Waitrose Allington Park claimed this week’s win, but with 69 points in a low-scoring week.
The store was clean and inviting, however our shopper didn’t feel it was intuitively laid out.
Full marks were given to the store’s car park, which was well managed, easy to access and had no queues on arrival.
In store, staff were easy to find and one customer service agent was “super helpful” when a shopping trolley was needed.
On the downside, the checkout service was slow and our shopper had to wait six to seven minutes. The assistant didn’t greet our shopper or offer to help pack their bags.
On the whole, product availability was good with two items out of stock – the blackberries and Dairylea Lunchables.
Of the competition, Sainsbury’s Ringwood came in second place with 59 points.
The store didn’t have its own car park but was serviced by a pay and display as part of the shopping precinct. This could have been better signposted, our shopper felt.
The store was quiet and quite easy to navigate, although the aisles were a narrow. It was also untidy in places, particularly the fruit & veg section which had a messy floor.
There were no standard checkouts open, but our shopper did not have to queue for the self-checkouts and there were staff available to help.
On the upside, the aisle-end offer displays were all well stocked and appealing.
Third place went to Tesco Telford with 54 points.
There were lots of seasonal displays in the entrance to the store and first aisle, including for Father’s Day and barbecues.
Inside there were restocking trolleys left blocking the aisles, cardboard boxes blocking a fire exit and cans on the floor in the beer aisle, our shopper noted.
Only two checkouts were open. Our shopper let another customer with only a few items go ahead of her, but there was still a six to seven minute wait.
Once our shopper was with a checkout assistant, service was good and the assistant was friendly and helpful too.
Staff on the shop floor were easy to find, and in each case assistants were friendly and polite, but did not check the stock room for items when our shopper asked.
Availability was good, with only the Dairylea Lunchables and Hovis loaf out of stock.
Next up was Morrisons in Camden, London.
Our shopper felt rushed due to a 45-minute limit in the car park. There was also an issue with the parking confirmation system, so our shopper was delayed leaving.
Our shopper only found one staff member on the shop floor but he was “extremely helpful” in sourcing products and advising on stock.
The store also had poor availability with three items out of stock: the baby potatoes, Cadbury Flake ice creams and chicken slices.
A total of six lines were not stocked in Morrisons Camden, including the Stork spread, Heinz soup and the correct size pack of meatballs.
In last place was Asda Swindon with 44 points.
The fruit & veg section stood out for the wrong reasons and was “very poor”, with lots of empty shelves and big gaps.
The store was generally well stocked otherwise, but three items were out of stock.
It was difficult to find a member of staff on the shop floor, and when found our shopper felt staff were “unhelpful”.
Queues on the checkouts were up to six to seven minutes and were poorly managed.
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