At the Jacobs Digital store on Granby Street, I was keen to find out all I could about a compact system cameras.

Adam approached me and asked if I needed any help. I explained that I’d been reading up on compact system cameras and wanted to see what was available.
Adam asked what I’d use the camera for and I said that I ran my own business, so the camera would double up for business and personal use.
He explained that compact system cameras were “just like SLRs, but the size of compacts”.
Adam asked if I currently had a camera and I said that I had a digital SLR that I was keen to replace with one of these new compact system cameras.

He picked up the keys to the display cabinet and began to present two models, the Panasonic GF3 and the Olympus E-PM1, which were priced at £429.95 and £399 respectively.
Adam pointed out that the Panasonic camera was available as a twin kit, with a 14mm pancake lens and a 14-42mm zoom; there was also a cash-back offer running on the camera, meaning I could claim back £65 off the asking price from Panasonic.
The Olympus model was packaged with a 14-42mm zoom lens.
Adam encouraged me to play with both models and talked me through the features, programs and benefits of each model.
I asked for some information to take away and Adam gave me a printout of both the models he had presented.

Summary: From the moment he greeted me, Adam was friendly and helpful. He was able to talk me through both models competently and effortlessly.

Score: 10 out of 10

JOINT WINNING INDIE

WALKING through St Martins Square, I spotted a fridge-freezer in the window of the Panasonic Store and went to find out more about it.

Inside, Alex greeted me and asked if I needed any help. I explained I needed to buy a new fridge-freezer and was keen to look at the model I had seen from outside.
The Panasonic (NRB32FX2) fridge-freezer was priced at £769.99.
Alex mentioned the Vitamin Safe

compartment, in which the temperature could be adjusted between 0°C and 5°C to keep fruit and vegetables fresher for longer. He said it had an excellent energy rating of A++ and came with a five-year guarantee.
I asked for some information to take away and he gave me a printout on the model. Alex typed into his computer and said the best price he could give me on that model was £750. He added that it could be delivered for £20.

Summary: Alex was laid back, but ran through product features well. I was surprised he reduced the price without being asked. But he did not close the sale or ask any questions about usage.

Score: 8 out of 10

3D was on my agenda at the Sony Centre in the Highcross Shopping Centre.

Jo greeted me and I explained that I was keen to buy a 3D TV, but that my only experience of 3D had been in the cinema.
Jo explained that the cinema 3D system was called passive technology, but she explained that Sony used the active system.
She asked if I’d like to see a demo of 3D and she handed me the glasses, and invited me to sit on a sofa. The demo was

very good.
Jo said that Sony’s 3D sets start at 32in, but she advised that to fully appreciate 3D TV, I’d need to think about buying a 40in+ set. I said a 40in set would be ideal and she showed me a 40in set (KDL-40HX723), which was priced at £699, £600 off the previous price.
I asked how long the price promotion was going to last for and Jo said it would run for another week or so.
“It’s out of stock, but if you pre-order before the sale finishes, you’ll get it for that price,” she said.

Summary: Jo was fantastic. She demonstrated 3D and advised me on the right product for my needs. Her mention that I could get the special price if I pre-ordered was an attempt to close.

Score: 10 out of 10

JOINT WINNING INDIE

WITH my move to the Leicester area almost confirmed, I was keen to look at buying a new washer-dryer, so I visited the John Lewis store.

WITH my move to the Leicester area almost confirmed, I was keen to look at buying a new washer-dryer, so I visited the John Lewis store.
Two gentlemen were putting a built-in oven into the built-in display.
I began to browse and two suitable products caught my eye. The AEG L14850 was priced at £599, while the Zanussi

ZKH7146J was priced at £445.
According to the price tickets, both models featured a 7kg capacity and 1,400 spins.
There was a large amount of p-o-s items on the washerdryer display, which included details of connection, disposal and guarantees, as well as energy efficiency. It was £25 for the new machine to be connected and £9 to have my old appliance taken away.
After five minutes, both staff were still serving other customers, so I left the store.

Summary: While p-o-s is a key part of the modern retail experience, it cannot replace the salesman. I thought John Lewis prided itself on having many sales staff on the shop floor?

Score: 0 out of 10

I went to the Superfi store on Market Street looking for a Sonos wireless music system.

Zahir greeted me and he explained that Sonos was available in a number of different options. Zahir said the entry-level speaker (Play: 3) was priced at £239.95. He said it delivered hi-fi sound with three integrated speakers. The five-speaker model (Play: 5) was £329.95.
Zahir said that I’d need to buy a ZoneBridge, which retailed at £39.95, which

would connect to my router to enable the Sonos network to be wireless.
He s howed me t h e ZonePlayer90, which connected to an existing hi-fi and the ZonePlayer 120, with a built-in 55W per channel digital amplifier, which connected to a pair of speakers.
Just as I was about to leave, Zahir encouraged me to give him a call when I was ready to go ahead, so that he could check if any packages were available.

