With 89 points, Tesco nailed an easy win this week, with its Southend-on-Sea branch impressing with its high levels of stock, despite the supply issues it – and the whole industry – is experiencing.
There were a few gaps but in our list only the peppermint teabags were unavailable and staff were busy restocking shelves, though some unattended trolleys were causing obstruction to customers.
Our shopper’s attention was also caught by attractive Back to School and Finest BBQ Foods displays and the meat and fish counters looked “attractive”, but the Krispy Kreme cabinet was “scruffy”.
Our shopper said that even though there is another Tesco closer to where she lives, she would consider visiting this store in future.
This week’s guest retailer Lidl came second with 75 points. The Richmond branch was a “lovely new store” with fairly good availability. None of our items were out of stock, but five were not stocked, resulting in a total of 28 purchased items.
The store was clean and tidy but the staff were the highlight of the experience – “fantastic” in terms of knowledge, friendliness, and work ethic.
On the downside, the layout was sometimes tricky to navigate, and some products were illogically placed (the shallots were nowhere near the onions). In addition, some sections were low on stock, such as the toilet roll shelf, the food to go counter and the bakery.
Asda in Glasgow impressed with its “great selection”. Our shopper could not find four items but noted there were alternatives she could have opted for. The fruit & veg section had gaps but was “surprisingly large”. The store was also clean and easy to navigate, and even though there was some work being carried out near the customer service area, it did not pose an obstruction.
Staff were all smartly dressed and wearing face masks. They were friendly and able to help our shopper with her requests.
Waitrose’s Basingstoke store was a “pleasant experience”. The lighting, temperature and sound levels all contributed to a calm and enjoyable atmosphere, and the promotional display by the entrance caught our visitor’s eye, as did the meat, fish and cheese counters.
And though there were some gaps on shelves, products were spaced out so as to combat the empty spaces. She left the store with 28 of her required groceries as the two-litre Irn-Bru bottle was out of stock, and four more items were not stocked.
Sainsbury’s in Bretton, Peterborough, notched-up 58 points. One problem this branch faced on Saturday morning was that the majority of the fridges were out of operation, except for the chicken section. Staff told our visitor they were waiting for an engineer.
There were also some big gaps visible across the store, particularly in the fizzy drinks aisle and the bleach section.
Our shopper was not able to find eight of the items on her list, but she did highlight the friendly service at the store.
The Morrisons Birkenhead store also struggled with availability. Our shopper found that five items were out of stock, while one was not stocked. The store layout was generally easy to follow but she found herself doubling back a few times to find some of her groceries.
On a positive note, staff were helpful and upfront about the lack of stock due to the driver shortage. And when her rice packet got ripped at the till, our shopper was promptly handed another.
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