Being a responsible retailer is at the heart of everything done at Costcutter Epsom.
Even though they won this category last year, the team at the store have introduced even more initiatives and procedures since then to ensure they continue to be “laser-focused” around responsible retailing.
Owner Sue Nithyanadan is very clear about how she feels about running a store. “My business philosophy is to run a very honest business. I don’t believe in just running a business to make profit, I’m passionate about having a positive social impact in our local area and believe its key to have a strong purpose for the business beyond the price on the tin. For us is about having a social conscience and caring for our team, the environment, and the community around us.
“As a business owner I believe you have to be honest and open and never divert from being a responsible retailer, which may drive an increase in short-term profitability but can damage your store’s long-term reputation. We are proud to run our business with a great sense of responsibility to everyone.”
Costcutter Epsom boasts robust processes, policies, and on-going training around all areas of age-related sales including alcohol, tobacco, vaping, lottery, and sharp objects. Due to this diligent approach, it has a very low rate of people trying to buy products they aren’t the legal age for but that doesn’t mean they rest on their laurels.
Among the extensive procedures they in place to prevent and deal with under-age sales is a proactive tool on their till systems, where there is a staff prompt which asks them to check age and to confirm ID which they have to approve on screen. They insist on a passport, driving licence or Citizen Card as acceptable forms of ID, and it is all documented in a refusals book for age-related sales to record and document individuals attempting to buy products under-age or proxy sales.
With under-age vaping an ever-growing issue in recent years, the team welcome the incoming legislation designed to help tackle it. They are extremely conscientious in their processes about preventing vape sales to children, particularly as they are located near to five schools.
Although the store stocks vaping products and accessories, these have never been on free sale on display on the shop floor but are kept behind the counter so there is no access or high visibility to children and young adults. The vapes are kept in a locked cabinet, with disposable products located behind the cashiers so aren’t very visible. They also ensure they don’t stock any child-appealing flavours.
While the team will often get verbal abuse for refusing vape sales, but they will not waiver from the responsible approach, so that it preserves its reputation for being a business that always does the right thing and protect local children from getting hold of these products.
The store is also a recycling point for disposable vapes. They send off the vapes to charity the Green Wings Project which saves them from going to landfill and recycled. They have helped to recycle 200kg of disposable vapes since introducing this service.
All staff undertake training on age-related sales and responsible retailing. This one-to-one training session is based on materials from local licensing authority Epsom & Ewell Borough Council, with every staff member refreshed on it every three months.
They also work closely with Surrey Trading Standards, meeting twice a year, to help improve responsible retailing in the sector, not only for their store but for the benefit of other local retailers.
The store is also part of a ‘Shop Watch’ style scheme, which a private group of shop owners are involved in, working with a security company that Epsom BID has hired. Retailers share pictures and intelligence with each other about people where they have experienced theft issues or anti-social behaviour. We joined this two years ago and the business community shares information through a WhatsApp group. This has helped prevent some incidents happening.
There is on-going investment in sustainability, including a £1k investment in the past year on frequently replacing chiller doors to ensure energy efficiency and reduce carbon footprint. Their temperature monitoring system has cut electricity usage by more than 15% with 100 kilowatts a day, a saving of around £500 per month.
They signed up with food waste reduction scheme ‘Too Good To Go’ three years ago and since joining the scheme, they have saved 2,252 meals from going in the bin and reduced 6.08t of carbon emissions.
The team also remains responsible when it comes to range and pricing. Staff try to be proactive around areas such as high sugar consumption, by replacing sugary treats with healthier snacks in impulse areas by tills etc.
The store supports after-school cookery workshops with a local school which are focused on healthier eating in partnership with local business Grow Cook Enjoy.
During these ongoing tough times, it focuses on volume sales rather than get too hung up on achieving profits on each product which enables them to keep essentials at a low price for customers to help them.
From a community support point of view, the Costcutter Epsom team are involved in numerous ways:
School projects -senior team are very involved in taking on and leading community engagement projects, such as the schools’ cookery project. Last year, manager Amy set-up a £2k sponsorship of weekly after school cookery lessons at a local primary, which sees around 30 children participating. They are increasing this to £3k this year to enable more classes and workshops in the school holidays too.
They also organise work experience sessions for local primary school children, help the local
Scouts with in-store Christmas card recycling etc. The team have also been helping a research and development organisation called NeighbourlyLab with information that helps neighbourhoods understand how to help to connect with each other.
On the charity support front, for the past three years Lucozade Ribena Suntory have donated Ribena
stock to the store which they distribute to community groups and charities, with the team enjoying dropping it off to them. They also help drive fundraising in-store, such as organising displays and a table selling poppies with £1k raised for the poppy appeal every year.
They also support our local food bank with around £1k of stock a year. They will also help support elderly customers with using the free to use cash machine, with them often trusting team members with PIN numbers to help them make withdrawals.
Extending responsible retailing beyond people, the team at Costcutter Epsom also consider our furry customers. “We also feel we have a responsibility to our four-legged friends who come with their owners to the store. We have a dog bowl of water and biscuits at the entrance where customers can tie their dogs up. We allow guide and therapy dogs in the shop.”
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