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@Miguel - passata is a tomato puree, which has been passed through a sieve to remove seeds and lumps. It's used in many dishes, and has been widely available in Europe for many years. Get's it's name from Italy, just in case anyone accuses me of moaning because I can't find an ethnic Eastern European foodstuff.

- Jock, Glasgow, 27/05/2010 15:09
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Not surprised to see Sainsburys at the bottom end of the list. I remember being in the Balham branch, and asking a staff member where I'd find passata. They said to try the wine section, and walked off. Both useless and unhelpful.

- Jock, Glasgow, 27/05/2010 14:27

Er, what is passata? My limited English does not include this word- is it the female of p*** artist?

- Miguel M, Old Isleworth, 27/05/2010 14:53
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Does anyone else get really annoyed at how the sales staff at the check out are made to ask every customer if they want a giant chocolate bar , even at 8am!!. Maybe that`s why they have all left . Shopping at the W H Smith in Brighton is a sole destroying experience . Normally one till open and a queue to the end of the shop. Normally several staff standing around chatting doing nothing.

As for the post office downstairs you feel like you`ve entered a parrellel universe where time stands still. The man in front of me last week waited for half an hour with a parcel only to be told that the scales were not working. I thought he has quite right to throw the parcel at the wall.

- Richard, Brighton, 27/05/2010 14:49
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To Jargonaut - I think Munaffer was complany-telling of the deepdriven workyload of the smithy elves when engaged in servicing their customeries - he even expresses his deep Joy of their tumblydown placey placement position on the list thinking - my - smithys elves do deserveth more recogvision of the toilyeffort in their dialy choreloads - it not being their faultyload but more the creamy creamy off the top load of profits by the do goody elves managing the tottery tower.

I think....

- Freedom, Tunbridge Wells, kent, 27/05/2010 14:40
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Not surprised to see Sainsburys at the bottom end of the list. I remember being in the Balham branch, and asking a staff member where I'd find passata. They said to try the wine section, and walked off. Both useless and unhelpful.

- Jock, Glasgow, 27/05/2010 14:27
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I just realised that Munaffer is 2010's 'Professor' Stanley Unwin.

Deep joy and goodly bye-load !

- Jargonaut, South London, 27/05/2010 14:09
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Munaffer, RIGHT WORDS, WRONG ORDER.

- Martin, Teddington, 27/05/2010 13:39
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I ordered 36 bottles of squash from Ocado and asked for them to be left in the cases to make storage easier (as well as picking and delivering etc). I was told that their system didn’t allow it, so I got it in loads of carrier bags. What can you do with these people?

- Martin, Teddington, 27/05/2010 13:35
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It's hardly surprising that Sainsburys are losing ground to the other supermarket chains. Go to any one of my local Sainsbury stores in the Hampton area and inevitably at least half of the check-outs are closed, causing long waits to pay for goods. Tesco, Waitrose or even Asda invariably have nearly all their check-outs fully staffed, with resulting much shorter queues.

- Pauline, Hampton Middlesex, 27/05/2010 13:10
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Where's Jessops? A couple of years ago they were in the top ten, but not anymore since they got rid of most of their best staff. Customer service in their shops sucks - most staff don't know a camera from a camel!

- mr john, london, uk, 27/05/2010 12:45
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Customer service comes as naturally to many UK retail employees as hot air ballooning does to a salmon.

- Jim, London, 27/05/2010 12:34
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And why aren't Carphone "Cowboy" Warehouse in the bottom 2?

- Rod, Epping, UK, 27/05/2010 12:32
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I have wasted 10 minutes trying to fathom out what Munaffer was saying, obviously my English is not as good as I had hoped. I tried shopping at W.H.Smiths' on a few occasions but was rather puzzled by the fact that nobody appeared to be manning the tills. There was a queue waiting patiently but nobody to attend to these customers. I do not understand this system but I hardly dare ask Munaffer to explain!

- Miguel M, Old Isleworth, 27/05/2010 12:30
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I'm astonished like Ikea. For me it's cheap, but that's all.

- Bob P, East End, London, 27/05/2010 12:07
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Comet should be in the bottom 10 in my experiences - thankfully very scarce.

