In the latest instalment of our secret shopper Hit or Miss series, Drapers investigates whether fashion retail’s recruitment challenges have impacted customer service.
The fashion retail industry is finding it difficult to recruit store staff. Vacancies are high, and competition for candidates with other sectors, including hospitality, is fierce.
A shortage of team members on the ground is in danger of negatively impacting customers’ in-store experience – from snaking queues, to abandoned fitting rooms – which could result in unsatisfied shoppers – and lost sales.
To examine whether the impact has trickled down, Drapers visited Westfield Stratford City on the afternoon of Wednesday 7 September, to test the UK’s biggest high street names.
The shopping centre was swarming with customers, but the relaxed atmosphere of some stores had Drapers leaving with a smile. Some retail staff went above and beyond to check for sizes, offer style advice and engage in friendly conversation. If retailers are feeling the pressure from staff shortages, the stores at Westfield Stratford City are managing to disguise it well. However, Drapers would like to have seen more styling advice given by sales assistants, especially in the changing rooms. Those that did offer product and fit recommendations really enhanced customer experience.
Drapers interacted with staff by asking for directions to different departments and additional sizes in the fitting room, at tillpoints and when returning an item. See how H&M, John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, New Look, Next, Primark, River Island and Zara fared on Drapers’ visit.
Helpful staff go above and beyond to help, and check availability of product.
The shopping centre is heaving on a Wednesday lunchtime, but the John Lewis store is calm as I walk in. Menswear populates the ground floor of the two-storey shop, where men’s and women’s mannequins are neatly merchandised near the entrance.
A friendly greeter – a feature of John Lewis stores – directs me up the escalator to the womenswear floor and points out where I can find some jeans when I ask for the department’s location.
I ask a staff member who is busy tidying rails where to find John Lewis's own-brand Anyday range, and she walks towards it with me.
The fitting rooms are open, there is no queue, and I am greeted by the attendant and directed to a vacant cubicle. I try on three items: jeans, a checked blue shirt and another in pale blue zebra print.
There is a button to press if you want another size, but when I do, nothing happens. This was also the case at the Oxford Street store I recently visited, which makes me question why they are there.
The fitting rooms are bright, furnished with a chair and mostly clean, if a little dusty on the floor.
I come out of the cubicle to request another size in the checked shirt, and the assistant politely says I would have to check outside myself while she watches my things in the fitting room as she is not allowed to leave, so I have to make a half-dressed dash across the floor.
A second staff member appears and tries to scan the tag to see if further sizes are in stock, but it does not work, so she goes upstairs to check the stockroom, while I wait on a seat outside the fitting room.
The staff are very helpful, and go above and beyond to make me happy. The shirt is not available in the store or online, but the staff member prints off a receipt with details so I can find it online when it comes back in stock.
At the tillpoint, there is no queue and the sales assistant is polite and smiley. She advises me on the returns policy and wishes me a nice day. Overall, I have a positive experience and leave feeling pleased. The returns process is easy: John Lewis has a generous 35-day policy, which is the longest of all retailers Drapers visits on the day.
Friendly, helpful staff member engages in styling advice, which is fun and refreshing.
The entrance to the New Look store grabs my attention, as mannequins are dressed in bright fuchsia shirts and tops, merchandised with black jackets, trousers and skirts. The store is well kept, and most rails and displays are tidy, although a few cardigans have fallen on the floor.
New Look’s Petite, Curves and the childrenswear section for nine to 15-year-olds upstairs is vast, and spans accessories and footwear, too: carousels of shoes are neat and look well stocked. There are barely any customers there at the same time as me.
The downstairs fitting room slogan "Try it on backstage", is styled to resemble a Hollywood movie sign, which is a nice touch.
I am given a tag for my three items: a lime green silky shirt, leather-look blazer, and green and purple zebra stripe dress. The fitting rooms are not busy and I walk straight in.
I pop out of the changing room to ask for another size in the silky green shirt. The fitting room assistant leaves her post to check the shop floor, but does not find it.
She engages in styling advice and says that the size I am wearing suits me well, but I could do with going a size down if I do not want the additional volume.
