Tesco picked up its second store of the week award for the current Grocer 33 year, thanks to a stellar performance at its Newport branch. The store scored an impressive 89 points, helped in no small measure by a full basket of all 33 items.
Availability was strong on our early Saturday morning visit. Our shopper found the store “logical and easy to navigate”, with no obvious blockages to get around.
There was restocking taking place, but the boxes and trolleys were kept well out of the way of shoppers. Staff were also filling up the food-to go-fixture, which was singled out by our shopper for looking impactful.
Staff, including a team member in the bakery aisle, proved very helpful and seemed knowledgeable about where to locate everything our shopper needed.
Finally, the checkout operator took good care of our shopper’s items and was very quick, but slowed down when she saw items building up. “All in all, this was a great shop.”
Waitrose was a close second – continuing its strong performance of late with 78 points for its Harrogate store.
Store standards were generally very good. Our shopper noted it was “clean and tidy around the store and I did not notice any leaks or spillages at all”. Although there were quite a few restocking trolleys around the store, and one did block our shopper while she was trying to get to the pork, a member of staff quickly moved it.
As with this encounter, staff were all friendly and happy to help, taking our shopper to the product she needed or looking up its availability.
This, in fact, was the only issue at the store: our shopper noticed a few gaps and was only able to pick up 28 items. There were two out-of-stocks and three not-stocked items.
Sainsbury’s in Dungannon was praised as a “very good store”, amassing 73 points. Our shopper did sometimes struggle to find staff, but when she did locate them, they proved friendly and helpful. The “very chatty” checkout operator was a positive. Our shopper also liked the attractive displays for the special offers. She left with 30 items due to two out-of-stocks and one not-stocked item.
Asda has been languishing at the bottom of the table in recent weeks, but it took fourth spot this time thanks to its Stafford store, which scored 65 points.
On arrival, our shopper found the car park busy, though it was still easy to find a space. The trolley park was well-stocked and tidy.
When entering the store, however, two members of staff were chatting at the entrance, forcing customers to walk around them.
Our shopper managed to collect 31 items, with just two out-of-stocks, though there were lots of gaps across the shelves.
There were also numerous restocking trolleys in the aisles, some of which caused obstructions. However, the amount of restocking and picking for online orders meant it was always easy to find a staff member to assist. On all four occasions our shopper needed staff, they were friendly and helpful, which left the impression of a positive trip overall.
Last place this week went to Morrisons in Norwich, with 58 points. There was a lot of restocking activity taking place and in some cases, trolleys were left unattended. Our shopper also found the store was congested in certain areas, giving the impression of a disorganised branch.
However, availability was strong, with just one out-of-stock and three not-stocked items, and staff were all helpful.
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