WORKING as a shop assistant in Millets for almost 50 years has taught Douglas Sprague a thing or two about customer service – and it seems the key to keeping shoppers happy is making them laugh.

Now 68-year-old Mr Sprague, of The Tinings, Chippenham, has been rewarded for his good humour with a £500 gift voucher after beating fellow workers in a nationwide competition organised by the store.

Millets asked customers to comment on the service they received and, despite only working 11 hours a week, Mr Sprague gained the most votes.

Mr Sprague, who started working in the Pontypridd branch in 1965 at the age of 19, said the secret to his success is getting customers to laugh when he serves them.

He said: “It was absolutely magic finding out that I had won. I never expected to be in the running as I work so few hours.”

Mr Sprague was one of the outdoor adventure retailer’s youngest managers in the late 1960s. He transferred to the Dorchester branch and then worked at several different branches along the south coast before settling in Chippenham, where he has worked for almost 40 years.

Since retiring at 65, he has worked 11 hours a week as a supervisor and will celebrate 50 years at the company in May.

He said: “I stayed on after I was meant to retire three years ago and I will keep going until my heath stops me.”

Mr Sprague lives with Sandy, his wife of 39 years, and the couple have two children, Emma and Darren, and four grandchildren Jack, Oliver, Lola and Harrison.

He said the company has changed a great deal in the past 49 years.

“When I first started we were selling gas masks and other items left over from the war. Now Millets specialises more in outdoor clothing but we still sell camping equipment – that has not changed.”