Weston-super-Mare

06 July 2010

Our mystery shopping team has been out and about in Weston-super-Mare to check up on the sales skills of the town’s independents and multiples

Andy knows his stuff on Freesat

WALKING past the Peter Castell shop on Meadow Street, I spotted some Freesat point-of-sale materials in the window, so I decided to pop in to find out more.
Inside the store, Andy greeted me and asked if I needed any help.
I told him that I’d seen the Freesat poster, and some advertising on TV, and wanted to know more about it. Andy said: “Freesat is a free satellite service that is run by the BBC and ITV – you get 153 stations. You get all the BBC and ITV channels, as well as radio stations.”
Andy told me there were various ways of getting Freesat. “You can either buy a Freesat decoder box for £69.99 or a high-definition box for £129.99,” he said.
“There is high-definition content on Freesat, from the BBC and ITV, and there will be more coming. Or you can buy a recorder box. It depends on which way you want to go.”
I asked Andy when more HD channels would launch on Freesat.
He said: “On Freeview, there is Freeview HD, but they’ve only got provision for about four stations. With Freesat, there’s loads of capacity for more stations.”
I asked how much the recorder option was and he pointed to the Humax Freesat+ box, which was priced at £279.99. I asked what features it had.
Andy told me the recorder was “like Sky+”. “You can record two things at the same time,” he said, “or you can record one thing, while watching something else.”
I said that I did not have a dish installed, but he said he could arrange for a contractor to install one for £140.
I asked for some information to take away and Andy gave me a copy of a Freesat leaflet.
Summary: Andy did a good job. He talked me through Freesat well and was able to show good knowledge of the platform. The only things missing were a demonstration and an attempt to close the sale.

Score: 8 out of 10

Too much detail

KEEN to buy a new washing machine, I drove to Kevin Rowley on Milton Road.
Inside the store, a woman was serving a customer, so I began to browse the products on display.
After three minutes, a man walked into the store, clutching a pint of milk, and asked if he could help.
He showed me 1,200 spin products from Hotpoint, Gorenje, Indesit, Zanussi and Whirlpool and talked me through the various programs. He pointed out that the Gorenje product came with a two-year guarantee.
He showed me a 1,400 spin Candy model, which the man said came with a five-year parts guarantee. He said: “The thing is, you’ve got to call Hoover to do the repair and they’ll charge you about £90. What I say to people is, if it’s simple we’ll fix it – otherwise you’re paying a lot of money.”
Next, the man showed me 1,400 spin machines from Zanussi and Whirlpool.
I asked if he could arrange delivery of a new machine and he said the store would deliver and connect the new machine and take away my old one, for the price on display.
I asked for some information to take away on the Candy model, but he apologised and said that manufacturers were cutting back on brochures and catalogues.
Summary: The man was friendly and helpful, however, he talked in-depth about so many of the features of each machine that I was left feeling slightly confused. He also made no attempt to close the sale.

Score: 5 out of 10

A sale’s in the bag for John

LOOKING to buy a vacuum cleaner, I headed to Radio Relays on Orchard Street.
John greeted me and asked if I needed any help. I explained that I wanted to buy a new vacuum cleaner and that I was keen to see what was available.
He asked me if I had a particular model in mind and I said that I was open to any recommendations he may have.
He started his sales pitch by asking if our main flooring at home was carpet. I said it was.
John picked up a Panasonic upright machine that had been part of the window display. The MCUG302 was priced at £89.95 and John pointed out that the 1,900W model was lightweight and he encouraged me to lift it, so that I could check that for myself.
He showed me that all the tools could be stored on the machine.
John said that the Panasonic cleaner was a bagged model and he told me that, in his opinion, bagged cleaners were better than bagless ones.
He claimed that filters in bagless machines get clogged with debris, while in bagged machines, he said, they do not.
John told me that five bags were included with the Panasonic machine that he had presented. A pack of five bags costs £5.
“The average household will use around 10 bags a year,” John said.
I thanked him for his help.
Summary: John was able to give a succinct presentation of the vacuum cleaner. Apart from not offering a demonstration or attempting to close the sale, he did a good job

