From Tenerife to Bora Bora: my day with Barrhead at the height of peaks

The doors aren’t open to the public yet, but there’s a sense of readiness and anticipation to book customers their dream holidays, having been told about some appointments already in the diary within moments of introducing myself to my new teammates – for the day.

After a rousing speech to his team, encouraging them to just “be yourselves”, the store’s much-loved manager Fraser Hopkins is telling me as he opens the doors to the day’s potential holidaymakers “there’s nothing we can’t do”, when asked what may be out of bounds for the expert team when it comes to holiday options. 

He’s about to explain to me about some of the promotions adorning the team’s desks – Canada, anyone? – when he spots a potential customer transfixed by the digital offers screen outside the store. Within seconds, after politely cutting me off, Hopkins is there, brochure and voucher in hand.

“It’s getting our name out there,” he says of the urgency and the need to show a warm welcome. “A big store can be quite intimidating, that’s why you’ve got to be at the front speaking to people, encouraging them to see what we have to offer.”

At this point, we’re at least three bookings in, including one to Turkey. The country is proving popular, says Chelsea Thomson, the branch’s Sandals expert, but there are other destinations in demand. “We’re seeing a lot for the Caribbean, and Dubai is one of our top destinations, week-on-week,” she adds, before telling me that her biggest booking of the month so far included a trip to Bora Bora.

Thomson, who proudly adorns the eye-catching Sandals badge on her smart attire, brims with enthusiasm for the brand, explaining “it’s just my type of holiday”. 

Meanwhile, travel consultant Samantha Scott, who has eight years’ experience in the industry but joined Barrhead last September, smiles as she recalls the Tenerife holiday that “ticked all the boxes” for one of her regular family clients, after meticulously going through all the options to ensure that all-important feature (beyond a lovely hotel and sunshine settings) – a waterslide. 

Buzzing atmosphere

Lunchtime comes, and the store is swelling with customers. We’re joined by Barrhead’s president Jacqueline Dobson, who I’m informed does have a day target given her previous experience – she started her career as a Barrhead travel consultant 21 years ago. “I’m optimistic for the year; there’s lots of demand. Cruise is definitely big news,” she says. 

On cue, travel consultant Barbara Wallace shares the eye-watering details of the half-world cruise she booked earlier in the month for a couple who walked in just looking for a brochure, but were soon convinced to book the whole holiday with her. “It was for an 80th birthday, and they’re going for 58 days,” she explains.

I jokingly ask Wallace if she gets jealous booking these breaks for customers. She shakes her head. “You just want people to enjoy the holiday we’ve given them.”