Who we visited



costcutter Eastbourne, East Sussex

londis Coten End, Warwick

one stop Highbridge, Somerset

premier Kirkintilloch, East Dunbartonshire

tesco express Kenton, Newcastle upon Tyne



How they performed



There were several gaps on the shelves of the Costcutter on Cornfield Terrace in Eastbourne and the Tetley tea bags and milk were both out of stock. Only smoked bacon, not the required unsmoked, was available. While presentation was only basic, the store was clean and tidy and the staff - especially the new sales assistant who greeted our shopper - were very polite and helpful.

The checkout assistant at the Londis store in the Coten End area of Warwick served our shopper while speaking on the telephone. She was absent-minded throughout the transaction and our shopper was forced to ask her twice for a receipt.

The One Stop on Market Street in the Somerset town of Highbridge was found to be bright, airy and welcoming. The floor was clean but our shopper struggled to push her pram along one aisle as it was lined with boxes of beer. The shelves were free of gaps and the staff were cheerful and well mannered. The Heinz baked beans were on offer at three tins for £1.

Customer service at the Premier store in Kirkintilloch, East Dunbartonshire, was excellent. Staff were happy and working hard and the checkout operator packed our shopper's bags for him without being asked. There were a number of promotions on various items across the store, including Weetabix at a reduced price of £1.09.

Many items were also on special offer at the Tesco Express forecourt store on Kenton Lane in the Newcastle suburb of Kenton. Our shopper found reductions and bogofs up and down every spacious aisle of the store. Checkout staff were coping well with the queue, which mainly consisted of people paying for fuel.

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