Score: 8 out of 10

Charlie finds her way to a 10

INSIDE the Sovereign Shopping Centre, I wanted to find out more about satnavs, so headed to the Currys Digital store.
Charlie approached me and asked if I needed any help. I explained what I was looking for and she led me to the satnav display cabinets.
“We sell Garmin, Navman and TomTom – what are you looking for?”
I said I did not know, but I explained that I drove all over the place and that I was fed up of using maps.
Charlie asked if I was looking for just UK and Ireland products, or whether I would be interested in getting European coverage. I said the European option would be best.
She asked if I wanted a small or a large screen and I said I’d prefer a large screen.
Charlie briefly explained TomTom’s Live service.
“You pay a monthly subscription and you get up-to-the-minute traffic reports,” she said. Charlie explained that the Live service was free for the first year and then £7.99 a month thereafter.
She presented the TomTom XL Live IQR Europe model, which was priced at £199.99. “It’s European, with a 4.3in widescreen, it’s got Live services, IQ Routes technology and it’s got advanced lane guidance, which tells you which lane you’re supposed to be in,” she said.
The next product in the range, Charlie said, offered Bluetooth hands-free calling.
The TomTom Go Live 750 was priced at £249.99.
I asked for some information to take away and Charlie gave me printouts of both models she had presented. She then mentioned that I could take out ‘product performance’ on each of the models.
She explained: “If the TomTom falls off the dashboard and breaks, or it falls off the windscreen and the screen breaks – which has been known to happen – we’ll try and fix it. If we can’t fix it, we’ll replace it for you.”
Charlie said that I could take out three or five years’ cover and pay premiums monthly or in a one-off payment. She gave me the all of the price options for both TomTom models.
I thanked Charlie for her help.
Summary: Charlie was friendly and helpful. She was able to talk me through the two TomTom products clearly and I think the mention of ‘product performance’ constituted an attempt to close the sale.

Score: 10 out of 10

Mark goes over the options

KEEN to get Sky+ HD, I visited the Sky Shop in the Sovereign Shopping Centre.
I approached the counter, where Mark greeted me and asked if he could help. I told him that I had moved to the area and was looking to get Sky. I said I was new to Sky, having never previously been a subscriber.
He asked what the start of my postcode is and I told him. He then explained that addresses in that area could take advantage of Sky Broadband.
He asked which of the phone, TV and broadband options I was interested in. I told him I was keen to find out about all three and that I was particularly keen to get Sky Sports.
Mark asked what I used broadband for and I said for a mixture of business and pleasure. Explaining that Sky Broadband Unlimited would be ideal for my needs, he immediately reduced the cost of this down to £7.50 a month, from the usual £10 a month.
On the phone option, Mark said Sky Talk Unlimited and the Sky Talk line rental would cost a total of £16 a month.
On the content side, he said I had two choices. “You can have high definition or standard definition,” he said. For £37 a month, I’d get the variety pack, the HD pack and the Sky Sports pack, Mark said.
He then asked if I had yet had a telephone landline installed and I said I had. He explained that my phone line would be transferred from BT to Sky, so that I’d get just one bill.
Mark told me that the normal costs of £30 for installation and £39 to transfer and activate broadband would be waived.
The first direct debit payment, Mark said, would be taken two to three weeks after the installation. I thanked him for his help.
Summary: Mark was able to present Sky in the three guises of TV, telephone and broadband, well. However, I was disappointed that he did not really talk about TV content. A demonstration of the service would have been good, but I took his mention of direct debits as an attempt to close the sale.

