Waitrose has secured a hat-trick of mystery shop wins thanks to the latest victory of its Newport, Shropshire branch.
Availability proved decisive in its winning score of 83: our shopper was able to pick up a full basket of all 33 items on our early Saturday morning visit.
Our shopper did spot a fair bit of restocking going on, but staff were generally careful not to get in the way of customers.
That was just as well, considering some of the aisles were a little tight. That became an issue on one occasion, when our shopper reversed her trolley into an Advent calendar display that had been set up in the middle of one aisle and “sent a dozen crashing to the floor”.
However, she was impressed by the number of attractive displays dotted around the store, including in the fresh and alcohol fixtures.
A member of staff was available in almost every aisle, making it easy for our shopper to find assistance. What’s more, they were all friendly and happy to help. In one instance, a team member radioed the storeroom, which resulted in another partner arriving with the missing Mini Cheddars. The whole trip was topped off nicely with a very positive checkout experience.
Asda’s Pudsey store would have taken the win but for two out-of-stocks, which pushed down its availability score. It actually outperformed Waitrose in store standards and shopfloor service. Our shopper felt “standards were generally excellent as you walked around the store, with lots of exciting Seasonal promotional activity, literally everywhere you looked”.
The store was clean and tidy, and staff were careful not to cause any obstruction. The only issue with getting around the store was the sheer volume of customers – an observation that will no doubt cheer the wider Asda business, which has been struggling to drive sales.
All staff were well presented and proved helpful, and one team member called Jayne was singled out for being “a shining star”. Jayne successfully found one item even though she had not previously heard of it, and asked if there was anything else our shopper needed.
Morrisons’ South Gyle store in Edinburgh was another strong performer with 76 points.
Like Asda, the store was incredibly busy. Availability was strong in general: the store was just one out-of-stock short of securing the second full basket of the week.
There was one obvious spillage in the milk fixture but, once reported to staff, it was quickly cleaned up. Our shopper’s biggest issue was a long wait at the butcher counter, as there were not enough staff on duty.
When called upon, however, staff were well presented, pleasant and helpful.
None of this week’s stores were poor, but there was a drop-off to fourth and fifth place. Sainsbury’s in Dulwich managed 63 points, scoring just four out of 20 for availability due to four out-of-stock items.
Otherwise, our shopper felt the store was clean, tidy and spacious. He had no trouble finding staff and they all proved happy to help. However, proving you can’t please everyone all the time, our shopper was disappointed by the lack of Christmas tunes – in contrast with our Waitrose shopper, who was delighted by the prospect.
Last place went to Tesco Ruthin on 56. There was some obstruction caused by restocking trolleys, but staff were generally helpful.
The small store size meant six items were not stocked and one was out of stock.
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