TAKE A TOWN: INTRODUCTION


Decewmber 2025/January 2026 housewareslive.net


Housewares Magazine launches its own mystery shopping feature


In this customer centric industry, in-store sales skills are important and it’s key to be on top of your game; starting in this issue, our mystery shoppers will visit eight stores for each issue and give feedback on their experiences in the new Take A Town article.


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n the competitive world of housewares, stores become known in their communities for their customer service, as well as their product range. However, just because a store is large, and has a wide range, doesn’t mean that it necessarily ticks all the boxes; equally, a small, independent store may not have a large offering and be quite cosy, yet may offer the best advice to customers looking to spend their hard earned money on the latest . It’s that mixed bag of retailers that was a key decision in Housewares Magazine launching its own mystery shopping feature. Throughout the retail sector, mystery shopping is a well-known tool for


improving shop floor standards and performance, which is something Housewares Magazine is committed to. The criteria for this new mystery shopping feature was decided on


by the team at Housewares Magazine and our team of anonymous shoppers are charged with conducting the visits, with stores judged according to this set criteria. The scoring is split into two areas, which assess sales skills and store


presentation. Each area is marked separately out of five – and then the two scores are added together to give a total out of 10. The criteria for the sales skills area covers the shopper experience, staff engagement on the shop floor, the knowledge of sales staff and the ability to close the sale; the store presentation criteria covers the look and feel of the store, inside and out.


What are we looking for? One of the mystery shoppers told Housewares Magazine: “Good customer service, coupled with product knowledge and advice, and the


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ability to close the sale are powerful tools for sales staff to have in their armoury. “At the other end of the scale are those stores that care less about


customers, perhaps seeing them as an interference when they are trying to have a chat about their plans for the weekend – I know which kind of retailer I would like to shop in. “Consumers enter stores to find the products they are interested in,


and to be served.” The team always go into stores with an open mind, but the biggest bugbear that it has is being ignored. Ignoring customers is sure to have just one effect – they will walk out of your store, straight into your closest competitor’s outlet.


Our shopper added: “Shop floor staff are the ones at the coalface of a


retail business; it is imperative that they are at the top of their game. “While we are pleased to give positive comments and scores, we find it disappointing to be critical about a store, but we always give a honest judgement, based on the set criteria that Housewares Magazine has asked us to adhere to. “The visits that we make are a snapshot in time – they represent one visit, on one day – and it’s that one experience that we report on in this feature; the team looks forward to visiting stores across the UK.”


Take A Town snapshot • The mystery shopping team will visit eight stores in a town or area; • The article in Housewares Magazine will feature a write-up on each store, with scores given, out of five, for both sales skills and store presentation; and


• The two scores of five will be added together to give a store out of 10.


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