Score: 8 out of 10

Cat pounces on a package

I WANTED to buy a digital SLR camera, so I went to see what was available at the Jessops store on the high street.
I began to browse the displays and was greeted by Cat, who asked if I needed any help. I explained that I was looking to buy my first digital SLR and I told her that the Canon EOS 450D package, at £549, had caught my eye.
I told Cat that I wanted to get the best I could afford, without spending a fortune.
She asked me what I’d be using the camera for and I said it would be mainly used for recording family occasions, such as birthdays, weddings and holidays.
Cat asked if I had a particular budget in mind and I said that I did not want to spend more than £700 on the camera, although I’d be prepared to buy accessories on top of that.
She pointed out that a number of digital SLRs offered high-definition video recording and she asked if I’d be interested in that feature. I said that, having just bought a camcorder, I would not be interested in such a feature.
She described the Canon package that I had seen as “a really good package deal”.
The package, she said, consisted of the camera, along with an 18-55mm lens and a 75-300mm lens.
Cat told me that the camera had a 3in screen on the back and had Live View, although not automatic Live View.
She mentioned that I should consider taking out a Photo+ policy. Cover for the Canon camera would cost £79 “for three years’ peace of mind”.
Cat said: “It’s a one-off payment, there’s no excess to pay, unlimited repairs and it’s new-for-old if it cannot be repaired economically.
“It’s something to consider if you’re spending up to £700 on a camera – you don’t want anything to happen to it.”
She opened the display cabinet and handed me the Canon camera she had talked me through. Unfortunately, there was no battery, so I was unable to try out the camera.
She talked me through the functions of the camera and said that it used SD cards.
I asked how long the package deal would run and she said it could change at any time.
“I can’t say when it will end, so if you want to got for one today…” she said.
Summary: Cat was friendly and her interest in photography was infectious. Suggesting that the promotional price could end soon was a good attempt to close the sale, as was the mention of Photo+. One point was deducted as the lack of a battery prevented me from trying out the camera.

Score: 9 out of 10

Adams has some specials

LOOKING for a washer-dryer, I went to the Comet store on the Flowerdown Retail Park.
Adam, the store greeter, did his job well and I took the escalator to the mezzanine level, which was home to the store’s white goods ranges.
I located the washer-dryers and began to browse, when I was joined by Adam.
I explained what I was looking for and Adam suggested that I look at some of the products that were on special offer.
He singled out three of the promoted products from Indesit, Hoover and Hotpoint.
The Indesit model (iWDC6143) was priced at £359.99, which represented a £20 saving on the normal price. The Hoover model (VHWG54D) was reduced by £80 to £399.99, while the Hotpoint (WDD960P) was priced at £384 – 30 per cent off the normal price, or a saving of £165.
“I’d go for the Hoover product over the Indesit,” Adam said, “that’s a personal opinion, not Comet’s line”.
He asked how big my family was and I said my wife and I had a couple of kids.
Adam described the 7kg Hotpoint model as “a good buy”. I asked how long the offer would run. He said: “It’ll run for a couple of days, but I can’t guarantee it.”
Adam said he’d be able to offer me free delivery, as all products over £249 were delivered free. I asked if Comet could arrange connection and he said that would cost £25 and I’d have to pay an extra £9.99 to have the old one taken away.
Adam asked his colleague, Anthony, to give me a printout of full details for the Hotpoint machine, which he told me was currently out of stock.
Summary: Adam was friendly, but really only gave me a very basic overview of the machines. Other than telling me that the Hotpoint model had a 7kg drum, and there was a substantial saving on it, he did not really give me a reason to buy.

Score: 5 out of 10

Self-service in PC World

HAVING heard so much about the Apple iPad, I decided to go and see what all the fuss was about. So I popped into the PC World store on the Gallagher Retail Park.
Inside the store, Dave, the store greeter, did his job well and I made my way to the Apple area if the store.
With no staff in the immediate vicinity, I started to play with the iPad, initially playing the Flight Control game and then listening to some of the pre-installed music.
The wi-fi-enabled iPads, available in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB sizes, were priced at £429, £499 and £599 respectively.
The wi-fi and 3G-enabled iPads, in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB sizes, were priced at £529, £599 and £699 respectively.
With no sign of any approach from store staff, I left. As I headed for the exit, Dave walked towards me and asked if everything was OK. But no, it was not.
Summary: The iPad is the kind of product that cries out to be demonstrated, but, sadly I had to do my own, clueless demonstration. Where were the staff? Dave did his job admirably, but what about his other colleagues, in such a quiet store?