I have visited the Weymouth branch twice in the last 3 months, and on both occasions they tried to charge me more than the ticket price of the items I was purchasing. It then took, in both instances, ages for the mistake to be rectified and I was made to feel guilty about being a customer by a rude employee.

This is my example of how customers are being badly let down regularly by companies not investing in their staff, either through numbers of employees or through thorough and on-going training. We are being treated like mugs, and I agree with the comments about WH Smith completely. I would have thought John Lewis would have been top but Richer Sounds also deserve commendation.

- Rod, Epping, UK, 27/05/2010 12:04
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If anyone works out what Munaffer was trying to say could they please translate it for the rest of us, sadly, I think he's Currys upper management.

- Bob, Cheam, 27/05/2010 11:40
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PC World, I can understand why they are there, very few staff and very uninterested unless you know exactly what you want, so asking for advice is out off the question.

- David, Abbey Wood, 27/05/2010 11:30
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I'm surprised that Tesco wasn't in the top ten of worst shops. Where was this survey carried out? Were you asked ?

- jb, sussex, 27/05/2010 11:29
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SW.H.Smith is techinacally put lot & lots more pressure on the management team to ensure the staff budget are kept at the lowest level and earn savings out of it to deliver big fat cat pay pack to the top dog.
And the staffs are very minimum level and oppressed with expected hard work on their own to achieve lot more any human body can suppress.

in a way enslave man power of the person to achieve their profit making objective by squeeze out from the maximum of the staff by leaving one member of the staff at most of the times on the till and he or she need to carry out fillings of the all KPI's commodities of the store during the trading times. very little time to grasp for breath.
Ripping the customers with extortion prices.
Damn good verdict from the people.

- Munaffer, London, 27/05/2010 11:03
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I have to agree with the comment about B&Q. When there are staff about, they are most uninterested in the customers and those self service tills drive me crazy. Why can't they just staff the normal tills?

As for WH Smith, how is it still in business? It is ridiculously expensive, badly set out, and no staff. I thought that this would have folded before Woolworths!

No surprise that John Lewis is near the top. Always get good service and quality products for good prices.

- Matt, Bexley, 27/05/2010 10:39
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I am surprised that Sainsbury's are on the bottom list as the Sainsbury's I use, and have used for a number of years, is really good. Very friendly, helpful staff, stocks all I need and is of a size that is not overbearing and threatening like so many, like Tesco's (ugh!) and Asda (help!).

- albert hall, hove england, 27/05/2010 10:33
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I wonder what the questions were for this survey.

In my experience the shop staff at Currys (and Dixons as was) are very helpful. The customer care breakdown relates to faulty goods.

As for W H Smiths I can't remember the last time that I saw a member of staff other then on the check outs.

- BJ, East London, 27/05/2010 10:22
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You pay peanuts you end up with monkeys, most of those stores on the bad list are probably guilty of this. Customer service has been in a recession for years and unlike the economy making cuts will definately make the situation worse.

- Mr S.Port, London, 27/05/2010 10:14
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Wow, Currys managed 50%? Who were the satisified ones I wonder? I do love Lakeland though, although I find it dangerous using their shop often finding that I have £300 worth of products in my basket when I only wanted a new potato peeler.

- Bob, Cheam, 27/05/2010 09:46
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Add B & Q to the bottom ten.

I was in one of their stores yesterday and it seems young staff members have not been given any customer care training.

I was at the Service Counter, ordering a shed, and the young lady ' serving ' me barely spoke to me because she was too busy giggling and chatting to two co-workers about the holiday she had just retutned from and the one she had just booked. She gabbled so much info I could tell you her hotel room number and he colour of the towels.

And quite casually, as if my wife and I were invisible, one of her co-workers swore in front of us.

I was so anxious to get away from these cretins, it was only when we left the store that I realised the girl hadn't asked for our home 'phone number so the delivery driver ( they have the nerve to charge £20 for delivey )could contact us and let us know when to expect him, give or take an hour.

To whom at B & can I put in an official compliant?

- Jargonaut, South London, 27/05/2010 09:46
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