This week’s Grocer 33 winner was Waitrose Walton-le-Dale, Preston, with 70 points. The store was generally well stocked, particularly the fruit & veg aisle, and the fresh food counters were well presented. Two of our items were out of stock, and only one was not stocked.
One of the highlights for our shopper was the seasonal displays of Italian food and summer drinks, such as Aperol and rosé, at the entrance. Staff were plentiful and all sections of the store were well manned. All store colleagues were polite and helpful, and they always took our shopper to the product she was looking for.
However, our visitor still pointed out Waitrose’s higher prices put it at a disadvantage compared with rivals.
Next up was Tesco’s Jarrow branch. Our shopper described it as a fairly easy and quick shop due to the store’s smaller size. Shop floor service also received a strong score, as staff were “very helpful” and always made sure to check for extra stock in the stockroom.
There were no out of stock items, but five were not stocked. Our shopper noted the fruit & veg aisle was “awfully disappointing” as there seemed to be little choice and lots of gaps. In terms of counters, this branch only offered a bakery, but it appeared to “cover the necessities” of the local community.
Finally, our visitor had to wait around 10 minutes in the checkout queue as the customer in front was having issues with her Clubcard. All in all, she gave Jarrow 64 points.
Sainsbury’s Chard store came third despite scoring poorly on availability. Our shopper was only able to buy 16 items out of the 33 on the shopping list, as three were out of stock and 14 were not stocked. She did point out the store stocked “a decent amount” of products and she would have been able to find alternatives if it weren’t a Grocer 33 shop.
There was an eye-catching Jubilee-themed display upon entrance, with seasonal produce like strawberries and asparagus on promotion. Store colleagues were attentive and took her to the right aisles when approached for help.
However, average scores for store standards, layout and availability affected the full score, which sat at 57 points.
Asda’s Telford store followed with 47 points. This branch gave a good first impression, as the fruit & veg aisle looked well stocked and presented. However, store standards “dropped dramatically” as the shop progressed – our shopper described dirty floors, lots of empty boxes on unmanned trolleys, and plenty of shelf gaps.
Staff were plentiful, well groomed and helpful, but there was no one assigned to checkout management so queues were slightly chaotic.
Availability was also fine, with two items out of stock and one not stocked. But overall, the shopper said she did not have a great experience as the store was “cluttered and grubby”.
Bottom-placed Morrisons failed to impress our shopper for different reasons. Its Wimbledon branch lost marks on availability – nine of the items were not stocked while one was out of stock – though there were alternatives available for most of those items.
The store did, however, have some “very good deals” and the fresh food counters were also a highlight of the visit.
The staff let down the shopping experience. While there were many store colleagues available, they were not engaging and were often unhelpful.
Overall, Morrisons scored just 44 points.
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