She tells me I can order the missing size at the tillpoint, and explains that, if I order to store, delivery will be free but there is a charge for delivery to my home.
The sales assistant at the till is helpful and explains the returns policy to me. The shirt ends up being included in a promotion, but I can still return it within 28 days, as it is a temporary discount. Otherwise, he explains, Sale items are exchange only. New Look offers both an email and paper receipt.
When I come back to return my item, the process is smooth. I sign a returns receipt and am advised that the refund will take a few days to come through to my account.
A premium-feel store and stunning fitting rooms make for an enjoyable, high-end experience.
The scene greeting me as I enter H&M is strikingly bright and well appointed: it is airy and spacious with sparkling white floors and fittings, full of Instagram-worthy pot plants and perfectly lit, helped by a large chandelier overhead.
The new-season autumn/winter collection is equally appealing: houndstooth coats, acid orange satin dresses and blouses, and cream and camel colourways contrast with rich gem colours.
It is a well-heeled store throughout. The brightness and neatness continue as I walk further in, and the well spaced product seems carefully planned by the busy merchandisers I spot arranging different areas.
At the fitting room entrance is a large, plush – and evidently helpful – pouffe occupied by a man and a child. I am greeted with a smile on entering, and the elegant environment – with chic wooden flooring, neutral colour palette and more pot plants – is in keeping with the shop floor.
My cubicle is clean, pleasantly fragranced and has fully mirrored walls. It is well lit, which is surprisingly rare in fitting rooms, and altogether offers a far higher-end experience than I expected.
I leave my cubicle and ask at the entrance for another size of my item and the staff member checks the rails in the fitting room but does not offer to go to the shop floor to look, despite the presence of plenty of other staff to attend to the entrance. The exchange is friendly, though.
Waiting to pay at one staffed till point, in a short queue of about three people, I am politely ushered through to self-check-out machines, which makes the process quick and smooth. Although using a scanner and safely removing security tags might be difficult for some customers, there is a staff member nearby to help.
A return is equally smooth and straightforward: at the main cash desk, with just the tap of a card, no questions and no fiddly filling out of address. I leave feeling impressed with how much effort has clearly gone into designing and maintaining the store, and the sadly rare enjoyable high street fitting room experience.
Engaging staff member at tillpoint compliments Drapers' purchase.
Next is quiet and neat when I visit. Womenswear is on the ground floor of the two-storey store. Mannequins at the entrance display casual autumn/winter clothing such as sweatshirts, checked jackets and jeans, alongside dressier silky and printed tops.
I notice a large billboard just inside the entrance, advertising vacancies. There are “various opportunities available” with perks such as a 25% staff discount, flexible shifts with the option to “pick up, exchange or offer shifts using your phone”, a uniform allowance and online employee perks including “hot deals and exclusive offers".
I ask a staff member for directions to the lingerie and sleepwear section, and she points in its direction but stays where she is restocking shelves with four pairs of jeans in her hands.
I spot a small queue at the tillpoint with around five people waiting and two members of staff serving.
The three items I take into the fittings room are counted but I am not given a tag. There are plush forest green and pale pink sofas and armchairs, as well as phone-charging points advertised for customer use.
The cubicle is clean and has automated lighting, although it dims after I have spent around five minutes inside. This nice touch also helps with energy efficiency.
I pop out of the cubicle to ask for another size in a black and white gingham dress – most on the rail were size 16. The sales assistant checks the shop floor, but does not find one. She tells me that I can order one for delivery in store.
I want an immediate purchase, so I buy a different dress in a maroon and yellow print. It is quite messy behind the tillpoints: clothes are stackednext to the tillpoints, used plastic bags are bursting out of a bin, and hangers and boxes of accessories are scattered around the tillpoints.
The sales assistant serving me comments on the softness of the fabric of the dress I've chosen, and we have a chat about not remembering PINs, which is nice and friendly.
Returns are fuss free. I am told to keep both original purchase and return receipts until the refund comes through, and the server bids me a nice day. If Next is short of staff at that particular store it does not show. The only signs are that perhaps things are not as tidy as they should be, and there is only one assistant at the fitting room. It is still a good shopping experience, and the helpfulness and warmth of the staff shines through.
