morrison's checkout

It was Aldi’s third guest retailer appearance this G33 year, and it came last. Crowded aisles at the Edgbaston store made it feel “hectic., unmanned restocking trollies added to the chaos and shelves were messy. When reaching for a piece of fruit a box fell on our shopper - luckily she wasn’t hurt. The checkout seemed “illogical, frantic and cramped” with very limited packing space.

Winner Morrisons Riversway boasted an “impressive” fruit & veg section, with an attractive flower shop. It was “well-stocked”, with just one product unavailable this week, and the checkout queue was only two minutes. The assistant was also very helpful. As well as seasonal promotions for Easter and Mothers’ Day, in-store sampling was taking place of Heinz Fajita Beans but when our shopper passed the stall the staff member who was doing the demonstration was chatting to a colleague several feet away.

In the car park at Sainsbury’s Milton Keynes, there were a few stray trollies and some litter was spotted. But in store it was clean and tidy, the layout made it was easy to find products and staff were knowledgeable in the chilled section, and even suggested accompaniments to go with the Gouda cheese. But sometimes they were hard to find and the not-stocked product wasn’t checked for.

The entrance to Tesco Queensway Yeovil was well signposted and with an “excellent” layout. In store it was tidy and attractive. Customers were taking advantage of a bogof on Easter eggs, and there was an aisle with overhead signage to read “Mum in a Million” full of Mothers’ Day gifts and cards. There were plenty of staff around to ask for assistance and service was “good” on the whole. Items were scanned carefully at the checkout.

Trollies were overflowing in the car park at Asda Thurmaston. There were a few gaps on shelves and empty boxes had to be moved to get to the Stella. Staff were helpful and friendly but didn’t always show our shopper to products. Help was offered with packing but a mistake was spotted on the receipt.

Waitrose Brackley was let down by queues in the car park and checkout. Products were well stocked and staff seemed “inexperienced” but were helpful. Scanning was also slow; our shopper had to wait for his alcohol purchase to be approved, which made it more of a lengthy experience.