 |
22 |
5.5 |
| Richer Sounds |
9 |
45 |
5 |
| Currys.digital |
13 |
57 |
4.4 |
| Comet |
14 |
40 |
2.9 |
| Department Stores |
14 |
40 |
2.9 |
| Jessops |
13 |
36 |
2.8 |
| Xtra Vision |
1 |
2 |
2 |
| Currys |
12 |
9 |
0.8 |
| Robert Dyas |
1 |
0 |
0 |
| PC World |
3 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
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