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Which retailer do you most admire?

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When I first saw your post, I thought this is an easy question and immediately large chains came to mind eg M&S. But then I thought when was the last time I went to a large store and had excellent service and I couldn't remember!:mad: So, I don't have a name for you but what I can say it is certainly the smaller/independent shops that go the extra mile for you.

Alison
 
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Apple Stores do it for me.

The environment is fabulous, the staff are helpful, friendly, knowledgeable and informal. From a financial point of view the company is thriving and has enough liquid assets to purchase outright the entire Premier League.
 
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Locally, there is one independent DIY retailer called DeeJays, who really know their stuff, have always given me excellent advice and are cheaper than the odious B&Q down the road. I can think of a few other local indepentents who fit into the same category. When it came down to it, I couldn't think of any national chains whom I would put in this category, although I have always had good service from Lloyd's Pharmacy, even if their prices are a little high.

Barrie
 
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None of the major retailers that I can think of but I'm not your normal shopper.

However, locally we have two superb independents Minchells (Master Butchers) and Dilworths (Fish merchants) and two stunning farms shops Davenports and The Hollies. All of who have real professionals running them and the staff really know their onions (thankfully there's not a burger flipper in sight).
 
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I'm not usually a fan of chain stores, as I own an indie myself, but one which stands out is Jigsaw, owned by a husband and wife team. The staff there are so helpful and friendly that you would think they owned it and it is a pleasure to shop there.

Other things that I admire are:
1. in the past (not this year) they have always held out with their sale until what I regard as the correct time - several months after the big stores
2. they have a consistency in their designs and quality so you know what to expect when you go in there which hasn't really changed over the years.
3. the shops are attractively presented
 
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Good question Steve...nice to see some positivity:)
I struggle to think of a larger retailer that I would recommend, but as for smaller indies, the list is endless. That being said, one in particular stands out: we went to a local independent carpet retailer on Saturday and were amazed at the quality of service. Decided to buy from them within 90 seconds of dialogue:)

Direct contrast to the service received from the "professional" salesman in Carpetright on the local shopping park.

Mister B
 
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In my town a small independent jeweller, where the woman owner is a superb saleswoman, it's a pleasure spending money watching her work.

It's the staff who make the real difference too any business, some enjoy working, some see serving as a chore, others as a pleasure. I'm sure with the recession beginning to bite the old lessons will be learned all over again.

I was in a couple of large stores and as usual there was several large groups of staff stood around chatting rather than serving, I delight in yelling out loudly "Any of you lazy gits working here today?" across the shop floors.
 
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MH1 said:
In my town a small independent jeweller, where the woman owner is a superb saleswoman, it's a pleasure spending money watching her work.

It's the staff who make the real difference too any business, some enjoy working, some see serving as a chore, others as a pleasure. I'm sure with the recession beginning to bite the old lessons will be learned all over again.

I was in a couple of large stores and as usual there was several large groups of staff stood around chatting rather than serving, I delight in yelling out loudly "Any of you lazy gits working here today?" across the shop floors.
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Yeah - I bet that got you good service :)

My local HMV is similar in that when they are quiet the staff are usually all huddled together chatting, but there is one 'larger' guy there who will always take a couple of steps towards you and shout "give me a wave if you need anything" and then go back to the group. This might not seem like the most professional approach, but just being acknowledged without being hassled is good enough for me.
 
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Dragon Media Group said:
Apple Stores do it for me.

The environment is fabulous, the staff are helpful, friendly, knowledgeable and informal. From a financial point of view the company is thriving and has enough liquid assets to purchase outright the entire Premier League.
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Got to agree with this one, its like stepping into another world. Don't get me wrong its all geared up for "The Apple Experience" but the service really is good.
 
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I have to admit though that the situation in the USA, where customer service seems to be inbuilt, may be very different from UK. I remember once (amongst many other positive retail experiences in the US) going into a Bose store with no intention of buying - just to have a look around. The staff couldn't have been more helpful, even though they knew I was not going to buy.

Barrie
 
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Dragon Media Group said:
Apple Stores do it for me.

The environment is fabulous, the staff are helpful, friendly, knowledgeable and informal. From a financial point of view the company is thriving and has enough liquid assets to purchase outright the entire Premier League.
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Think it was $20bn at the last count :eek:
Same here, always friendly and very helpful staff. There shops always seem really busy as well, remains to be seen if people are actually buying.
PC world could learn a lot from them.
 
