Tesco managed a rare double this week, providing a full basket to both our in-store and online mystery shoppers.
The excellent availability helped its Chorley store rack up a sensational 94 points. Our shopper’s trip started well with a well-managed car park and attractive plant displays outside the store. Once inside, she was impressed by a special chiller stocked with Tesco Finest lines.
Next up was a very well stocked fruit & vegetable section, with full fixtures to prove the norm throughout the store. All aisles were clutter-free and there were plenty of staff. While our shopper had little need for them, she did spot plenty of instances of them cheerfully helping other customers.
The checkout area was being well-managed and the operator who served our shopper was friendly and “maintained pleasant and interesting chatter”.
This was simply “the best Tesco I have ever shopped in. It had a wow factor.”
Runner-up Morrisons Morecambe trailed our winner by 13 points. Like Tesco there was an excellent car park, this time featuring quirky statues of seagulls on top of the bollards.
Again, availability appeared strong throughout the store. But for an out-of-stock on the Koko dairy-free milk, we would have been looking at another full basket. Staff were difficult to find at times, as our shopper discovered when trying to raise an alert about a milk spillage on the floor. The store would no doubt have scored more had the store not felt excessively cold. It was something noticed by a number of shoppers, including one regular customer, who said she always ensured she had a warm coat when visiting.
Third-placed Waitrose in Ringwood scored 63. Our shopper bagged 30 items with one out-of-stock and two not-stocked items. Our shopper was impressed by the store layout and some of the promotional displays. The aisles, however, were on the narrow side and our shopper did encounter some stocking trolleys that caused obstructions. There were also two wet floor signs and an abandoned cage in the frozen aisle, despite no obvious signs of a spillage.
Our shopper had mixed dealings with staff. One member of the team handled her queries “perfectly”. However, two others were less impressive. One directed her to an item rather than taking her, and another seemed to lack knowledge when asked about the availability of the stuffed peppers.
Availability was a big issue at Asda Bromsgrove, which scored 55 points. There was one not-stocked item but the problem was four out-of-stocks. The store was well laid out and the pizza counter and hot food looked appetising. Staff were difficult to find at times and were not always on hand when our shopper needed them, though they did prove helpful once engaged.
There were not enough manned checkouts open and our shopper had to wait seven minutes for her turn.
Bottom of the pile this week was Sainsbury’s in Newcastle-under-Lyme, with just 45 points. Our shopper’s troubles started early: one of the two entrances to the store was locked with no sign warning customers. The closed entrance was at the side of the store nearest the lift to the shop floor, which meant a long trip for customers, including those with walking difficulties or those with pushchairs.
Once inside, our shopper felt the signage and layout was poor. She had mixed experiences when seeking help from staff, though the checkout operator was “great”.
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