WE NEEDED to buy a new washing machine so I went to see what was available at D&C Vision on Buxton Road in Disley.

Julian greeted me and asked if I needed any help. I said that our old washing machine had packed up and that we wanted to replace it with a reliable machine that was also energyefficient.
He asked what size drum our previous machine had and how many people were in our household.
I said our old washer had a 5kg capacity and that our family consisted of two adults and two children.
Julian first mentioned a 6kg machine from Gorenje and a 5.5kg model from Bosch. I asked if there was any value in getting a bigger drum, with a greater spin speed.
He told me that the Panasonic range of washing machines were “very efficient” and he pointed out that all three

of the Panasonic machines the store sold had 8kg drums.
Julian said: “The actual drum is tilted back slightly, so it actually uses less water; it also has a 3D sensor in it that detects the amount of washing in the drum as well.”
The f i rst product he presented was the top-of-therange model (NA-168VG2), which was priced at £549.99. He said it had a 1,600 spin speed and he also said the machine was very quiet.
He went on to talk me through the programs of the machine in some detail, and then briefly mentioned the two other Panasonic models on display – a 1,400 spin model (NA-148VA2), priced at £469.99; a 1,200 spin model (NA-128VA2) was priced at £419.99.
Julian said that for the prices advertised, he would arrange for the product to be delivered and installed, while our old machine would also be taken away.
I thanked him for his help.

Summary: Julian talked about the products he presented well. He asked questions to arrive at suitable products. His mention of the delivery and installation was an attempt to close the sale.

Score: 10 out of 10

WINNING INDIE

AFTER reading about the Sonos wireless music system in my favourite magazine, I went to see the product for myself at the Richer Sounds store on Lower Hillgate.

Ben greeted me and asked if I needed any help. I explained that I was keen to find out more about the Sonos system.
He explained that it was a whole house system and he immediately began to talk me through the various components of the system.
Ben first talked me through

the ZonePlayer 120, which was priced at £379.95. He said that I’d simply need to connect a pair of speakers to it. He explained that the Sonos system could be controlled by a Sonos controller, which retailed at £269.95, or by an iPhone.
I asked how many different zones I could have and Ben said I could have up to 32. “You can really get carried away with it,” he enthused.
He mentioned the S5 ZonePlayer, which retailed at £329.95.
I thanked him for his help.

Summary: Ben was friendly, but he seemed to be in a bit of a rush and did not do the product justice. He missed out products and accessories and did not demonstrate it or try to close.

Score: 6 out of 10

LOOKING to buy a new vacuum cleaner, I went to Modern Aids on London Road in Hazel Grove.

Carol was standing behind the counter and greeted me.
She asked me if I was looking to buy an upright or cylinder and I said an upright model would be her preference.
She then asked whether I was looking for a bagged or bagless model and I said that my partner would only consider one with a bag.
She said: “The thing about bagless is that you’ve got to keep on top of the filters, because if you don’t, you’ll be in trouble.”

The first product she presented was a Sebo X4 Extra. Carol explained, and then demonstrated, that the bags came with a bung in the top of the bag to stop dirt and dust from the bag escaping.
I said I had not heard of Sebo before. “It’s the best there is,” she said.
Carol then presented a Miele product, which also had a system for removing the bag hygienically, but she pointed out that the cleaner was heavy and she encouraged me to lift it for myself.

Summary: Carol was friendly and able to talk me through the key features and benefits of the Sebo and Miele machines. The only thing that she did not do was attempt to close the sale.

Score: 9 out of 10

COMMENDED INDIE

LOOKING to buy a satnav to help me in the course of my day-today business, I called in on the PC World store at The Peel Centre to see what was available.

The store greeter promptly ignored me, so I made my way to the satnav area, and saw products from Navman, Is my browsing interrupting your chatting? Roadcom and TomTom.
I could see that three members of staff were serving customers, so I continued to browse the products on display. The

cheapest was from Roadcom at £49.99, while the most expensive model on display was from TomTom (Go Live 1000) at £229.99.As I browsed the products, I could not help but notice that two members of staff were having a good old chat just yards from where I was standing, but neither could be bothered to help me.
After browsing for more than five minutes, the conversation between the two employees was still in full flow and I decided to leave them to it.

Summary: Another example of staff thinking that it is OK for them to carry on their chat, instead of actually doing their job and serving customers. I wanted someone to explain the features of various satnav models to me, but sadly that was clearly not going to happen.

Score: 0 out of 10

I WANTED to buy a new washing machine, so I went to the Comet store in The Peel Centre to see what was available.

Inside the store, with no approach from staff, I took the escalator to where the major domestic appliances were displayed.
At the top of the escalator, I could not help but notice the flashing green light coming from a Samsung product.
I was the only customer on the mezzanine

level, but I could see a woman sat at a desk typing at a computer.
The Samsung Ecobubble machine (WF0804W8N) was priced at £649.99 and, according to the price ticket, was an 8kg model, with a 1,400 spin speed.
Two screens on the top of the machine demonstrated the difference between an Ecobubble wash and a conventional wash.
After more than five minutes spent browsing the Samsung model, and with no sign of an approach, I left the store, thoroughly disappointed.

Summary: The Samsung demo was compelling, but it is no substitute for a sales person. Ignoring customers is not clever, but seems to be how larger retailers do business these days.

