Registered charity Which? claims to be the largest consumer body in the UK and has been testing products and investigating the service and performance of companies and their products for 50 years.

They have just published the results of a ‘high street shops survey’ in which Waitrose was voted as the favourite by the 14,000 people polled. They beat over ninety other competitors overall in factors covering price, customer service, quality and environment. Which? commented:

“The findings revealed that offering a great customer experience is the way to many consumers’ hearts - so despite their higher prices, Waitrose and John Lewis were praised by Which? members for store environment, helpful staff and quality products.”

This result gives some interesting advice to managers and small business owners. Waitrose are not known to be the cheapest store, and some may be forgiven for thinking their sales and service would be suffering from the economic downturn. Yet if they are going to emerge from it strongly, it’s the work that’s gone in to winning awards such as these that will achieve it.

Keep investing the personal development and customer service training of your staff, and keep ahead of competitors, so you don’t just compete on price.