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Thanks for everyone's feedback. The message seems to be clear: We admire retailers that really care about the customer, who go out of their way to provide good service, and who are knowledgeable about their service/products.

So, I'd conclude that it's worth taking time to hire the right kind of customer-facing employees, training them well so they are knowledgeable, making clear to them that customers come first, and paying them a wage that will keep them satisfied. :)
 
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Sorry - I'm late on this one ..
Laithwaites - for the reasons Steve says.
Knowledgeable staff with strong customer service ability - and systems/processes which allow them to enhance their service.
I won't bore you with the details (unless you want clarification).
 
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Cornish Steve said:
So, I'd conclude that it's worth taking time to hire the right kind of customer-facing employees, training them well so they are knowledgeable, making clear to them that customers come first, and paying them a wage that will keep them satisfied. :)
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On the button there Steve ,hence why the larger chains do not fare well in polls.

Low pay = dissatisfaction = take it out on the nearest = the customer.

Got to have incentive in this life ,not saying that need be in money terms.:)

Earl
 
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Great thread this one Steve.

I was chatting with my husband only yesterday about who we feel will next be affected by the economy. The big sheds come to mind where service is practically non existent.

We stopped off at last knockings in a Pizza Hut coming back from a show in Birmingham last night and it was them or a curry or chinese meal, both of which we love but had our full of them recently. I have to say that the service we got from the young team in Pizza Hut was very good. Very obliging, looked after us well and were very pleasant.

We recently came back from New York and the service there was excellent. The Americans really understand the concept of service and the loyalty it generates. A truly successful business is not a business that constantly hunts for new one hit customers, but is building long term relationships based on the old fashioned values of trust, ethics, service, reliability and value for money, if you tick all these boxes and never under estimate your customer, you will generate loyalty which in turn translates into ongoing and future business. When you market for new customers you will then add these to your existing clientele base, this is genuine business growth. When times get tough and new customers become rare, it is these companies who have built long lasting relationships with their customers that will survive and prosper.

It has long been the case that the service that you provide to your customers is what really separates you from the rest. With the current world economic downturn the need to provide exceptional service will not only distnguish you from the rest but may very well be your secret weapon for survival!

Regards.

Barbara
 
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I admire stores that go out of their way to look good and have the wow factor.

Simple things like having slides in the kids department. Ikea have this.

For larger scale things take for example New York, USA:

The NBC store has a basketball court in it

FAO Schwarz is full of toy demonstrations and large models.

Toys R Us has a ferris wheel built inside covering all floors.

Virgin Megastore has headphones for every album in the Top 20 so you can listen before you buy.


A lot of money is spent in New York!
 
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I love the excellent levels of customer service House of Frazer and John Lewis provide, that's why I think they should survive, not saying that they will though.
 
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Amazon has never failed to impress.

The christmas before last we were a little late in sourcing a wii for the children. It was the 23rd and Argos and others had all sold out. We were prepared to drive, but just couldn't locate one. We felt it was pointless looking online as we'd missed the last post.

Hopeless, I googled for help. Amazon uk came up with real-time stock availability and tick-down clock for last order, with evening delivery right up till christmas eve.

'Amazonly' (sorry) it was delivered that very evening. It was a good job the neighbours were in because, expecting delivery the next day, we had gone out. They had nearly outdone themselves.

Freddie
 
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Eureka EFS said:
Amazon has never failed to impress.

The christmas before last we were a little late in sourcing a wii for the children. It was the 23rd and Argos and others had all sold out. We were prepared to drive, but just couldn't locate one. We felt it was pointless looking online as we'd missed the last post.

Hopeless, I googled for help. Amazon uk came up with real-time stock availability and tick-down clock for last order, with evening delivery right up till christmas eve.

'Amazonly' (sorry) it was delivered that very evening. It was a good job the neighbours were in because, expecting delivery the next day, we had gone out. They had nearly outdone themselves.

Freddie
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Never seen an Amazon shop.?:|

Earl
 
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Not sure id use the word admire but the shops I use are based on service received.

Currently the two best for me, are a small independent butcher who is always busy.

