MY DAUGHTER’s old CRT set had finally given up the ghost, so I headed to Reliant TV on Highfield Road to see if I could find her a suitable replacement.

Chris greeted me and asked if I needed any help.
I explained that I wanted to treat my daughter to a new TV, but I wanted to buy something special.
I said that I didn’t want a big set and he said that perhaps a 19in or 22in would be ideal.
I noticed a Panasonic 19in set (TXL19C20BW), which was priced at £229.99.
Chr is showed me awhite 27in Samsung

model (UE27D501), which was in the window, priced at £379.99.
I said that I thought it looked stunning and that I was sure my daughter would like a ‘different’ style of TV.
He appreciated that I did not want to spend that kind of money on a TV and, after making a phone call to his colleague, he came back with the offer of a white 22in Samsung model (UE22D5010), which he said he could do for £249.99.
Chris said that he could order it in for me and I could have it the next day.
I explained that I would not be around for the next few weeks and he offered to order it in for me, so that I could pick it up when I was next in town. Well, you can’t say fairer than that, can you?

Summary: Chris was friendly and relaxed and he knew the sort of thing I wanted and after a phone call was able to find the product I wanted. As far as I was concerned, this was a done deal.

Score: 10 out of 10

WINNING INDIE

MY DAY continued with a visit to the Maplin store on the Blackpool Retail Park.

A poster in the shop’s window was promoting a 7in Android 2.1 touch-screen tablet, which was priced at £99.99 – a £50 saving on the normal price.
Keen to find out more, I entered the store and was greeted by Sarah who asked if I needed any help.
I explained that I had seen the poster and wanted to know more about the

advertised product.
Sarah told me that the tablet had 4GB of memory built in, while an additional micro SD card could expand the memory up to 16GB.
She mentioned that the tablet featured an HDMI TV-out port, which I thought made the product even more interesting.
Sarah also said that the model ran on Google Android OS 2.1 and had an 800 x 480 pixel widescreen display, which could be viewed in portrait or landscape mode.

Summary: The window display got me in the shop and Sarah was quick to approach me. The only things missing from her presentation were a demonstration and an attempt to close.

Score: 8 out of 10

KEEN to buy a new vacuum cleaner, I called in at Ser Vac on Church Street to see what was available.

A woman greeted me inside the store and asked if I needed any help. I said that I had been sent out by my wife to find a vacuum cleaner, but admitted that I did not know what I should be looking for.
The woman asked if I was looking to buy a cylinder or an upright cleaner and I told her I thought a cylinder model would be perfect.
She immediately rec ommended the

Henry from Numatic, which was priced at £110. The cleaner, she said, used bags and she pointed out that a pack of 10 would cost £10
She gave an overview of two other cylinder cleaners from Electrolux.
I asked if there was any information I could take away.
She said: “There’s no information because they’re so simple – you just connect the hose and then you can put on the attachments you want.”
She also pointed out that Henry cleaners were used in hospitals and offices.

Summary: The woman was helpful. She ascertained my needs and recommended suitable products. She also mentioned accessories, but gave no demo and did not close the sale.

Score: 7 out of 10

COMMENDED INDIE

HAVING read about the Sonos music system, I went to Apollo 2000 to find out more.

I located the Sonos system, which was actually on the sales counter, and began to read the point-ofsale literature.
There were three Sonos products on display. The Sonos Controller (£279.99), the ZonePlayer 120 (£399.99) and the ZonePlayer S5 (£349.99).
After five minutes or so, a salesman asked if I needed any help.
I said I wanted to know more about the Sonos system and he promised he’d help

me as soon as he’d finished serving his customer.
I began to play with the system, and accessed the Napster service and began to stream my own choice of music to the ZonePlayer S5.
The streaming was almost instant and I was very impressed with that.
The salesman who had approached me originally was still busy serving his customer, as were the three other salesmen.
So, after a total wait of 17 minutes, I left, feeling disappointed.

Summary: I was frustrated not to get served. I’ve awarded one point as a salesman did acknowledge me. Judging by how staff were dealing with customers, they’d have done well.

Score: 1 out of 10

Keen to watch my team in glorious high definition, I headed to the Sky Shop in the Houndshill Shopping Centre.

Kevin greeted me and I explained that I was interested in Sky.
He asked if I was looking to get Sky’s TV, broadband and phone package and I said I’d be keen to see how the costs added up.
Kevin asked what we liked watching on TV. I said that our kids watched TV all day long, so we’d have to get

channels suitable for them, while I loved sport and my wife was into movies.
I told Kevin that I’d be keen to take the full package and he asked whether I’d be interested in getting HD.
The TV package, he said, would cost £62 a month, while Sky Talk line rental and Unlimited broadband would add a further £19.75.
Kevin went on to explain I’d get a free box and free installation. He pointed out that promotions were launched every month.