Score: 1 out of 10

A bit of a TV turn-off

I WANTED to buy a new TV and noticed that the T J Hughes store on the high street had a range on display.
Inside the store, I counted 16 sets on display, from lesser-known brands, such as UMC, DGM and Digihome, but there were also models from LG, Panasonic, Samsung and Sharp.
All 16 sets were switched off, which I could not understand. The TV display was, quite frankly, a mess, with TVs positioned at odd angles, while the shelves were caked with dust.
The TVs ranged in price from a 19in UMC LCD TV, with a built-in DVD player and an iPod docking station at £169.99 to an LG 50in plasma (50PQ2000) at £599.99.
The store was relatively quiet, yet three members of staff managed to walk straight past me without saying a word.
As I decided to leave the store, after being ignored, I spotted an illuminated sign that read: “Please ask if you require assistance”.
Summary: The award for how not to present TVs in-store goes to T J Hughes. Why would you leave all 16 TVs switched off when the display was in the high-traffic area of the store at the foot of the stairs to the first floor.

Score: 0 out of 10

I got the Blu-ray blues

AFTER years of watching DVDs, I decided to have a look at buying a Blu-ray player, so went to the Currys store on the Gallagher Retail Park.
Inside the store, I walked up the stairs to the mezzanine level, where the consumer electronics department was. A member of staff was standing close to me, but did not speak.
The first two Blu-ray players I saw were on a gondola end. A Philips model (BDP2500) was priced at £99.99, while a Samsung (BD-C5500) was priced at £159.99.
In addition to these two Blu-ray players, I counted another eight products from LG, Panasonic, Samsung, Sony and Toshiba.
I scribbled down details of all 10 players, during which there was ample time for an approach by a member of staff. But none came.
Thoroughly disappointed, I left the store.
Summary: Ignoring customers is not big or clever. A shop is there to sell and to do that, salespeople need to talk to customers. What is more important than helping customers?

Score: 0 out of 10

Summary

MY TEAM enjoyed its day in the north Somerset resort of Weston-super-Mare. The sun was shining and so were a number of the town’s electrical retailers, but before I hand out this month’s plaudits, I should those who managed to cast a dark cloud over proceedings.
Ignoring customers is a basic error. Shops are there to sell. It’s not rocket science. In tough times, you can ill afford to ignore any opportunity for a sale. Staff at T J Hughes and Currys seemed happy to run the risk of plummeting sales, however.
As for PC World, having a store greeter is all very well, but staff should be primed to follow this through and approach customers to ask if they need help.
At Kevin Rowley and Comet, my shoppers reported average experiences.
Now for the top-performing stores in Weston-super-Mare. Well done to Charlie at Currys Digital, John at Radio Relays, Andy at Peter Castell, Cat at Jessops and Mark at the Sky Shop.
In particular, the shopper who called in on Charlie said he would have had no hesitation in buying from her there and then.
Cat would have scored top marks if she had given a product demonstration, while John and Andy were both denied top scores for not demonstrating or closing the sale.
As the top five here all scored more than seven out of 10, they will be automatically entered into categories at this year’s ERT Industry Awards, which will take place at the five-star Renaissance Chancery Court Hotel in High Holborn, London, on October 7.

Top of the Town

Independents		Multiples
Joint Winners:	Radio Relays, Peter Castell	Winner:	Currys Digital
Commended:	None	Commended:	Jessops

PREMIER LEAGUE

	No. of visits	Total points	Average per call
B&O	3	30	10
Apple	3	25	8.3
Sky Shop	1	8	8
Panasonic Stores	8	58	7.3
Sony Centres	27	191	7.1
Independents	89	567	6.4
Richer Sounds	11	49	4.4
Currys.Digital	25	101	4
Marks & Spencer	2	7	3.5
Jessops	23	78	3.4
Comet	25	77	3
Department Stores	28	65	2.3
Currys	24	28	0.9
Maplin	2	1	0.5
PC World	6	2	0.3
T J Hughes	1	0	0

Email the editor

Print this article