Tesco bagged its second store of the week award on the trot thanks to strong service and availability as its Aldershot store.
The branch notched up an impressive 84 points, as our shopper enjoyed her experience from almost start to finish.
The car park was spacious and well laid out, with a useful one-way system and sheltered walkway to the store. The promotional displays outside the front of the store were seasonal, attractive and relevant, including a “well-stocked and enticing” flower display. Once inside, our shopper was “very impressed with the standards throughout the shop”.
Availability was strong in all areas and the out-of-stock Veetee rice pot was the only item to scupper a full basket.
Staff were considerate of where they put restocking trolleys, giving the impression “they weren’t really there, which was fantastic”.
There was some mixed feedback in other areas. Two of the three staff members our shopper asked for assistance went out of their way to help, but the other was a little blunt. And at the checkout, the operator didn’t say hello or try and make conversation – instead striking up a chat with the shopper in the queue behind.
Morrisons Dundee came a strong second with a score of 73. Availability on our basket was good – it had just one out of stock and one not-stocked item – but there were some general gaps on this Friday evening.
The store was generally clean. However, our shopper spotted a number of spillages marked by warning signs, with no sign of any clean-ups in progress.
More positively, the staff “were excellent”. Our shopper had to ask for help many times and always found someone who was willing to assist.
In the middle of the pack this week was Waitrose Twickenham on 53 points.
Availability was a concern throughout the store. Our shopper took 28 items home due to three out of stocks and two not-stocked items.
She also found the store difficult to navigate, which was not helped by a number of abandoned restocking trolleys.
Staff were excellent in the main, including one team member who went off to find an item and brought it to our shopper as she continued shopping.
However, she felt “fobbed off” by another member of staff.
Sainsbury’s High Wycombe came in with a low score of 32 points, but still managed to avoid last place.
Availability was a key issue: it had six out of stocks, the most of any store this week. There were a lot of gaps on shelves but the fruit & veg section was particularly low on stock.
Store standards were an issue. Our shopper spotted a dirty floor and a water spillage that was not being attended to, without any warning sign.
What’s more, staff “were hard to find, and not overly keen to engage”. There was also a long wait to pay as just one staffed checkout was open in this 70,000 sq ft store.
This week’s wooden spoon went to Asda in Spennymoor, Durham with a paltry 25 points. Our shopper identified concerns from the off including “an excess of rubbish in the car park” and a “rundown and neglected” entrance.
Again, availability was a major issue. Five items on our list were out of stock and four not stocked. Plus, the abundance of unattended restocking trolleys left around the store made navigation tricky.
Our shopper said “staff seemed rushed, uninterested and unwilling to help”.
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