Welcome back to The Stocklists Mystery Shopper column, which sees our partners at ProInsight visit flooring retailers across the country, posing as prospective buyers while using a set of objective metrics to evaluate the shops’ customer experience. Throughout this year-long feature we aim to highlight the many strengths of UK carpet retail and – where applicable – show where some aspects might be improved.
This month, we visited Durham, home to a bevy of historical landmarks including a Norman castle and one of the UK’s oldest universities. Being a student town, one might assume Durham’s domestic carpet needs would be relatively minor, however the city’s multitude of high-quality independent retailers tells a different story. Our Mystery Shopper visited three locations throughout the city, each offering such an excellent customer experience that it was once again impossible to pick a single winner!
JS Carpets – Gold Rated
This month’s first stop was JS Carpets, which has been in operation since 1983, and has built a reputation for its “extensive collection” of ranges, including hundreds of remnants. Although the store was relatively unassuming on first approach, our shopper says, the exterior appeared clean and tidy, and upon entry they were approached as soon as realistically possible, which all added up to a positive first impression.
Customer service at JS Carpets was prompt and attentive, with a member of staff greeting our shopper proactively and giving their full attention for the duration of the visit. The assistant began by establishing our hypothetical customer’s needs, asking questions about their style and colour preferences, as well as the longevity of their previous carpet. With these details in mind, the staff member was able to recommend a range of different options, offering a clear breakdown of the different carpet styles based on the shopper’s needs. Ultimately, they landed on a longer pile in a dark grey, chosen to limit the aesthetic impact of any potential marks on the carpet.
The assistant then moved to the matter of fitting, confirming that the store could arrange a fitting within two weeks, and even suggesting underlay options to complement the installation. Our shopper was provided a full quote for the installation, providing further confidence in the store’s professionalism and service.
Concluding their assessment, our shopper said: “I felt the service was excellent, and the staff member had a clear understanding of my needs before demonstrating excellent knowledge of what they had to offer me that would suit my requirements. The fact that I was given a quote was proactive and also useful, enabling me to understand what it would cost.”
Warm Sanctuary
Offering what it calls “a fresh look at flooring,” Warm Sanctuary is located in the suburb of Carrville, where husband and wife team Bobby and Michelle welcome customers from across the North East and beyond. According to the retailer, excellent service should not be considered “above or beyond” for any business that genuinely cares about its customers. Quite a bold claim, but in our Mystery Shopper’s experience, Warm Sanctuary was more than able to back it up.
From its exterior, the shop appeared clean and tidy, with branding clearly visible allowing it to stand out on the busy street. Displays and windows were well presented, and upon entry, all of the shop’s staff were active with work, approaching our shopper within a few minutes.
Proceeding in a “friendly and patient manner,” the assistant approached our shopper to discuss their requirements. “This created a positive first impression as I did not have to go and look for help,” they said. After discerning what our shopper was looking for, the staff member showcased a range of different carpets, explaining the properties and qualities of each. The shopper was asked useful questions, such as whether they had animals at home and what the dimensions of the room were, as well as whether they had considered underlay. “This was then covered and also explained,, with a demonstration given on how they differed: the thicker underlay provided more insulation and comfort than a thinner, cheaper one.”
With these practical concerns thrashed out, the assistant offered a verbal quote, explaining that they could finalise it once precise room measurements were provided. The shopper concluded: “I felt the service overall was excellent, and I appreciated the proactive manner of the staff member who ensured I was clear on the options as well as what would be the best fit for my needs.”
City Carpets – Gold Rated
Our final stop this month was City Carpets, located in Durham’s colourfully-named Dragonville neighbourhood. Immediate impressions were positive, as the store’s clear branding made it easy to locate, while the interior was tidy with well-stocked displays featuring multiple colours of each carpet type. Staff were well-presented and engaged in work-related tasks as our shopper entered. Although individually these factors may appear minor, good customer experience is often achieved by paying attention to all the small details together. In this area, City Carpets excelled during our visit.
When it came to service, the store was equally friendly and engaging, with an assistant approaching our shopper without any prompting. “I felt the assistant did a good job of understanding my needs,” the shopper said, “as in response to my enquiry, they asked various questions about what I was looking for: what room, what colour, as well as what type of carpet I wanted in general.” Ultimately, our shopper was shown three variations of grey carpets in different areas of the store, and given detailed explanations of how the carpets differed in terms of pile and density. Having established the room size and preferences, the need for additional underlay and carpet grippers was “proactively suggested” by the assistant.
After selecting a full spec for their room, the shopper was offered a rough verbal quote: “I felt like a written quote could have been an improvement to ensure I was clear on the total cost.” Even with this small blemish, however, City Carpets was deemed an excellent customer experience overall, with our shopper concluding: “The assistant was positive throughout my visit, and I was satisfied with the quality of service throughout.” Indeed, against ProInsight’s Mystery Shopper criteria, the shop scored over 95%, making it the second of this month’s Gold Rated retailers and the joint winner with JS Carpets. As with last month, the overall score spread between the three shops was extremely tight, so all of these stores deserve the strongest praise.
IN THIS SECTION
JS Carpets – www.jscarpets.co.uk
City Carpets – www.citycarpetsdurham.co.uk
Warm Sanctuary – www.warmsanctuary.co.uk
As always, the Mystery Shopper feature is facilitated by the excellent work of ProInsight, which organises and carries out campaigns for businesses of all types, helping them to evaluate and ultimately improve their customer experience metrics.