"Lack of training???? You must be joking!!!"

A review of Holland & Barrett by Anthony D written on Tuesday 3rd of July 2007

Can I just start by pointing out how wrong the review posted by skelly was!! Like many other ignorant people out there this person believs that the Holland and Barrett staff should know EVERYTHING!! We DO NOT sell cummin seeds and therefore DO NOT know anything about them as we are not trained on them. If you went into HMV and started asking them about a video game that they didn't sell, they wouldn't be able to give you information on it. We are not doctors or nutritionists. We can only tell you what we are trained on.

This lady should be grateful that a sales assistant tried to find the product for her, we sell over 3000 different products so can you balme one of our sales assistants for not knowing every single one.

And as for the lack of training..I have been with Holland and Barrett for 5 years now and have managed my own store for 1. I have only just finished my training!! We are constantly tested on products and ailements via bi-weekly training sheets and have to complete workbooks and attend training courses throughout each year. The staff in my shop and I have gone through more training than a friend of mine who is a pharmasist.

As a company we invest a lot of money in training and take pride in our knowledge of the products we sell. I have two regular customers in my store, both of whom are doctors, who regualary come to me for advice on healthy living, would thay really do this if they didn't have belief in our staff's knowledge.

I would love to put the person who gave a bad review in one of our stores for a day to see what sort of things we have to put up with. By this I mean rude and abnoxious members of the public who think all Holland and Barrett staff are walking health encyclopedias.

Furthermore to this point somebody bought up the fact that we are underpaid!! This is complete rubbish!!! Holland and Barrett staff are paid well above the minimum wage and earn commision on a number of products. The staff in my store earn on average and extra £1.44 an hour in commision. You tell me where else on the high street a part time sales assistant can earn up to £8 an hour.

Now i've finished moaning i'd like to say that Holland and Barrett always welcome new customers to our store and promise to offer the best possible service we can. If you have any health queries don't hesitate to pop down to your nearest store and ask a member of our team for advice!! We sell something for everybody and can advise to your personal needs. Alternatively send me an email stating your problem and symptoms and I can recommend the right products for you.

And don't forget to pick up this months copy of our Healthy magazine. For only £1.50 you can get educate yourself on many of the health problems surrounding your lifestlye.

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