Williams Lake’s Canadian Tire was the winner in the Breakaway Challenge contest — a nationwide Canadian Tire customer service and sales competition.
The contest is divided into different categories based on store size. The Williams Lake store was declared first in a category that included 150 stores.
Brian Stefan, the local Canadian tire dealer, celebrated the win at the store Wednesday morning with his employees, Canadian Tire head-office representatives who came all of the way from Toronto, Mayor Kerry Cook, and others.
Stefan attributes the win to the hard-working staff.
“They’ve really embraced the changes we made to our customer-service model, and they went out of their way to satisfy the customers to the best of their ability everyday,” Stefan says.
The local store was rewarded with numerous perks as a result of winning the challenge, including a trophy, $11,000 from Canadian Tire that is divided among the local store’s staff, and the grand prize — a $7,500 travel voucher for one staff member, whose name was pulled from a draw.
At the celebration event, Cook pulled that staff member’s name, declaring sports retail worker Taylor Betsill as the lucky voucher winner.
Not only will Betsill get to choose where she wants to go using the $7,500 travel voucher, but she also receives $1,000 in spending money.
Stefan adds that because Canadian Tire provided Betsill with the travel voucher, the amount is a taxable benefit. As a result, any taxes on the benefit will also be paid for by Canadian Tire.
“That kind of bumps it up to 10 grand,” he says. “Canadian Tire … they want to make it right all of the way through, so that’s why they’re going to pay the taxes as well.”
And the prizes for the local store don’t end there.
It also has the use of a classic Chevrolet pickup for an entire year.
“It is a really cool truck,” Stefan says. “That is another perk of coming in first.”
Determining the winner was done by looking at the store’s sales and at comments left from customers on the store’s till tape.
Stefan is quick to note how proud he is of the staff.
“I know that they work so hard, and it’s great to see Canadian Tire and our customers appreciating our efforts on a daily basis,” he says.