Asda Horwich, near Bolton



1 Asda has yet to win a Top Store award this year and poor availability and an abundance of packing trolleys in the chilled aisle prevented this store from scooping it again. Despite the efforts of the helpful staff, only 14 of a possible 27 checkouts were open and the queues were long. The Cadbury Dairy Milk was sold out.

We visited on 7 September at 8.40am. Our shop lasted one hour and one minute. Time spent at the checkout was 10 minutes.

morrisons

Maidstone, Kent

2 Our shopper said the staff at this Morrisons store were very helpful and one assistant in particular searched the whole store and stock room for the bread and Wall's sausages, to no avail. The store was tidy and free of packing trolleys and the service from the checkout assistants was swift, despite it being a busy Friday night.

We visited on 7 September at 5.10pm. Our shop lasted one hour and 10 minutes. Time spent at the checkout was five minutes.

sainsbury's Cobham, Surrey



1 Despite the temperature being cool outside, the air conditioning inside this store must have been cranked up as our shopper was genuinely cold. The own label butter was sold out, but the staff were extremely professional and approachable. Some packing trolleys were obstructing the fresh produce aisles.

We visited on 7 September at 10.00am. Our shop lasted 50 minutes. Time spent at the checkout was eight minutes.

somerfield Solihull, West Midlands



3 An abandoned packing trolley greeted our shopper at the entrance of this Somerfield store. The store was poorly stocked and some of the fresh produce looked old. The Cadbury Dairy Milk, fresh whole milk and own label vanilla ice cream were sold out but the staff were helpful. Queues were building as only two of the four tills were open.

We visited on 7 September at 9.40am. Our shop lasted 40 minutes. Time spent at the checkout was four minutes.

tesco Princes Risborough, Buckinghamshire



3 There were a couple of embarrassing scenes at this Tesco. Our shopper noticed a manager snapping at a floor assistant as she tidied some cardboard packaging and, later, another manager indiscreetly reprimanded our shopper's checkout operator in front of the customers. The Penguins, bread and pasta were sold out.

We visited on 7 September at 12.35pm. Our shop lasted 35 minutes. Time spent at the checkout was four minutes.

waitrose Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester



0 This week's winning store was opened less than two months ago and our shopper said it was bright, airy and well-stocked. The aisles were clear, the staff were knowledgeable and it would have had a full basket if it had stocked the required size of pork chops.

We visited on 7 September at 12.54pm. Our shop lasted 53 minutes. Time spent at the checkout was three minutes.

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