None of the stores visited this week were able to provide a full basket, but Asda was the only one with no out-of-stocks and it impressed on a number of other levels as well. The Taunton store was well stocked with no obvious gaps, and although it didn't stock the Toblerone, the assistants were helpful, showing our shopper to the chorizo and Innocent smoothie.
Tesco in Amersham was out of lemons, but our shopper was pleased the assistant apologised when asked about them. The checkout assistant greeted our shopper, and politely waited until all items were on the conveyor belt before starting to scan them.
The Morrisons store in Denton, built on the site of a converted towel factory, was "immaculate". Our shopper was disappointed when he asked a manager for help in finding the chorizo and didn't get a response instead it was left to an assistant called Umar to jump in to help.
Immaculate is not how our shopper described Sainsbury's in Haywards Heath. The egg display was covered in broken eggs and messy, and in other areas there were noticeable gaps on shelves.
Waitrose in Bath did not stock the Hardys Stamp Semillon Chardonnay or the Kingsmill loaf. However, a knowledgeable assistant offered alternatives in the wine aisle, which compensated for the disappointment.
Winner: Derek Hope, deputy store manager, Asda, Taunton
Which products are selling particularly well at the moment? The whole George department is doing very well, ladieswear especially. It is up 20% to 25% at the moment because we are constantly getting new ranges in and the price points seem to be appealing to our customers. We've seen a big increase in sales because it is a better product than it used to be.
How much independence do you get from head office? We are very corporately driven with what we need to do on promotions, but there is some flexibility. We have some discretionary selling space, so for Mothers Day we have got a few ends with PoS selling higher-value gifts such as perfume and gift packs, as well as the seasonal aisle.
Do you offer online shopping? We launched home shopping late last year and already we are taking £40,000 to £45,000 a week. It has been very popular we started with three vans, now we are at five, and we really need to get more. Introducing home shopping has helped us improve availability because the pickers come in at 6am, so it has forced us to have products on sale earlier.
How do you compete with other supermarkets in the area? We have a Sainsbury's less than a mile down the road, a Tesco and a Morrisons. But our colleagues set us apart they are warm and friendly and they are our biggest asset. We make a big fuss of that and hold regular celebration lunches. We also keep everyone from the store manager to the cleaner informed with daily huddles.
If you could change one thing about the store, what would it be? The store is 27 years old and in places it is starting to look its age. The location is nearly perfect, the colleagues are perfect, but it would be nice to have a brand new store.
What new products have been recently introduced? Last weekend we launched our summer frozen range. It takes a lot of planning. Head office arranges for the products to be delivered, and we change it all overnight. We've got some lovely new ice creams and desserts, and a few burgers, although the main barbecue ranges will build up over the next few months.
Tesco in Amersham was out of lemons, but our shopper was pleased the assistant apologised when asked about them. The checkout assistant greeted our shopper, and politely waited until all items were on the conveyor belt before starting to scan them.
The Morrisons store in Denton, built on the site of a converted towel factory, was "immaculate". Our shopper was disappointed when he asked a manager for help in finding the chorizo and didn't get a response instead it was left to an assistant called Umar to jump in to help.
Immaculate is not how our shopper described Sainsbury's in Haywards Heath. The egg display was covered in broken eggs and messy, and in other areas there were noticeable gaps on shelves.
Waitrose in Bath did not stock the Hardys Stamp Semillon Chardonnay or the Kingsmill loaf. However, a knowledgeable assistant offered alternatives in the wine aisle, which compensated for the disappointment.
Winner: Derek Hope, deputy store manager, Asda, Taunton
Which products are selling particularly well at the moment? The whole George department is doing very well, ladieswear especially. It is up 20% to 25% at the moment because we are constantly getting new ranges in and the price points seem to be appealing to our customers. We've seen a big increase in sales because it is a better product than it used to be.
How much independence do you get from head office? We are very corporately driven with what we need to do on promotions, but there is some flexibility. We have some discretionary selling space, so for Mothers Day we have got a few ends with PoS selling higher-value gifts such as perfume and gift packs, as well as the seasonal aisle.
Do you offer online shopping? We launched home shopping late last year and already we are taking £40,000 to £45,000 a week. It has been very popular we started with three vans, now we are at five, and we really need to get more. Introducing home shopping has helped us improve availability because the pickers come in at 6am, so it has forced us to have products on sale earlier.
How do you compete with other supermarkets in the area? We have a Sainsbury's less than a mile down the road, a Tesco and a Morrisons. But our colleagues set us apart they are warm and friendly and they are our biggest asset. We make a big fuss of that and hold regular celebration lunches. We also keep everyone from the store manager to the cleaner informed with daily huddles.
If you could change one thing about the store, what would it be? The store is 27 years old and in places it is starting to look its age. The location is nearly perfect, the colleagues are perfect, but it would be nice to have a brand new store.
What new products have been recently introduced? Last weekend we launched our summer frozen range. It takes a lot of planning. Head office arranges for the products to be delivered, and we change it all overnight. We've got some lovely new ice creams and desserts, and a few burgers, although the main barbecue ranges will build up over the next few months.
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