Sainsbury’s put an end to Waitrose’s winning streak this week with its “immaculate” store in Helston, Cornwall. The runaway winner earned 77 points, after wooing our mystery shopper with its “interesting” displays and friendly staff.
Our shopper was immediately impressed by the cleanliness and layout of the car park. Those standards continued inside the store, where shoppers were greeted by displays promoting back to school wear and half-price ketchup.
Although our shopper noticed some gaps on shelves, there was still “plenty of choice”. Store teams were diligently restocking throughout, and did so in a way that allowed customers to move around the “wide” and “well organised” aisles without much difficulty.
The restocking also meant there were plenty of colleagues on hand to help our shopper locate hard-to-find items. The staff checked availability on all bar one product.
The all-round “pleasant” shopping experience was topped off by an easy checkout. Four manned tills were available, which meant our shopper only waited a short time, despite the “very busy” environment.
Runner-up Asda scored 63. The biggest problem at the Isle of Dogs store was a 17-minute wait at the checkout.
Elsewhere, feedback was mixed. The wide aisles meant the shop “didn’t feel crowded” – but the click & collect area was “messy” and our shopper had to “squeeze past” the food to go section, which was opposite the checkouts.
For such a large store, our shopper was surprised not to find more staff. Those available were helpful, however.
In third place with 61 points was Waitrose Basingstoke. Our shopper initially had difficulty locating the store entrance and it was unclear whether the car park had a one-way system.
When they entered the shop, they found “no rhyme or reason” to the layout of the aisles. Bulgur wheat was one example. Having assumed it would be in the rice and pasta aisle, our shopper eventually found it on a gondola end. There were also some gaps on shelf.
The counters, however, looked “lovely”. The helpful, polite and friendly store partners were another highlight of the visit, with “all but one” being “excellent”.
Tesco in Wrexham scored 59 points. Many of the aisles did not have ceiling signs indicating their contents, which our shopper found “most annoying”.
This was not aided by a mixed experience with store staff, many of whom appeared to be picking for online orders. Two seemed unwilling to help our shopper locate items on the shelves, simply pointing them to where they should be. A third, however, helped our shopper find what they needed.
The “pleasant” checkout assistant redeemed our shopper’s experience, even offering to put bread in a separate bag. Availability was also good, with sweet potatoes the only out-of-stock. Overall, though, it was “not a pleasant experience”.
Well behind the pack was Morrisons in Nelson, with just 42 points. Our shopper noted its performance was likely affected by it being close to opening time on Sunday, meaning lots of crates were scattered around the store while staff replenished. Availability was an issue, with three out-of-stocks and five not-stocked items.
The “chaotic” feel took the shine off of what was an otherwise “vibrant” and well-lit store. Our shopper noted it felt understaffed, though the staff members on hand were helpful.
No comments yet