Score: 0 out of 10

WITH my birthday around the corner, my partner had promised me that I could get a new camera, so I headed to the Jessops store on Warren Street.

Mike greeted me and asked if I needed any help. I explained that I had read an article about the new compact system cameras and was keen to find out more.
Mike said: “The compact camera systems give you all the facilities and image quality of an SLR, but in a much more compact body, because not everybody wants to carry around a big camera.”
Mike began his sales pitch by opening the display cabinet, where he started to present two models.
The Sony NEX-5, with a 16mm and 18-55mm lenses, was priced at £548.95, while the Panasonic DMC-GF2, with 14mm and 14-42mm lenses, was priced at £549.95.
In turn, he took each camera out of the cabinet, encouraging me to take some shots. While

I was playing with the Sony model, he explained the features and benefits of it.
I asked how the Sony and Panasonic models differed.
He said: “On paper, the Sony is the better camera in terms of spec, but a lot of people prefer the build quality of the Panasonic .
“The only thing that the Panasonic model does not have, which the Sony has, is the tilting screen. This is handy if you’re doing low-down work.”
I asked if the store was offering any bundles at the moment. Mike told me that one offer available was a voucher for 300 free prints – he also mentioned a number of kit deals.
Mike stressed the importance of getting an SD card, with an 8GB card retailing at £34, while a 16GB card would set me back £55.
He also mentioned that I could take advantage of an interest-free credit offer on my purchase. With a deposit of 20 per cent, I could spread the cost of my purchase over six months.

Summary: Mike was on top of his game, from his initial greeting to his mention of the interest-free credit offer, which was a clear attempt to close the sale. Good job.

Score: 10 out of 10

WINNING MULTIPLE

I headed to the Superfi store on Lower Hillgate to look at a 3D TV.

Tony greeted me and explained that the store offered Samsung LED 3D TVs and Panasonic 3D plasmas.
He said: “There are two rules of thumb: the LED sets are more energy-efficient, so if you have it on all the time, LED sets are cheaper to run.
“Plasmas are better at dealing with standard definition, so if you’re not watching an HD source all the time, then plasmas will offer a better picture quality overall. LED sets are awesome on HD.”

I told Tony that I’d be keen to go for an LED set.
He said that the Samsung sets had internet TV installed.
He asked what size set I would want. I explained that we had a 32in set, but that I’d be keen to get a bigger set.
We agreed a 46in would be ideal, but he apologised for not having a set that size in stock.
Tony led me to a Panasonic set, where he began to play the Monsters vs Aliens 3D Bluray. He then told me that the Samsung 46in was priced at £1,449 and that glasses for that set cost £79.95.

Summary: Tony was friendly and helpful. His demo was compelling and he talked knowledgeably about plasma and LED. He dropped a point for not closing the sale.

Score: 9 out of 10

COMMENDED INDIE

MY DAY in Stockport continued with a visit to Debenhams on Princes Street, where I wanted to buy a coffee maker.

I noticed there was no department listing, so I took the escalator to the first floor, where I discovered that the home department was in fact on the lower ground floor.
I eventually found the electricals area, but there were no customers or staff to be found.

The coffee maker display looked dusty and messy, al though two product s seemed suitable and each was marked with 10 per cent off the ticket price.
The Bosch Tassimo was priced at £110.70, down from £123 and the Krups Dolce Gusto, supported with a plethora of point-ofsale materials, was priced at £107.10, down from the usual price of £119.
With no sign of any staff, let alone an approach, I left the store.

Summary: Very disappointing. There was no information as to where the electricals area was and in the electricals area, there were no staff to help me. And the display was a mess.

Score: 0 out of 10

MY WIFE and I wanted to buy a Freeview set-top box for our son’s bedroom, so we went to see what was available at the Maplin store on Garfield Street.

The store was quiet and we were the only customers in the store as we went in.
We made our way to the digital TV display and began to browse the products.
The entry-level model was a Goodmans product at £19.99, while a Grundig HD box was priced at £69.99. There were

also two Humax PVRs on display – the 160GB model at £139.99, while the 320GB model was £189.99.
Neither myself nor my wife is very technical, but after more than five minutes of browsing, we had still not been approached.
So we decided to leave.
As we headed towards the exit, we couldn’t help noticing that there were three members of staff who were chatting in one of the aisles by the till. Beats serving customers.

Summary: Times are tough and staff, from the owner of a store to the most junior member of staff, need to be at the top of their game. But that was not the case on this visit to Maplin.

Score: 0 out of 10

I wanted to get an American-style side-by side refrigeration product, so I headed to Currys.

As I walked in, Jamie walked straight past me without saying a word, so I made my way to the refrigeration area.
There were 18 models on display from a number of manufacturers including Beko, Daewoo, Fisher & Paykel, LG, Samsung and Sharp.
As I browsed, Nathan smiled at me from

the TV area, before finally disappearing.
I noticed a poster that pointed out the key features of side-by-side products – capacity, energy efficiency, frost-free and water and ice dispensers.
After more than five minutes, and with no sign of any approach, I left the store, and couldn’t help but notice that five members of staff were having a chat around the till area by the door – all of them ignored me as I headed for the exit.

Summary: What can I say about five members of staff all ignoring a customer? Is this what retailing has come to?

Score: 0 out of 10