Greeted by friendly staff member in the kidswear department, who asks if there is anything they can do to help.
River Island’s store is lined with colourful rails of bright green trousers, printed blue jackets, glittering blue shorts, and bright blue and purple jeans. Womenswear is on the ground level of the two-storey store, and I take the escalator to the first floor, which stocks men’s and children's wear.
A staff member greets me with a smile and asks if there is anything they can do to help, which is nice and makes me feel appreciated.
Back on the womenswear floor, it is well merchandised with lots of sizing options out already.
I ask a store assistant who is tidying clothing on a rail whether River Island has any white work shirts. She takes me to three different styles in different parts of the store. She is knowledgable and points out their individual design details: one is a sheer patterned style, one shirt has a tie waist, and one is oversized.
The four items I take into the fitting room are counted but I am not given a tag. My cubicle has no chair but is well lit. Others have a chair but are cluttered with left-behind hangers.
A ruched linen pencil skirt with side slit in a dark green pattern is a bit tight. I have to come out of the cubicle to ask the two members of staff in the changing rooms for a bigger size. One brings the skirt to me and politely knocks on the cubicle door to alert me.
At the tillpoint, I am asked to input my email address for the receipt, and it is read back to me and comes through straight away. I am not offered a paper receipt. The assistant at the till is helpful and warm, and wishes me a lovely day, which makes me feel good, and makes for a positive overall experience overall.
When returning the item, the barcode does not scan – and the assistant has to type in transaction details. When asked the reason for the return, I say I changed my mind and am not challenged. The process is fuss free.
Organised, efficient and friendly staff are the highlight of this busy but dimly lit store.
There is litter on the floor as I enter Westfield Stratford City's dimly lit, very busy Primark store. This is not a great first impression, but things improve as I take the escalator up to the womenswear department, where colourful, eye-catching product generates an air of excitement. Acid green fluffy skirts, berets, fake leather blue shorts and plaid bucket hats are young and fun, and clearly signal the new season.
Apart from some clearly demarked sections, such as denim or knitwear, the layout feels a little jumbled, mainly because of the sheer amount of product, and there are at least three different Sale sections dotted around, seemingly at random. But the shop floor is neat, considering how much stock is displayed and the number of customers rifling through the rails.
Busy staff maintain order – folding and picking up clothes, sweeping the floor or directing customers to tills. One helps me find a specific size on a rail of tops, before rushing back to folding. She is polite but seems overworked. The two-storey shop’s large lifts serve the many buggies and wheelchair users coming in and out.
There is a very long wait for changing rooms, where staff are asking customers to get items ready for checking to speed things along, and to put them back on their hangers when exiting – it is efficient if a little brusque. They do, however, fast-track a woman with a buggy who is laden with bags
The cubicle itself is spacious and tidy, but the lighting is dim and adds to the slightly claustrophobic feeling of the busy store. The staff at the fitting room are very organised though: each allocated a specific job and trying to make everything work efficiently. Primark knows it has to deal with large footfall.
The till area feels shabby: Covid-safe plastic screens still up and dog-eared paper signs number each tillpoint. But the long queue moves surprisingly quickly, and an assistant loudly directs people to each till. The smile and polite greeting at the till is the friendliest all day.
Returns are also smooth and easy. I leave impressed by Primark’s efficiency and some staff members’ friendliness in the face of their workload, but feel efficiency sometimes comes at the cost of customer service
A bright, breezy store, well laid-out with a wide range of product, has less appealing fitting rooms and attentive but slightly thin-on-the-ground staff.
With a sweeping, spacious and airy entrance – it helps that M&S’s Westfield Stratford City store sits just outside the centre’s first-floor entry point – the shop feels very neat and tidy as I walk in, with a bright, colourful beauty section to the left of the clothing on the main shop floor.
The initial selection strikes me as slightly subdued – with lots of forest greens, play-it-safe prints and greys. But further in I find an impressive selection of outerwear to appeal to all ages and aesthetics. Everything is orderly, with sections clearly delineated – the “AW22 edit”, denim, knitwear – and the athleisurewear in the large own-brand Goodmove area is luxe looking.