Summary: Kevin talked me through the Sky proposition well, but I was disappointed that he did not demonstrate either HD or Sky+. Nor did he attempt to close the sale.

Score: 8 out of 10

I wanted to find out more about compact system cameras in Jessops.

I located the compact system cameras display, where I saw product s from Olympus, Panasonic, Samsung and Sony. Isabel greeted me and asked if I needed any help. I said I wanted to find out more about the compact system cameras. She asked me what type of camera I had been using before and I said it was a Sony digital compact model. She unlocked the display cabinet and asked if I was interested in a particular model. I said that I wanted to buy the best camera I could – money was not a barrier.
Isabel then talked me through two models. The Panasonic DMC G3, with a

14-42mm lens, at £489.95, while the Sony NEX5 in a twin-lens kit was priced at £549.95, although the camera was part of a £50 cash-back promotion. She handed me each model to get a feel for them. She pointed out that both models took SD cards. Iasked for some information to take away and Isabel gave me a copy of the Jessops catalogue and then gave me a bespoke quotation, based on our conversation. I said I couldn’t decide between the Sony and Panasonic. Isabel then talked me through Photo+, the Jessops repair protection plan. Isabel gave me the printed quote, which included both cameras she had presented, along with Photo+ protection for both models, and an 8GB SDHC card at £49.95.

Summary: It was a pleasure to meet Isabel. She was friendly and helpful and explained the features and benefits of both models. She gave a good demo and went for the close.

Score: 10 out of 10

WINNING MULTIPLE

IN NEED of a replacement washing machine, I headed to the Comet store on Holyoake Avenue.

I was greeted by Jackie and I explained our old machine had broken.
Jackie asked me how big my family was and I told her that my wife and I had two children and we did two washes a day.
I told Jackie I wanted the biggest capacity machine I could afford, to save money on my utility bills.
She said that LG as a brand offered big

drums, up to 11kg and they were made in Malaysia.
Jackie then presented a machine from LG (LGF- 1480TDS), which was £699.99. She pointed out that this was an 8kg machine with a 1,400rpm spin speed. She said it had LG’s Direct Dive motor, which she said meant it did not have a conventional belt. She told me it was guaranteed for 10 years.
She said Comet would deliver it free, connect it for a further £20 and take away the old one for a further £10.

Summary: Jackie was able to provide me with all the information I needed. She asked questions to work out my needs and then was able to recommend a suitable product.

Score: 9 out of 10

COMMENDED MULTIPLE

LOOKING to buy a digital radio for my home office, I headed to the Currys Digital store on Church Street.

Rob, who was serving another customer, asked me if I needed any help.
He called for his colleague, Matthew, to come and help me and I thanked Rob for his assistance. I explained to Matthew that I had seen and heard my friend’s digital radio and was keen to get one for myself.

He told me that the digital radios in-store started at £29, “for one of our own brand ones” and then singled out three radios as being the best. The Pure Classic VL-61088 was £56.99, the Roberts DuoLogic was £69.99 and the Sony XDRS55DAB was £46.79.
I asked what the differences were. He told me that the Pure and Sony models only had one speaker, while the Roberts had two.

Summary: Rob did well to greet me, despite the fact he was serving another customer, and for this I have awarded one point. Sadly, Matthew did not seem very interested in selling.

Score: 1 out of 10

KEEN to buy a new 3D TV, I went to the Currys/PC World Superstore on the Blackpool Retail Park.

I noticed that some members of staff were serving customers, while others were chatting. Walking to the back of the store, I could not help but notice the spectacular Samsung display.
There were also stunning TV displays from Panasonic, Sony and Toshiba. The Panasonic 50in set (TXP50VT30B), priced

at £2,099, looked fantastic. With no staff around to help the four sets of customers in the TV department, I noticed a woman put on a pair of 3D glasses, before pronouncing that the display, on the 50in Panasonic model , was “amazing”.
After five minutes browsing, and with no sign of an approach, I headed for the exit, only to be ignored by two members of staff as they walked past me.
No sale today!

Summary: In tough times, staff need to do their best and not waste time chatting with colleagues. Mind you, the Panasonic, Samsung, Sony and Toshiba displays were excellent.

Score: 0 out of 10

I WANTED to get a coffee maker for my new office, so I headed to the Debenhams store in the Houndshill Shopping Centre.

The electrical department was devoid of both staff and customers, so I located the Nespresso products and started to browse.
There were three Krups models on display. The red Krups Nespresso Citiz (M190) at £200, the Krups

Nespresso Citiz, also in red, for £150, while the third was not identified or priced. As I browsed, two members of staff walked straight past me.
The merchandising was messy and I could not understand why the more premium-priced Nespresso machines were in a less prominent position than the cheaper models.
With no sign of an approach, I left the store.

Summary: Unlike on previous visits to Debenhams, I was not ignored this time, as there were no staff there to ignore me. If you want to sell things, surely you need people on the shop floor?

Score: 0 out of 10