Waitrose won our mystery shop for the second week in a row with its “lovely” Lincoln branch.
Waitrose scored 77 in a victory built on strong availability, all the more impressive on a busy Friday evening shop, as well as great service from staff, many of whom our shopper mentioned by name.
Staff were replenishing shelves in several aisles. However, the store retained a “calm” and “orderly” feel. The “cosy café” and “attractive” John Lewis concession added points of difference to a store where Christmas was in full swing.
However, it was the store’s staff who stole the show, with Karen, Anthony and Quinton all helping our shopper. The team would have scored top marks for service had another team member not been overheard loudly complaining about the behaviour of another shopper.
Out-of-stock Andrex wipes were the only item missing from an otherwise full basket.
Second place was closely run but Tesco’s store in Diss, Norfolk nipped it with 73 points, thanks to a superior experience at checkout.
Christmas was also fully underway, but the barrage of promotions and seasonal displays felt “quite crowded”. However, the rest of the store had a “smart appearance” throughout.
Staff were also very helpful, tracking down several items using their handheld devices. The experience was mirrored at checkout, where an assistant impressed by allowing our shopper time to pack bags.
Two out-of-stocks dragged availability down, but it was a “straightforward” shopping trip overall.
Just a point behind on 72 was Morrisons in Consett, which scored top marks for service. Our shopper enjoyed the layout and wide aisles which meant colleagues were able to replenish without any major obstruction. Counters were “a delight to behold”.
Once again the highlight was the “hardworking” and “pleasant” staff. Every assistant greeted our shopper and was happy to help, even though they appeared very busy. Megan was highlighted in particular for offering to check for items in the back of store.
A minor blemish on what was otherwise great customer service was a “few minutes” wait at checkout. As at Tesco, there were two out-of-stocks: the Lurpak and Colour Catchers.
In another difficult week for Asda, its Farnborough superstore failed to impress, notching up 60 points.
The visit didn’t get off to the best start, as our shopper had to pay for parking in the shared car park.
The atmosphere was more “welcoming” inside, and our shopper noted that lighting appeared to have recently been refitted. Colleagues were “generally helpful”.
It was a frustrating eight-minute wait for a staffed checkout, with just two open despite the store being busy. When our shopper did get served, the cashier was “very nice” but “incredibly slow at scanning”.
Way off the pace was Sainsbury’s Wandsworth store in London with a disappointing 52 points.
The biggest issue was availability, with five out of stock and two not-stocked items.
Store layout was “average” but our shopper was “pleasantly surprised” at how many colleagues were on hand, most of whom were helpful.
While there were plenty of colleagues in the aisles, there were few at checkouts, with just one manned till open.
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