A day in the life of a...supermarket greeter

DRESSING up as a banana, starting cars with flat batteries and advising on how to have a dead pet stuffed are all in a day's work for Danny Jones. "I may not do all three activities on the same day," he says, "or at least not more than two of them, but all form part of the most fascinating job I've done."

Jones, 53, is a greeter with the Asda supermarket chain.

He's one of an army of more than 1,000, spread over 250 stores, who play a vital role in the fiercely fought retail battle to provide the best possible customer service.

Asda's greeters are not there just to smile and express the hope that shoppers "have a nice day", their job description includes problem-solving and "retailtainment".

"I'm here to make visiting my store at Wembley an event and a pleasure that goes beyond a routine visit to buy groceries or whatever," says Jones.

"I try to build relationships with customers who get to know me as a friend who will help in any way he can.

"Dressing up as a banana had a serious purpose while also raising chuckles. It caught attention and helped me put over a message about the special deal we were offering on the fruit.

"Hands-on help can range from providing a 'brolly service' to and from the store car park (there's nothing worse than rain for dampening the spirits), to using my manager's car to jump start a customer's vehicle that had a flat battery."

Being on hand to answer questions from shoppers poses more varied problems. "The most common queries are about the location of goods," says Jones. It is vital to have up-to-date knowledge of the thousands of lines of stock.

But people don't confine their questions to items you might expect to find in the store.

"One customer wanted to find a taxidermist; a pet Persian cat had died and he wanted to preserve her in his living room. I did an internet search and was able to give him a list of local experts. He later invited me to his home to see the incredibly lifelike result."

Jones has also been consulted on legal and medical matters. He always advises seeking professional help in such cases, although one shopper insisted on producing a bag containing extracted gall stones for his inspection.

Affairs of the heart are sometimes raised. His advice was once sought separately by a young couple who stormed away from each other after falling out during their weekly shopping trip.

"I suggested that arguments over what to buy should not be allowed to spoil a relationship and gave each flowers to use as a peace offering. Five minutes later, both were hand-in-hand, smiling with their disagreement forgotten."

Jones joined Asda three years ago on the shop floor after a 30- year career on the London Underground as a driver, guard, working on platforms and behind the scenes.

"I was asked to stand in for a greeter and knew at once that it was a job that life had prepared me for," he says.

"The importance of keeping customers informed was a key lesson from my years on the Underground and, suddenly, I

was back behind a microphone making in-store announcements.

I'd been trained for this, with help from the BBC, and knew all the tricks.

"Good technique, including clear speaking, is important if on-air messages are to be understood by busy people, although one difference at the Asda microphone was giving out good news about special offers, new products and even birthday greetings instead of listing train delays and cancellations.

"Another was being able to express my personality on-air, tell jokes and even sing songs.

Humour, properly used, is an excellent way of winning people's attention and getting across exactly what you want to say."

Jones proved such a natural at the microphone that he became a full-time greeter and now trains others in the skills required.

He identifies these as including "being at ease with yourself and everybody you meet, and moving heaven and earth to help customers".

Greeters range in age from 18 to a 78-year-old grandmother and include a former bank manager and several miners.

Asda belives it is vital for greeters to reflect the diversity of customers if lasting relationships are to be created with them.

So what is a typical day for Jones? "Apart from being on a 30- hour week, made up of shifts worked during the week and sometimes at weekends, no day is typical," he says.

"The beauty of the job is that no two days are ever the same.

"There are always new and surprising questions to answer, always new customers to meet and new conversations with existing customers who have become firm friends.

"The only constant is that if customers come in with problems over what to buy, or anything else, I want to feel that they will leave with solutions provided by myself and colleagues."

Pros _ Variety _ Satisfying work _ Creative Cons _ Busy shifts _ Crowded working environment Pros&Cons

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