Jeremy Seigal
Chief Executive
Superdrug Stores plc
118 Beddington Lane
Croydon
Surrey
CR0 4TB
Dear Mr Seigal
Since coming to post in your current role in the spring of 2008, I am sure that your wealth of experience and expertise in the beauty and healthcare markets has helped contribute to your successes in a difficult marketplace. After all, at the time, Retail Week magazine noted that AS Watson parent Hutchison Whampoa as having posted a revenue rise of 11 per cent in its retail division to HK$110.01 billion (�7.13 billion) for the year to December 31, but quoted them as saying that the �improved results were partially offset by lower results from the health and beauty businesses in the UK". I am sure that general worldwide economic downturn would generally be considered to be a contributory factor in the company's pre-tax loss of �2.4M in 2008, but I wonder if I might point out one, slightly more worrying, reason why customers might be tempted to make their purchases elsewhere in 2009.
On Sunday October 25th 2009, I visited your Eastleigh (Hampshire) branch with my nine year old daughter, to make some last-minute purchases before departing for a family holiday.
My daughter spent some time looking at the cheaper brands of cosmetics (ie those much favoured by pre-teen girls) whilst I made selections from one or two of the other aisles. The shop was largely empty, with perhaps three or four other shoppers browsing, no queue at the tills and a few staff in attendance, including one who appeared to be in a supervisory capacity who was standing at the entrance doorway.
After a few minutes making my own selections, I returned to my daughter and we spent some moments talking about various eyeshadow pencils and trying out one or two before being approached by the aforementioned 'supervisor'.
She said "You can't use them. They're not testers." and gestured at the pencils we had been trying. I must have looked confused as she repeated herself, at which point I apologised, but pointed out that the pencils in question were at the 'front row' of the display where Testers might normally be found, their security packaging (and some of their lids) had been removed and the nib of each pencil was considerably worn down, presumably by other shoppers testing them.
I am sure you would agree, Mr Seigal, that ours was an easy mistake to make. The supervisor reiterated that the pencils we had been trying were not testers and that I should not be using them, at which point I suggested that if they were not testers, other customers had clearly thought the same as I, resulting in the 'first row' of pencils now being not of sufficiently high merchantable quality to be selected for purchase, and that it would make sense either perhaps to display a small notice requesting that customers do not try the pencils or to remove the part-used ones from display, lest other hapless shoppers be tempted to use them in the same wanton manner.
The supervisor told me that she didn't "�do that. I just wait 'til I see someone using them and then I tell them to stop. That�s what I do."
I started to explain why I thought this might not be the best method of managing the situation but was interrupted by the supervisor telling me "They're not testers. You can't use them."
At this point, my daughter and I put back the one we had been trying, selected one from the 'second row' which was still nicely packaged, complete with lid and sharpened point, put it in our basket with our other selections and ended the conversation.
The supervisor returned to her position at the entrance doorway while my daughter and I continued our shopping, admittedly sometimes sniggering at "testers that aren't testers" and at the ridiculousness of the situation overall.
Mercifully there was still no queue at the tills and we were able to pay for our purchases quickly. Stepping outside the store, I found our way barred by the same supervisor who invited us back into the store, telling us "a customer saw you put something in your pocket" and that she would have to search through our belongings.
Now, this is where it starts to get complicated as every time the supervisor recounted this transgression, (once outside the store, once again to the two colleagues who she insisted accompany us to the back room of the store and then a third time in a quasi official capacity before conducting the 'search') the material facts changed. I hope that an intelligent man like you, Mr Seigal, can decipher the various stages in the following statement. I've helpfully added " / " marks between each variation, for clarity.
One/two invisible customers in an empty shop/two customers and the supervisor with whom we had previously been speaking and who had not moved from her vantage point by the entrance door aside from the previously mentioned incident saw me/saw my daughter/told the supervisor that they saw us put something/two eye pencils in my pocket/handbag/my daughter's pocket
Needless to say, by this time my daughter was saucer-eyed with fear.
With hindsight, I very much wish that I had insisted that the supervisor call the police as I think it would certainly have added weight to the incident I am recounting to you now but I was mindful that Gatwick and holiday flights wait for no man, especially one waiting for the local constabulary to show up to help invigilate the execution of trumped up charges in a kangaroo court.
I therefore had no real option other than to stand (there was no chair) in the rubbish-strewn stock area at the rear of the Eastleigh store, to turn out my pockets (and those of my white-faced, quaking daughter) and to empty the contents of my shopping bags and handbag onto the concrete floor (there was no table).
Unsurprisingly, no contraband was found and after a brief conversation along the lines of:
"When someone says they've seen�..then I have to�.I'm just doing my job"
"I am quite aware of what you did and why."
"There's no need to be like that."
we left the store.
Mr Seigal, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the supervisor's actions in this matter were nothing more than a vindictive and punitive knee-jerk reaction, designed to cause us maximum distress, embarrassment and humiliation for having the temerity to call into question the poor display management, sales procedures and customer service of an, at best, lacklustre member of your team. Even the two staff accompanying the supervisor had the good grace to look shamefaced.
I do not believe anyone saw, or thought they saw, me or my daughter engage in any illegal act whatsoever. I do not believe that anyone spoke to the supervisor about me or my daughter.
I do not believe there was a single person in that store who thought my daughter and I were shoplifters.
I am aware that you said, in your first widely quoted interview since taking office, that staff training needs to be handled carefully. Of the 1000 staff who graduate from a Superdrug training course each year, can you tell me how many of those are instructed to instigate summary retribution on those customers who disagree with them?
I regularly shop at Superdrug stores � there is one near my office which I use at least weekly � but I fail to see how this sort of treatment of your loyal customer base helps you to achieve the aims of your current strapline, "Winning locally in beauty and health".
I am certain that you would agree that staff at the Eastleigh branch are clearly not following the lead of their counterparts in Maesteg where you said "The team in the store are working so hard to win in that community". Presumably the Maestegians are not doing this by spending a dull Sunday afternoon levelling false accusations of 'Theft of Cut Price Glimmer Shadow Sticks' at respectable members of the community and their little girls.
I have hesitated in writing this letter, Mr Seigal. In part, I will admit that if the contents of this letter become known to the supervisor in question, I fear what reprisals might befall me should I venture into the Eastleigh store again. My daughter has already told me that she will not go there as part of the shopping trips she makes with her older sister as "they might say we took something and no-one will believe us because we are kids without a grown up". On the other hand, I hope that bringing this matter to your attention might allow you some small insight into one aspect of the grass-roots operations of your stores and perhaps might encourage an overall review of good management practice and how that might ultimately lead to increased revenue streams across the business as a whole.
I wish you the success that the Superdrug business deserves and await your comments.
Yours sincerely
Stepfie Stepfordtart-Geetardude (Mrs)
feel free to comment/amend.....I'll mail it from the office tomorrow afternoon. It'll be on L's Fartsbook as well if you want to read it there.
later