I WANTED to find out more about 3D TV, so I headed to the Sony Centre in the Golden Square Shopping Centre.

I was greeted by Dil who asked me if I needed any help. I explained that I wanted to know more about 3D TV, but did not know anything about it.
He started with a demonstration. He handed me a pair of 3D glasses and encouraged me to watch the 3D Blu-ray demo. I commented on how good it looked. Dil asked if I had a particular size set in mind. I explained that we currently had a 32in set in our living room, but that I wanted to get a bigger one. He said the next logical step would be to a 40in set, but he persuaded me to look at a 46in set.
“Look at this,” he said, “it’s only 42in wide, and it’s got a beautiful frame around it.” The KDL-46NX713 was priced at £1,299.99, but Dil said that a trade-in promotion, running in-store until June 5, would reduce the set to £999.99.

Dil said I’d need to buy glasses, which cost £100 a pair, but he was keen to point out that a buy-one-get-onefree offer is currently running, so I’d be able to get two pairs for just £100.
I’d also need to buy a transmitter, which would set me back £50, he told me.
To watch 3D, Dil said I could get Sky’s 3D channel, which was free to top-tier subscribers, and he also mentioned a deal that was running on 3D Blu-ray players.
He said that I could buy a 3D Blu-ray player (BDPS580) at the same time as the set, and get a £75 saving on the usual price of £210.
Dil also pointed out that I’d need to buy two quality HDMI leads to get the best from my set, Sky 3D and my 3D Blu-ray player.
“HDMI start at £20 and go up to £70,” he said, “but I’d recommend the best.
“If you’re spending £1,000 on a TV, I’d recommend you apportion at least 10 per cent for accessories.”
I thanked him for his help.

Summary: Dil was on top form. He started by offering me a pair of 3D glasses and an impressive demonstration followed. Mention of the buy now/pay later deal was a bid to close the sale.

Score: 10 out of 10

JOINT WINNING INDIE

LOOKING for a new washing machine, I headed to Padgate Appliances on Marsh House Lane.

Michael was standing on the pavement outside the store. He greeted me and asked if I needed any help.
Michael started by asking me how many people there were in my family. I said that I lived with my wife and two children. He pointed out that I’d need one with “a decent size drum”.
The first product he presented was a

Hoover VHD842W, which was priced at £375. He explained that it had an 8kg drum and a 1,400 spin speed.
He went on to show me two more products, one from Candy and one from Hoover.
Michael explained that he could arrange free delivery for me, as well as collection of the old appliance, as long as it was disconnected. The delivery could take place the same day, or the day after, to suit me.
I thanked him for his help.

Summary: Michael was helpful and asked questions before suggesting products, but he did not discuss features or benefits, although he did volunteer installation and delivery information.

Score: 5 out of 10

I HEADED to Sevenoaks Sound & Vision on Bridge Street to find out more about the Sonos music system.

Les asked if I needed help. I said that I was keen to find out about the Sonos system.
He said the in-store music was from a Sonos system.
When I mentioned my wireless router was by the front door, Les said I’d need to buy a ZoneBridge at £79.
He said Sonos could handle up to 32 zones and explained the ZonePlayer 120 (£399), with built-in 55W per channel digital

amplifier, had to be connected to a pair of speakers.
He also detailed two other ZonePlayers, the S5 (£349), and the 90 (£279).
Les began his demonstration by talking me through the system interface, including how to set up and edit zones, before mentioning available services such as internet radio, Last FM, Napster, Spotify and Wolfgang’s Vault.
A free app can control the system, Les added.
Les mentioned that if I spent more than £500 on Sonos equipment in-store, I’d be given a free Sonos WD100 Wireless iPod Dock worth £100.

Summary: Les was able to talk me through the system well, carefully describing each product. I vowed to return to buy this impressive wireless system.

Score: 10 out of 10

JOINT WINNING INDIE

LOOKING to buy a digital radio, I headed to see what was available at the massive Currys & PC World Megastore in the Alban Retail Park.

Ben, the store greeter, did his job well and he handed me a flyer, which was full of price promotions.
I then took a stroll around the store, before eventually deciding to settle in the digital radio aisle.
I was blown away not only by the volume of speech and music coming from the radios on display, but also by the number of models on show. I counted 27.

The cheapest product on display was from Logik.
The model (L33DAB10) was priced at £24.99. The highestpriced was a three-way tie – the Pure Evoke Flow and two products from Roberts (Sound 66 and the Revival RD60), each priced at £159.99.
I thought the seven coloured RD60 models from Roberts – in blue, cassis, cocoa, egg, pastel cream, pastel pink and red – were well presented in the centre of the display.
That said, I was not approached by any member of staff once.
I counted five members of staff who walked close to me without saying a word.

Summary: Multiples seem to love employing store greeters. However, the good work these greeters do is pointless, if their colleagues fail to follow up. One to watch there, Mr Browett.

Score: 1 out of 10

AS PART of a house move, I went to the Sky Shop in the Golden Square Shopping Centre to see how much it would cost to get Sky installed.

Dave greeted me and asked if I needed any help. He asked me what I liked watching. I said that I like watching sport, but was not interested in getting the movie channels.
Dave said that subscriptions started at £19.50, and he said that additional ‘packs’ would cost an extra £1 each.
Based on my taking every

entertainment pack, with both sports packs included, I’d be looking at £54 a month, he said. Dave mentioned the HD option, which I mentioned I’d be very keen to get.
He asked if I’d be interested in Sky’s telephone and internet offer, too. “At the moment, we’re doing a pack where you can have free evening and weekend calls – and the internet has a free 2GB download limit.”
Back to the TV option and Dave said the box and installation were both currently free, as part of an offer.

