Dan's the man with a deal

Inside this large store one salesman was already serving while another was putting out camera cases on the shop floor. Seeing me come in, Dan stopped what he was doing and offered to help.
“There aren’t many cameras now which still have a view finder,” he said, “in fact it’s only Canon and Sony who still produce these, if it’s the compact style camera you’re after.” Moving round behind the sales counter he took a Canon Powershot A7 101S (£199) off the shelf. “This has batteries in so you can feel the weight,” he said, handing it to me, “but be warned that these can run out quite quickly so you may want to consider a battery re-charger (£17.99) if you go for that model.”
An alternative was a Sony W55 (£159) which was more compact in style. “Unfortunately I don’t have any of these in stock at the moment as they are a good price and have a Carl Zeiss lens which is better quality than the Canon,” he explained. Deliveries came in daily so it shouldn’t be long before they were in stock again. “I’ll give you a catalogue so you can see all the offers for comparison,” he continued, turning down the corner of the page featuring the Sony.
“But the Sony should have everything you need - 7.2 megapixels (perfect for larger printing or cropping areas on the computer), a 3x optical zoom and more importantly a lithium battery which will last much longer than normal batteries.”
The only addition he recommended was a memory card. “A 1Gb will be another £30 but it’s unlikely you’ll need anything else.”

Score: 8 out of 10

Ros saves the day for Matthews

Just across the road Matthews had an attractive white goods showroom. Inside Ros was on the phone to a customer but indicated to me that she wouldn’t be long.
“How can I help you today?” she smiled brightly. “Well if you’re looking for a new washing machine I’d recommend the Hotpoint (£365), as it takes a 7.5kg load and has a 1400 spin speed, so great for towels and jeans, but the spin is variable so you can adjust this for more delicate items,” she explained.
“The control panel is easy to use – just select the type of wash you need including half loads and quick wash programmes.” The temperature could be changed manually as well. “So if you prefer washing at lower temperatures, this is possible,” she added. There was something else Ros wanted to tell me.
“The best thing about the Hotpoint is that it’s exceptionally quiet.” With that she switched the machine on. “We’ve got this one connected so we can show people just how quiet it is,” she said. “You’ll really have to get close to hear it!” she enthused. “In fact we’re so pleased we now use these as our rental machines too.”
Ros pointed to the large door on the Hotpoint. “This opens out fully making it easier for loading and unloading and you can even wash a double duvet in here,” she added.
The models came in white or silver depending on our preference. “And we’ll deliver and install too which is all included in the price.”
A really good sale.

Score: 8 out of 10

The right road for success

It was impossible to miss this store even though it was surrounded in scaffolding. Loud music was blaring from two speakers on the pavement just outside the entrance.
Spending a minute or two looking round, I found the satellite navigation systems locked up in a cabinet. Looking round I couldn’t see any sales staff until I noticed a saleslady at the nearby till grab a huge Maplin catalogue and heading towards me.
“If you’re looking for Sat Nav, we have Garmin and Tom Tom but I’d recommend the Tom Tom Go as they were the first in the marketplace are definitely the best make to go for,” she advised.
Questions next. “Where are you looking to travel? Just round the UK…or Europe as well?” she asked. There were two Tom Tom models both priced at £299. “This one (710) is the older design and is on sale. Or we have the latest model (520) which has a wider flat screen and includes an MP3 player” she pointed out.
“It has speech recognition so you can shout out your instructions rather than having to stop and programme it,” she continued.
“And the system will have the most up to date information including any new roads which is useful if you’re in an area you don’t know.”

Score: 7 out of 10

Cool deals and US Style

Making my way towards the fridges, a salesman came out from a nearby office and headed over. “Do you know what model you’re after?” he asked. “Well for a very large fridge, you may want to consider the American style fridge freezer,” he said, pointing to an LG (£599) next to him.
“This is a good price but we’ve also got Samsung or Hotpoint, depending on what you prefer.” Opening the fridge door of the LG, he pointed out an important feature. “Here you can see the cooling sensors meaning the fridge can detect any temperature change and adjust itself, making sure food is stored at the correct temperature at all times.”
Currys could, he told me, undertake the delivery for £49.95, but installation was extra. How much extra? “I’ll check that for you,” he said, disappearing for a few minutes. “It’s £64.95 but this is important if you choose a model with a water dispenser as this will need plumbing in.” My old fridge or freezer could be taken away at the same time, he added.
A display table at the exit had a notice saying ‘Currys Ipswich – Help us to help you. We are interested in your views on your shopping experience at Currys.’ Customers were invited to fill in a questionnaire and pop it into a box. Lucky winners of the monthly prize draw could choose a product up to the value of £50.