The other is a small sainsburys by me which as soon as more than 1 person is waiting at the tills they ring for more staff until they have enough tills open to prevent a queue forming. Maybe a small thing but to someone like me who dislikes shopping its a major selling point.

Both also supply decent product at a reasonable price.
 
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Oh, John Lewis, hands down. I went there a couple of days before Christmas in a flat panic. I must have interacted with about 6 members of staff on a very busy day and every single one of them was absolutely amazing, couldn't do enough for me even though they themselves must have been exhausted. I bought loads!

My old village shop. Again, can't do enough for you, get anything in if they haven't got it, always have the most surprising stock anyway, always open. Village would be lost without it.

SillyJokes - best place to get fancy dress and party goods that I know of. :)
 
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Eureka EFS said:
Fair enough. Other than the one-stop supermarkets I hardly go shopping the way I used to love doing. So I broadened 'retail' to include the virtual shops too.
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Now .... this post will probably get me 'hate mail' - or at least a ban.

If we include internet retailers I cannot fault Sainsbury's and Tesco. For some reason I have never fathomed, Mrs B alternates between them with home delivery - tomorrow it is Tesco's turn.

The delivery is always on time, the delivery driver is excellent - courteous, conversational and helpful, any 'substitutions' are brought to our immediate attention, any errors are dealt with immediately (an e-mail results in an instant credit for the offending item) - yes there are errors, but I would expect the occassional one creeping in. Yes, there are occassional daft substitutions (e.g. the wrong size nappies), but the pickers try their best. Other than the acceptable levels of error - we're very happy.

SB retires to the trench and puts tin hat on for daring to say something good about JS & T !
 
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Yeah i would have to agree with Amazon if we are including online retail. The service is so easy to use and items delivered promptly.

Other than that, i always receive great service from Boots. At times i could get items cheaper elsewhere but prefer to go there due to the level of service i receive :)
 
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Been thinking for a while and honestly cannot think of good experience in any chain store. I would have said M&S but had a bit of a run in with them recently and quite suprised !
 
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Duke Fame said:
For me it has to be Primark, they produce cutting edge fashion, source locally and keep costs low.
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Hmmm...Primark also use international suppliers mainly from countries such as Bangladesh and India. They pay as little as £7.40 per month and use suppliers which employ children as young as 8. The worst thing about Primark is that last year they were caught using 3 suppliers that were employing children. Rather than acknowledge the situation they made the statement that they were to stop buying from the these suppliers. The children or adult workers that had courage to speak out will suffer as rather than Primark making a difference or improving conditions or pay for them, they move onto another supplier. The international supplier employing children or treating the workers very poorly simply take another order from the many western companies. No improvement or change has happened.

Primark, Tesco and Asda are the worst. Google Primark and you find various campaigns, news pages and reports on the suffering that is happening to our fellow human beings because our want for cheap fashion. I'm as guilty as the next person.

Check out waronwant.org
 
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RedMacbeth said:
Hmmm...Primark also use international suppliers mainly from countries such as Bangladesh and India. They pay as little as £7.40 per month and use suppliers which employ children as young as 8.
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When you visit third world countries, as I have for many years, you realise that most situations are not the way they are portrayed. You might want to read 'The End of Poverty' by Jeffrey Saks to understand just how low-wage positions have helped the people of Bangladesh, for example, to climb the first rung of the economic ladder. Women there will walk miles each way and work for 12 hours a day just for the chance to improve their family's situation. Take that away from them, and you'll set them back years.

For sure, some companies do take advantage; however, in general, outsourcing work to the third world is the best foreign aid program in history.

(Sorry to go off topic, but this is a topic I care deeply about.)
 
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Cornish Steve said:
When you visit third world countries, as I have for many years, you realise that most situations are not the way they are portrayed. You might want to read 'The End of Poverty' by Jeffrey Saks to understand just how low-wage positions have helped the people of Bangladesh, for example, to climb the first rung of the economic ladder. Women there will walk miles each way and work for 12 hours a day just for the chance to improve their family's situation. Take that away from them, and you'll set them back years.

For sure, some companies do take advantage; however, in general, outsourcing work to the third world is the best foreign aid program in history.

