Regular customer John Cameron loves the friendly service he gets from colleagues like Katie Gilbert at our Wallington store in Croydon so much that he happily travels half an hour to get there – even though he lives just 100 yards from another supermarket.
Colleagues at the store organise a mobility cart for John to use – and he loves having a chat with colleagues as they get the keys for him and help him in the store.
John, who's from Mitcham, has a connection with Asda spanning more than half a century. He's been shopping with us for as long as he can remember, while his grandma Martha was one of the first people to set foot inside our Queens store in Castleford when it opened in 1963, and his grandad Sam was a mechanic for Associated Dairies.
And John says he wouldn't shop anywhere else.
“One hundred yards down the road there’s a Tesco,” said John, “But I prefer to take a half-an-hour to 45-minute trip to my local Asda.
“I walk with a stick, so the mobility carts in store are really handy. Every time I go in, I go up to the desk and ask for the keys to my Lamborghini!
“I think they must think I’m mad, but I always have a laugh and a joke with the staff. I also like to go in and say ‘where’s my award then?’ And when they say ‘For what?’, I always say ‘For being your longest standing customer!’
"There’s just something I like about Asda that you don’t get in some of the bigger stores. It has personality, whether it’s a big or a small store.
“An Asda, is an Asda, is an Asda – you can rely on everything to look the same and be the same price.”
John's worked in customer-facing roles all of his adult life and appreciates the level of service he receives from our colleagues.
He said: “I was reduced to tears once one day when I went into the Asda near Beddington. I’d had a fraud committed on my card and I didn’t have anything in my account.
“The lady on the checkout was absolutely stellar. They phoned for a taxi to take me to the bank so I could get it sorted out. Because I have mobility issues, walking the four or five miles to the bank isn’t high on my to do list.
“When the money was refunded I went back in to get my shopping and tell the manager about his staff. It’s not often managers get to hear that kind of feedback and I think it’s important.
“You can have a conversation with the staff and they’re always the same members of staff that you see.
“As a family we have a very strong connection with the brand.”
Asda Wallington store manager Nathen Newark said: "We’re pleased to hear that John enjoys his visits to our store and has such a special connection with Asda and our colleagues. It’s always nice to get feedback and know that we’re giving great service to customers in Wallington. We hope he continues to visit us and ride his ‘Lamborghini’ through the aisles.”
