Waitrose Ponteland stood out in a week of low store standards, as “one of the cleanest and tidiest supermarkets” our shopper had ever visited.
The branch scored 77 points thanks to its “nice atmosphere”. Despite a lot of restocking and discounting taking place, staff were careful not to cause an obstruction. They were friendly, worked quickly and were mindful of customers.
There was a short queue at the checkout but all the tills were open and queues were well managed. The checkout assistant was friendly and did not rush our shopper.
On the availability side, one item was out of stock, and three were not stocked.
Second place went to Morrisons, which scored 69 points for an overall “pleasant shop”. The Burntwood store was “very tidy and gave a good impression”.
Staff were very helpful, taking our shopper to products and checking for stock. They were “polite and helpful with clearly displayed name badges”.
The store was spacious and “reasonably well laid out”, but some of the signage was inaccurate. Although there were several counters, the deli, fish and butcher counters had been cleared for the evening.
Our shopper also noted a leaking freezer with a wet floor sign and a puddle of water.
Availability was great: just two items were out of stock.
Tesco Lincoln was up next with 53 points. The store had “a slightly dated feel”. There was a big leak in the fruit & veg section, and despite a sign and mat, the spill was being spread by customers’ trolleys.
There were nicely presented and well-stocked Valentine’s Day and Easter displays, but a large number of unmanned stocking trolleys: at least 12.
The store was fairly easy to navigate, with a small but well-presented deli section, but the bakery aisle was narrow.
Although staff were sometimes difficult to locate, once found, they were all polite, friendly and willing to help. Checkout service was good too, though our shopper had to wait a few minutes.
Availability was very poor, with four items out of stock and four not stocked.
Asda Sheffield came fourth with 47 points. The small store was fairly low in stock – particularly in food to go, fruit & veg and the flower stand.
Our shopper noticed a tray of “very sorry-looking brussels sprout bags”, some of which had burst and spilled.
There were some nice displays of seasonal goods, but these were difficult to browse due to the amount of restocking taking place. In some areas, restocking trolleys were blocking aisles and there were lots of unattended boxes on the floor.
On the plus side, staff were easy to find and working hard.
Two items were out of stock, with 13 not stocked.
Sainsbury’s Fulham Broadway came in last place with just 34 points.
The store had lots of bare shelves and stock was not being replenished. There were also some cereal bars on the floor with a sign next to them.
There were also limited food to go options as several shelves were empty. The layout was good, however, as was signage.
The store scored very poorly on service. The tills available were self-service and one staff member was manning 10 of them. This delayed our shopper when getting authorisation for the alcohol purchase and when an error occurred on the till.
Availability was poor, with six items out of stock and six not stocked by the store.
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