Summary: Dave was able to quickly talk me through the costs of Sky and did well. However, he did not demonstrate Sky+ HD, or the Sky+ functionality, or attempt to close the sale.

Score: 8 out of 10

COMMENDED MULTIPLE

LOOKING to buy my first digital SLR camera, I visited the Jessops store on Golden Square.

I was greeted by George who asked if I needed any help. I said that I wanted to buy my first digital SLR and I told him that I had used a film SLR in the past, before opting to use a digital compact camera.
He began his sales pitch by asking which make of film SLR I had had and I said it was a Canon.
He pointed out that Canon lenses from film cameras could be used on digital SLRs, but I pointed out that the camera had long been sold on eBay, so I had an open mind.
George said: “We sell Canon, Nikon and Sony; but I’d stick with Canon or Nikon, unless you want a lot of features.
If you wanted seven-frames-a-second, but you’re budget was limited to about £500, you’d go to Sony, but you would not be able to get that from Canon or Nikon, based on that budget.”
He asked what I’d use the camera for and

I said it would be primarily used for my work but also to take pictures of the family.
George also asked what my budget was and I said I did not want to spend more than about £700.
He presented two cameras to me from Nikon and Canon. The Nikon D3100, priced at £439.95, was bundled with an 18-55mm VR lens. The Canon 1100D , which had a 18-55mm lens, was selling for slightly more at £459.95.
George said I’d get better images from the Nikon as the lens was better and the camera had more features, too.
In addition to a high resolution screen on the back of the Nikon, George was quick to point out that the Nikon offered full 1080p HD video recording as opposed to the 720p on the Canon.
George opened the cabinet and handed me both models in turn.
I immediately liked the feel of the Nikon. He talked me through the menus and encouraged me to have a play with the cameras.

Summary: George wanted to help and his enthusiasm was infectious. He was able to demonstrate, effortlessly, that by asking questions a salesman can tailor his pitch accordingly.

Score: 10 out of 10

WINNING MULTIPLE

LOOKING to find out about Blu-ray, I headed to Grappenhall TV & Video on Knutsford Road.

Phil asked if I needed any help. I explained that I was keen to find out more about Blu-ray, but did not know what it was or how much it cost.
He started by asking me what kind of TV I had and I said we currently had a Samsung 40in LED set.
Phil said he stocked Bluray players from Sony and Panasonic. He checked a folder and told me that the Panasonic DMP-BDT110EG retailed at £250 and came with

an HDMI lead and a two-year guarantee from the retailer.
“It’s also 3D-compatible,” Phil said, “which will be useful if you upgrade to a 3D TV.”
I said I had not seen a Blu-ray movie before and asked what the quality was like. He pointed to a TV that was showing the BBC HD channel and he said the quality offered by Blu-ray was better than that.
As I was about to leave, Phil suggested I might also look to replace my set with a 3D TV, which could then be bundled with a free 3D Blu-ray player.

Summary: Phil was helpful. His offer of the 3D TV/Blu-ray player bundle was a clear attempt to close the sale. Two points were lost for no demonstration or talk about the technology.

Score: 8 out of 10

COMMENDED INDIE

DESPITE the advertised opening time of 9am, the Comet store on the Cockhedge Shopping Park was not open when my wife and I called. James, standing patiently outside waiting for the key-holder to turn up, advised calling back after about 9.40am.

Keen to buy a washerdryer, we went back later and James was serving a customer. Another member of staff was also helping a customer.

We found a Hotpoint WDD960P at £529.99, while the Samsung WD8704RJA was £549.99. Both models could handle washing capacities of 7kg and drying capacities of 5kg. The main difference was that the Hotpoint model had a 1,600 spin speed, while Samsung’s was 1,400rpm.
Point-of-sale pointed out the company offers an installation service on large appliances; another poster pointed out that some models were available to be taken home today. And that was all the help we got.

Summary: It was bad enough the store opened late but even after being given a second chance they still failed to deliver. Point-of-sale is no replacement for knowledgeable staff.

Score: 0 out of 10

AS I approached the store in the Cockhedge Shopping Park, I noticed a poster in the window promoting an Androidenabled tablet, so I thought I’d go and find out more.

There were a couple of customers browsing, but I could not see any members of staff. With no sign of an approach, I wandered around the store until I found the product I had seen advertised.
The tablet, with a 7in touch screen, was

priced at £129.99 and, according to the price ticket, the model was ‘ultra-thin and lightweight’ and featured 4GB of storage, which could be expanded via micro SD.
Information on the price ticket included the screen resolution, which was 800 x 400 WVGA, while the battery gave up to four hours’ use.
After five minutes of browsing, Jason walked straight past me without saying a word.
Thoroughly disappointed, I left the store.

Summary: The advertising in the window encouraged me to go into the store to find out more, yet there were no staff on hand to help me, and when Jason did turn up, he ignored me.

Score: 0 out of 10

KEEN TO find a new vacuum cleaner, I headed to the Debenhams store in the Golden Square Shopping Centre to see what products were available.

In the electricals area, I noticed two hanging signs that were promoting ‘Take 10% off ticket price’.
There were products on display from Dyson, Hoover, Numatic and Vax.
I noticed that products from Numatic (Henry) and Dyson

(DC19T2 and DC24) were reduced by 10 per cent, but I was surprised that the Hoover Rush and the Vax (Power 2) had both been reduced by an amazing 50 per cent.
The electricals department was devoid of both staff and customers, so I continued to browse the vacuum cleaner display, which looked messy, with products badly merchandised.
After five minutes, I left the store.

Summary: Having visited many Debenhams, what happened here is all too common. Sorry Debenhams, you really don’t do yourself any favours. How about some staff and tidier displays?

Score: 0 out of 10