Summary: Zahir knew his stuff and was able to present the Sonos system well. However, the only negative in his performance was that he did not demonstrate the system.

Score: 9 out of 10

COMMENDED INDEPENDENT

WITH my wife about to give birth, I wanted to buy a camcorder, so headed to the Jessops store on Granby Street to see what was available.

I was approached by Leon, who asked if I needed any help. I explained I wanted to buy a camcorder and Leon straightaway asked me if I had a particular budget in mind. I said I did not.
Leon told me that the best model, in his opinion, was a Sony model (HDRCX115HD), which was priced at £199.95.
He explained that he preferred this model over all of the others that the store sold, as it offered users the chance to attach larger batteries, if necessary, which the other model did not.
Leon said the battery that came with the Sony model would last about four or five

hours and that it recorded on to memory cards. An 8GB card, he said, could hold around 40 minutes of footage.
He opened the display cabinet and handed me the camcorder, explaining some of the key features of the model, including the auto switch-off function, as well as zooming and the digital camera facility.
I asked for some information to take away and Leon said that might not be possible as the printer was located down in the store’s basement.
He explained: “The alarm system has gone off and the intruder alarm lets lots of smoke out, which means we can’t see anything in the basement, but I’ll try.”
Leon disappeared and returned clutching the piece of paper.
“It’s like being on The Crystal Maze,” he said.

Summary: Leon was friendly and helpful, and able to explain the features and benefits of the Sony product. The only criticism was that he did not attempt to close the sale.

Score: 9 out of 10

WINNING MULTIPLE

Mystery shopping piles on the miles, so I went to the Currys Digital store on Humberstone Gate to look for a satnav.

I managed to located the satnav display and counted 14 models on display, from Garmin, Mio and TomTom. The entry-priced products were from Mio.
Two models – F480UK and F480WEU – were each priced at £79.99; the most expensive satnav on display was from TomTom (Via Live 120WE) at £359.99.

The store was reasonably busy, with four staff serving customers and a further six customers browsing.
After three minutes, I was approached by Sobhan. I asked him if he could explain why the TomTom model I had been looking at was so expensive, compared with the other models on display. Sobhan said that the Live services were invaluable, as they give live updates on any accidents or delays.
He also talked me through other features of the model, including speed camera alerts and advanced lane guidance.

Summary: Sobhan was able to give a very basic overview of the TomTom model, using the p-o-s materials. However, he did not offer a demo and did not attempt to close the sale.

Score: 5 out of 10

I WAS looking to buy a new vacuum cleaner, so went to see what products were available at the Debenhams store in the Highcross Shopping Centre.

The electricals department was located on the first floor and when I got there, I saw three customers browsing, but there was no sign of any staff serving.
There were 10 vacuum cleaners on display from Dyson, Electrolux, Miele,

Russell Hobbs and Vax. The display, however, was a mess, with bags, filters and other accessories strewn across the floor.
I also could not help but notice that a couple of boxes had been opened and one product, a Dyson DC19 T2 Animal, had been seemingly stuffed hastily back into the box.
After browsing the products for a period of time, and with no staff to be seen anywhere, I left the store.

Summary: A messy display, with accessories strewn over the floor, and no staff are basic mistakes. Maybe Debenhams should go back to basics as a matter of urgency.

Score: 0 out of 10

AFTER reading about digital radio switchover, I headed to Comet on the St Georges Retail Park, to find out more about DAB.

Inside, I could not help but notice how busy the store was. I counted nine customers browsing, while four customers were being served.
I located the digital radio display and could not believe how many DAB radios there were – I counted 36, from

Magicbox, Proline, Pure, Roberts and Sony. The cheapest product on display was from Proline at £24.99; the Sensia model from Pure was the most expensive product, priced at £229.
As I browsed, a member of staff, who was not serving, stood just feet away, yet ignored me. I could see two members of staff chatting behind the sales counter.
Af ter f ive minutes of browsing, and with no sign of an approach, I left.

Summary: Being ignored in a retail outlet is worrying when the economy is on its knees. At a time of low footfall, sales staff need to approach every customer that walks in the door.

Score: 0 out of 10

IT WAS my mother’s birthday, so I headed to the House of Fraser outlet store, in the Highcross Shopping Centre, for a coffee machine.

My initial impressions of the small appliance department were not favourable – the display was messy and the boxes under the display were caked in dust.
The department, like the neighbouring cook shop and luggage departments, was

devoid of both customers and staff.
There were three Nespresso products on display. These were the Krups Pixie and the Magimix Citiz were priced at £139.99 and £149.99 respectively, while there was a De’Longhi at £269.99.
Af ter f ive minutes of looking at the products and with no sign of an approach – as there were no staff around – I left the store.

Summary: It amazes me when I go into any shop and don’t see any staff, let alone a large prestigious chain such as House of Fraser. How on earth do these stores expect to sell?

Score: 0 out of 10