(Sorry to go off topic, but this is a topic I care deeply about.)
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Why don't you go and work there Steve for £7,40 a month and help them some more.?

ooops did someone mention what a great shop primark was.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7824291.stm

Earl
 
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I admire PCW (there I said it) because, no matter the bull they spin to their customers, they keep on going back :)

The bright lights and shiny interior seems to attract em like flies...... strange though, because everyone I speak to has nothing but bad to say about them.....
 
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Cornish Steve said:
When you visit third world countries, as I have for many years, you realise that most situations are not the way they are portrayed. You might want to read 'The End of Poverty' by Jeffrey Saks to understand just how low-wage positions have helped the people of Bangladesh, for example, to climb the first rung of the economic ladder. Women there will walk miles each way and work for 12 hours a day just for the chance to improve their family's situation. Take that away from them, and you'll set them back years.

For sure, some companies do take advantage; however, in general, outsourcing work to the third world is the best foreign aid program in history.

(Sorry to go off topic, but this is a topic I care deeply about.)
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Of course your "take that away from them, and you'll set them back years" comment compares taking advantage of them by paying a brutally low wage with not giving them anything at all, which isn't a fair assessment. There are alternatives - a radical expansion in microfinance would be a more noble concept to get behind.
 
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I know, its a difficult subject. I realise that many people would argue that if they dont work then they dont eat. Also many of them work 16-20hours, 7 days a week through choice as they want to send their children to school so they can have a better future. This may be true but what i disagree with is that we should be working to change or improve the conditions. We should be looking to change to cycle by taking children out of the factories and into schools and treating workers fairly.

My issue is that many western firms are caught with suppliers that keep the workers in dire conditions in the slums or employing children, they cut and run. Rather then force the supplier to improve conditions or pay for the children to attend school etc etc they simply move onto another supplier and the cycle repeats itself all over. The workers that did speak out about being forced into long hard shifts for 5p per hour by an abusive manager are then punished.

Its complicated but i cant help feel that we should be doing more...
 
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RedMacbeth said:
I know, its a difficult subject.
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Yes, it is. And I do agree with the comment someone else made about supporting micro-loan initiatives (see Danon's partnership with Grameen).

As in life in general, some people work with Third World countries for their mutual benefit; others just take advantage. History is full of this double-standard, but we mustn't allow the advantage-takers to undermine the movement as a whole. Some large companies have implemented policies, published them for the world to see, and hire independents to monitor the policy. For example, Chiquita has done a lot to improve the lot of its workers in central America - while still benefiting from the lower wages offered in those countries.

Another thing to be aware of is the average wage in a country. We shouldn't be paying Western wages to Third World workers; this would cause turmoil all around, and companies will no longer outsource. We should be paying fair wages and honestly looking after the interests of workers. The best partnerships are always win-win.
 
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We shouldn't be paying Western wages to Third World workers; this would cause turmoil all around, and companies will no longer outsource. We should be paying fair wages and honestly looking after the interests of workers. The best partnerships are always win-win.
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Isn't this a contradiction in terms? Just because it's the average wage doesn't mean it is fair. What if the average wage is so low that many are below the poverty line (which I think happens in Communist countries). What you appear to be saying is that it's fair to pay the average wage and keep the people working for you in poverty.

Surely the best way of "looking after the interests of workers" is to ensure that the wage they receive helps them to support themselves and their families. An article in FORTUNE magazine a while back, about child labour in countries that grow cocoa for chocolate, stated that part of the problem was the adults in the family weren't earning enough despite working 12, 14 sometimes 16 hours a day. So despite what we in the west might think of child labour the families were having to send their children out to work to bring some more money in.
 
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Cornish Steve said:
Another thing to be aware of is the average wage in a country. We shouldn't be paying Western wages to Third World workers; this would cause turmoil all around, and companies will no longer outsource. We should be paying fair wages and honestly looking after the interests of workers. The best partnerships are always win-win.
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We in the west outsource to take advantage of lower costs and reap the profits. If you really want win-win wouldn't you pay western wages to third world workers and take the reduced profit?

Or is it more the case that whilst all animals are equal, some are more equal than others? - to paraphrase Orwell.

We all care until there's a price to pay!

Freddie
 
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getting back on subject

i had a little think about this and for me there is a shop called city surf in cardiff

independent and decent prices, plus if you spend quite a bit the will usualy knock some discount off, the service has been very good for the 15 years iv been shopping there
 
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