Our Secret Shopper group have spent the last 7 months investigating shops across Thanet. The Secret Shopper group from Margate Resource Centre, meet regularly to review the service provided by local shops in the area. Excitement was high in July, as the group went to deliver their findings to the Westwood Cross Management Team. The members had worked really hard putting a presentation together and spent weeks rehearsing it for the big day.
Both Ian Cooper and Janice Harper presented to the room. Janice gave out handouts and checklists which the group had put together for their trips to shops. Graphs were presented to show their findings. The management team requested to keep the copies of both, commenting they were good pieces of work. The team at Westwood Cross were pleased to discover that the majority of shops had a good understanding of the needs of people with a learning disability and had shown they respond in a positive way.
The presentation concluded with a round of applause, with the team agreeing that it was informative. The secret shoppers will be delivering the presentation again at the next member’s meeting.
In November, the group returned to Westwood Cross following their presentation to award certificates to the Westwood Cross Management team. Those presented with awards included; the Customer Service team, Claires, WH Smith and Debenhams. Staff attended from each store attended to receive their certificate and enjoy refreshments with the group.
Support Worker, Teresa Ellison, said: ‘The Secret Shopper sessions are new to the Margate Resource Centre and members have had a big input from the beginning as to how they are run. The group have all grown in confidence and developed new skills. They are all looking forward to next year and where the sessions will take them next!’
