Who we visited

BudgeNs, Sycamore Road, Amersham, Bucks

Esso on the run, A3, Coombe Lane, Surrey

sainsbury's at jacksons, Bawtry Road, Rotherham, Yorkshire

Spar, Manor Road, Hinchley Wood, Surrey

tesco EXpress, The Broadway, Tolworth, Surrey



How they performed

Availability was improved this week as three of our five shoppers were able to find all the items they needed. However, only one of the shoppers reported that they had a particularly warm welcome at their top-up store.

The Sainsbury's at Jacksons on Bawtry Road in Rotherham had a lower price than the other stores on almost all the items in our shopping basket. Our shopper said she had an outstanding shopping experience there: she said the store was clean, easy to shop in and staffed by very helpful workers.

Budgens on Sycamore Road in Amersham, Bucks, did not stock Tetley tea bags in 250g size but did offer a 500g pack for a very competitive price of £1.60. Budgens also had a '2 for £1.40' offer on Hovis Classic White bread, regularly £0.88.

Our shopper was able to find everything he wanted at the Esso On The Run store on the A3 highway in Surrey. The store was clean and easy to navigate, but its prices were generally higher than the other stores in this week's survey. Our shopper said they were reasonably polite but lacked the extra touch. No one greeted her or said goodbye.

The Spar on Manor Road in Hinchley Wood, Surrey, had polite and friendly staff who helped our shopper pack her bags, without her even asking. However, the shop was sold out of Tetley's tea bags in all sizes. It also did not stock multipacks of Stella Artois.

The Tesco in Tolworth, Surrey, was clean and tidy when our shopper visited. She found everything on her list, but said stocks were running low and noted that the staff were not friendly and didn't help pack her bags.

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