Score: 7 out of 10

Ros saves the day for Matthews

A mystery shopping trip to the electrical outlets of Ipswich entails plenty of driving and walking. Matthews required quite a drive out of the town centre but a large customer car park at the end of it was a welcoming sight.
The corner-sited store looked good and was clearly going to be better once all the final touches had been made. My TV quest today lay in the upper screen size reaches.
I plonked myself by a 50” Sony (£3149) and waited to some help. In all there was a white-shirted salesman with a couple, a lady receptionist and another salesman seated at his PC.
It was impossible to ignore the salesman with the couple – his HDTV sale plus his explanation of the differences between Plasma and LCD was very good. I was quite happy listening to his ‘pitch’ – particularly the offer of Matthews’ ‘home trial’ - which I thought would be a sales clincher.
I was almost as disappointed as he was the when the customer revealed himself to be a local builder – seeking some outrageous sales terms. “Trade plus VAT?” asked the customer hopefully. I left.

Score: 0 out of 10

Only fools and horses

Into the Ramparts Shopping Centre, up the escalator and on the first floor I found Hughes. Just inside the store entrance I spotted what I was looking for. A 50” Samsung Plasma (£999).
Looking right I spotted two salesladies just a few yards away chatting amongst themselves. Further down the store were a couple of cash desks – each with a salesman leaning out looking into the showroom.
In fact, they looked just like horses with their heads sticking out of a stable staring into the yard. I listened to the salesladies while I thought about the Samsung.
The price was certainly a substantial saving over the Sony I had seen at Matthews – but was this at the cost of picture quality? Was the Samsung showing an HD feed?
As ever there were plenty of questions that needed answering, and with only a couple and their son also in the store there should have been plenty of help on hand. But the horses didn’t want to come out of their stables and the girls clearly preferred their company to mine.

Score: 0 out of 10

Sales stop for lunch

A notice in the doorway welcomed customers and gave the name of the store manager – a nice touch. The large electrical department was on the ground floor. The white goods section included washing machines, tumble driers, dishwashers, cookers, fridges and freezers.
Another three customers were browsing round the section with me. In the distance I could see a couple examining a TV over in a separate brown goods area. Another couple were checking out a vacuum cleaner in the small electrical appliance section
Not many salespeople around though. A lonely-looking saleslady was serving a customer at the till. A second salesman appeared carrying a pile of paperwork. He dashed past me and went to sit at his desk at the far end of the department. I took a few more minutes looking round.
The salesman jumped up suddenly, walked past me again and joined his colleague at the sales desk. “Guess what happened?” she recalIed, “He (who I suppose was another salesman) just came up and told me he was off to lunch and left me with all the customers,” she complained.

Score: 0 out of 10

Smoothie does it now

Back into the car to the town centre. A longish walk from the multi-storey car park before I was in Currys.digital.
I opted for the smoothie and fruit processor display which was right bang next to a long counter. Surely someone would be on hand to help me here?
As I pondered the various smoothie machine options (prices seemed to be from £24 to £50) I had plenty of questions to ask about fruit quantities used and the different machine capabilities.
Unfortunately my luck was out, I saw the odd salesperson walking around out of the corner of my eye.
But nobody came anywhere near me.

Score: 0 out of 10

Not earning any kudos

Plenty of salespeople in this large, attractive showroom – which was not exactly over-blessed with customers.
The TV display at the back of the store was quiet. But at least the models were showing HD (via BBC) – meanwhile a Sony, with Home Cinema speakers facing in some interesting directions (they were all pointing inwards!), was showing film loops, including ‘Elizabeth – The Golden Age’.
The Sony was showing Dolby 5.1 and I took the opportunity to sit myself down on a conveniently placed settee. Sadly it was no great sound experience and I wondered if I should go and place the speakers correctly. Instead I amused myself by reading off a sales lectern behind the settee. Did you know that the correct viewing distance for a 42” model was 12ft plus?
As I was walking out I overheard one salesman ask another “Why do you earn more than me?” May be it has something to do with approaching more customers.

Score: 0 out of 10

Smart staff, dumb pitch

A longish drive round the outskirts of Ipswich to the Anglia Retail Park. Inside this large store there were plenty of sharply-dressed salespeople wandering around seemingly on the look-out for customers.
I made my way to the back of the store and the large screen TVs. Immediately a 50” Pioneer (£2699) caught eye – for all the wrong reasons.
It was pixelating heavily in the centre of the screen – to the point where viewing was almost impossible. Who would buy a model in this state? What kind of salesperson could allow this model to be out on display in this condition?
There was a large selection of 50” models on display. But where was the sales help?
I crossed over with another customer walking in the opposite direction – but nobody came near either of us.

Score: 0 out of 10