In a high-scoring Friday early evening shop, Asda Cheltenham came first with great store standards and availability, notching up a score of 86.
Our shopper praised the “friendly, polite and helpful” service and “easy to shop” store.
Just one item on our list was out of stock, meaning Asda came first on availability this week. But service was good too: staff checked handheld devices to inform our shopper when the item would be back in stock. And there were plenty of checkouts open for the number of customers, while the till operator was described as “friendly and polite”.
Our shopper also noted the car park was “reasonably sized” with plenty of spaces.
Sainsbury’s Salisbury was next, with 76 points. Although checkout service and availability were good, the store lost marks on store standards and service.
The checkout process was “efficient and friendly” with a “minimal wait”. However, our shopper had to go to several aisles to find staff members. Once located, staff were “helpful on the whole” but some struggled to locate products.
Our shopper did not notice any displays upon entrance to the store: “It was tidy and clean, but not particularly inspiring.”
Despite Asda’s overall win, it was third-placed Waitrose that scored highest on service. The Buxton store scored 74 points in all, with full marks scored for shop floor service.
“The staff were all neatly presented and working hard,” said our mystery shopper. Staff assisted our shopper by checking for stock in the store room. They were “really helpful”.
Our shopper was also pleased with the checkout service: “The operator was polite and friendly and scanned my shopping very carefully, and not too fast, which was a nice change.”
The store was let down by a low availability score, with one item out of stock and three not stocked. The store layout was also wanting.
Fourth-placed Morrisons Bridlington did decently on service but poorly on availability. The store scored 63 points overall.
The shop started well, with seasonal displays of chocolate and a “good display of flowers”.
There were only a few staff on the shop floor, but staff were helpful. A staff member took our shopper to product locations and advised on availability. Other staff members advised our shopper on deliveries which were due.
The receipt had three errors, however, and there were three items out of stock, which lost the store marks.
Last place went to Tesco. The Swansea store scored 61 points, doing poorly on availability with three items out of stock and two not stocked.
There were also “lots of empty spaces on a lot of the shelves” particularly in the fruit & veg section. This section was at least “very tidy”, but the same could not be said for the beef and fish sections.
Additionally, there were “lots of empty boxes and items strewn around the shelves”.
It was difficult to find members of staff, but when found they were “extremely helpful”.
There were plenty of staff managing the tills.
However our shopper was “a little concerned with the way the shopping was being handled”. One item “crashed into the bagging area” and our shopper was glad she had not bought eggs.
Three items were out of stock and two items were not stocked, leading to a basket of just 28 items.
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