Everything – fitting rooms, cash desks, customer toilets – is clearly signposted, neat and tidy, even the summer Sale section, while the whole shop is given plenty of floor space, which creates an air of calm.
Further into the store are more brands, both M&S and third-party Jaeger, Per Una, Phase Eight, Seasalt and Hobbs, as well as a big, bright Nobody’s Child section. It feels like a department store and each brand has its own design accents: pretty flowers in vases dress the shelves and complement the prints at Nobody’s Child; nautical elements add a coastal air at Seasalt Cornwall; cute pot plants and wooden wall hangings make for a homely White Stuff.
I cannot see many staff for such a big shop, although those I do observe are helpful and knowledgeable about where specific items are. W hen I select a white cotton top, I cannot find my size on the rail, nor a member or staff nearby to ask.
I take the size up, head to fitting rooms, where the entrance is decked out with plants and a big plush sofa, and I am greeted with a smile.
Once inside, the cubicle itself is not well lit and feels poky. A swimwear gusset sticker is stuck on the wall by the mirror and there is dust collecting in the corners on the floor, jarring with the bright, clean shop floor.
It is, however, nice to see a nod to M&S’s traditional services with a sign in the cubicle offering bra fittings, noting expertise in post-surgery, first and sports bras – which feels comforting and inclusive.
On leaving the fitting rooms the staff member at the entrance/exit is helping an elderly customer look through dresses. When she is finished and I request help with sizes she speedily uses an app to check stock – there is one left and I’m directed to tills where a colleague can find it.
It does not take long to get served, even though only three of the seven tills are in use, including one dedicated to refunds, where returns are being dealt with quickly and politely. I am greeted in a friendly manner, but told that my size is not in stock - contradicting what her colleague told me. I am not directed to another store or to look online, which seems like it could lose M&S some custom.
I leave feeling happy with the overall experience but feeling that little details could be improved.
A stressful experience and staff in need of training: Zara leaves the heavy lifting to its appealing new-season product and pretty shop entrance.
Zara at Westfield Stratford City knows how to make an entrance, with its luxe shopfront, bright and clean cream columns and brushed concrete effect walls. O nce inside though, I find the lighting too bright – it actually hurts my eyes.
Despite this, I am immediately drawn to the appealing product mix at the entrance: fuchsia palazzo pants and a matching blazer, a camel three-piece suit and a floor- length champagne satin gown.
Moving through the store, I find it clean and tidy, but with lots of product crammed in, which jars with the entrance and, when doubled with the lighting, makes for a stressful experience.
I cannot see staff out on the shop floor apart from those rushing from the fitting rooms to hang items. With their eyes fixed firmly on the floor, they do not look approachable or friendly.
Once I select an item to try on – the rails do have a good range of sizing out on shop floor, from XS-XL in most pieces – I eventually find the fitting rooms in the back corner. They are not clearly signposted and I initially enter a self-check-out area, mistaking it for the fitting rooms.
The staff member manning the entrance is not particularly friendly and, though not rude, the begrudging “how many” and “yeah, you can go through” leaves me feeling like an inconvenience, and not a customer.
My cubicle is small and poky – albeit clean – with only a small block for a stool and just two hooks for items. There is just one single mirror and it is frustrating not to be able to see the product I am wearing from different angles. Again, lighting is overly bright and harsh
I overhear customers being told not to leave unwanted items on a rail and to return them to the shop floor - staff do not offer to take items for them. I intend to ask for another size but the staff member disappears. Another customer is confused about whether they can enter, as there are no staff at the entrance.
I am eventually told I cannot exit the way I initially walk – not in a directly rude way, but blasé – and find myself in a self-check-out area, whose system is quite confusing. A staff member does help me, but again I feel like an inconvenience.
It is also not immediately clear which desk is for returns. I approach one in the centre of the floor only to be told this one is for exchanges only. The separate returns desk is in a far-flung corner. Once there, though, the process itself is smooth and quick, despite the queue: no questions, and the tap of a card.
I leave feeling Zara is missing an opportunity with its unfriendly staff, and separate desks for returns and exchanges. I will be making orders online in future.
Tags John Lewis New Look Next River Island
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