Rebecca Baker: Shh, my supermarket is great — just don’t tell anyone

MY local Adelaide supermarket’s just been named the world’s best: I’d love to say I’m thrilled but, quite honestly and selfishly, I’m not. Here’s why ...

A shopper’s delight is a store that is clean, offers fresh food and good service.

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• My horrible run-in with Adelaide’s angriest shopkeeper

SO, a suburban Adelaide supermarket has been named as the world’s best — well, to be precise, the best international retailer, by its global peers.

It’s a pretty impressive effort and I’d love to say I’m thrilled but, quite honestly and selfishly, I’m not.

You see, it is my local and while I understand WHY it’s won the accolade, I really don’t want to have to share our neighbourhood gem with any more shoppers.

Already, it’s so busy you’ll struggle to find a park and at certain times of the day I will drive straight past because I simply don’t have the energy to engage in a carpark war given my deplorable driving skills.

But last Tuesday, the day news of the grocer’s award hit headlines, I snagged a park and popped in for a loaf of bread for the kids’ next-day school lunches.

And, I have to say, as the pianist loudly pumped out his tunes amid the fruit and veg, I was reminded what makes this particular shop so deservedly popular.

Sure, some of the gluten-free, organic and vegan options leave me shaking my head in confusion but the store is clean, the food is fresh and proudly local and, importantly, the staff are warm, friendly and helpful — and according to my nine-year-old, the bubbly girls at the in-store cafe will make you the “world’s best” chocolate milkshake.

A shopper’s delight is a store that is clean, offers fresh food and good service.

If you are anything like me, good customer service will keep you coming back to the same store time and time again because quite frankly life is busy and stressful enough without a bad shopping experience.

Having lived in Adelaide for just a few years I have my firm favourites when it comes to buying kids’ cricket gear, books for my boys, children’s sports shoes — and my morning coffee.

And it is the little things that win you over — the genuine smiles and the feeling that nothing is too much trouble.

Take for example the kind retailer who offered to carry my coffee to the car when, frazzled and running late for the kids’ Sunday morning cricket, I called in to buy a wake-me-up-coffee as well as a bunch of thank-you flowers for my son’s team manager mum.

So, a hearty thank you to this lovely man and to all the wonderful retailers across suburban Adelaide.

And a big congratulations to the Chapley-owned Frewville Foodland on its global title.

Spero Chapley got it right when he said: “Our vision is to be more than just a supermarket. A pleasurable environment with no self-serve check-outs.

TELL US BELOW: We’d love to hear about your favourite retailers — or local store — that goes that extra mile for you.

Rebecca Baker is digital editor at Messenger Community News: Follow her on Twitter

Follow @baker_bec