Retail expert Debra Templar gave the experience of shopping in Griffith a seven out of 10 and could only pinpoint minor improvements, such as better visual merchandising. 

Her glowing report comes in stark contrast to a scathing assessment of Wagga, which she said needed to improve across the board if it was going to stave off competition from retail giants like Myer and Woolworths. 

“Shopping in Griffith is a friendlier experience than Wagga where you’re treated with total indifference,” Ms Templar said.

“At least here at the absolute minimum you will be acknowledged and greeted with a hello, whereas in Wagga the national franchises don’t even care if you’ve walked into their store or not.”

Ms Templar praised Griffith’s mix of multi-national and local stores, but said there was plenty of room for improvement.

“Some stores need to really train in visual merchandising and it’s concerning to see empty shops, they need to be filled soon because the longer they stay empty the worse it is, but the good thing is they’re not clustered together.

“There aren’t many negatives about Griffith shopping, but I can imagine parking along Banna Avenue would be an issue.”

After spending Wednesday shopping along Banna Avenue and in the shopping centres, Ms Templar said La Fleur and Mia Casa took her fancy above the rest.

“Good service is about human interaction, liking people when they walk in, not judging them and finding the right balance between not being pushy and not ignoring anyone,” she said.

Ms Templar warned the new airline route between Griffith and Melbourne could cause “retail leakage” and locals would have to keep striving to improve their service.

My Credit Union’s Jeanette Corbett, who helps co-ordinate Griffith’s Outstanding Customer Service Awards, said local retailers should be proud of the report.

“It is excellent to hear and it is excellent for our town,” Mrs Corbett said.

“It’s nice to get a positive comment from an independent voice, especially when there are so many negative comments from people who live here.”