Large Tesco store in Chesterfield offers our shopper ‘everything you need’

Tesco picked up its second win in a row with its Chesterfield store, which beat Sainsbury’s to victory by just one point.

Two out-of-stock items hit the store’s availability, but a consistently good performance in every other area took its score to an impressive 80 points.

Our shopper was especially pleased with the “excellent” staff, who were all working hard but “trying not to impede customers while doing so”.

The sheer size of the store and the variety on offer meant shoppers “could buy everything they need here”, she noted – from getting a haircut and booking a holiday to buying a new outfit “and recovering with a Costa Coffee all in one trip”.

Overall, it was a “really excellent store, well located and pleasant to shop in”. However, she did note a small decline in standards – mainly the tidiness of the shelves – since her last visit a few years ago.

Nudged into second place by a solitary point was Sainsbury’s in Glasgow. It scooped a creditable score of 79, helped by an excellent showing on availability: just one item was not stocked.

The store also scored a perfect 20 on store standards, aided by a “really bright” and spacious entrance. Our shopper also enjoyed the displays, which “made me feel spring was here”.

Meanwhile, the fruit & veg section was well stocked and there was generally “a good variety available” in the “clean and tidy” aisles.

Despite a packed car park, the store never felt too busy. Our shopper “would definitely shop here again”.

Third place this week went to Waitrose in Sandbach with a score of 71. It performed best on store standards in the wake of a recent renovation, which took it from “a bit scruffy” to “clean, smart” and worthy of the Waitrose name.

Our shopper was impressed by the café, the “accessible” click & collect desk and, of course, the free coffee machine. The store was also “well ordered and organised” with wide, clear aisles.

Unfortunately, shop floor service was “the one thing that let Waitrose down”. Our shopper simply “couldn’t find any shop floor staff”, describing them as “almost non-existent”. The store had two out-of-stock items.

Morrisons in Manchester took fourth place this week with a score of 68, not helped by two out-of-stocks and three not-stocked items. This was partly due to the store’s relatively small size.

Elsewhere, the store performed far better. Morrisons picked up a perfect 10 for store layout, and our shopper found it “fairly easy to locate the items I was looking for”.

Staff were also “mostly helpful” when she made enquiries, with one “helpfully checking the warehouse” for garlic flatbreads.

The lack of manned tills hampered its checkout score. However, our shopper was very pleased with the “very friendly” cashier who chatted with her about football, leaving her “feeling valued as a customer”.

Asda in Wrexham came last this week with 66. This was another store hamstrung by availability: it had four out-of-stocks and one item not stocked. Our shopper remarked on the “nice display of seasonal plants” outside the main entrance, though this was offset by the nearby screen not working properly.

Staff were all “happy to help” but our shopper was disappointed by the “very generic” receipt she received, which “doesn’t give you a detailed product description”.