Locals shine in Checker of the Year competition

15 June 2016

Locals shine in Checker of the Year competition

Last night, more than 40 checkout operators from Taranaki New World, PAK’nSAVE and Shoprite stores tested their skills against each other onstage at The Devon Hotel with the hope of ultimately taking out the title of Foodstuffs North Island Checker of Year.

The checkers were judged by a team of eight senior Foodstuffs staff on their speed, presentation, customer service and accuracy as they scanned 30 items as fast as possible, while also staying friendly and composed.

The top three checkers were Caleb Gibbons from New World Stratford, Nadia Stadnik from New World New Plymouth and Anna Kissick from New World Stratford.

Event organiser Kristie McGregor said it is a fun night for checkers to demonstrate their fantastic customer service skills and engage in a bit of friendly competition with other stores.

“We have been running the Checker of the Year competition for over 40 years and it is a great opportunity to recognise our check out operators for the value they add to the customer experience,” said Kristie McGregor.

Ally Bell, owner operator of PAK'nSAVE Hawera said that they are constantly retraining and improving their check out and customer service skills throughout the year at the store.

“The Checker of the Year competition is a great way to make sure we are on the top of our game and an opportunity to recognise and reward the value our checkers add to our business. It's also a fantastic night out for supporters and competitors alike and a great chance to catch up with our colleagues from other stores,” said Ally Bell.

The competitors’ colleagues wore costumes in the super hero theme of the night and cheered them on with banners, chants and store mascots.

The top twelve checkers each received a $50 gift card; with the top three finalists winning extra prizes. There were also prizes for the best support team and best team of checkers overall.

There are 10 regional Checker of the Year competitions across the North Island throughout June and July, with mystery shoppers testing each region’s winner to determine one overall North Island Checker of the Year winner and two runners-up, which will be announced at the Foodstuffs North Island Excellence Awards on 26 November.

ENDS

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