The key takeaway from our special Christmas dinner-themed Grocer 33 was that availability was solid across the board. None of the stores we visited had more than two out-of-stocks, suggesting the main supermarkets are on track to meet customer needs this year.
Tesco’s Extra in Toxteth, Liverpool, took the win with 83 points, aided by near-perfect stock availability. To be fair, some areas, such as fruit & veg, had noticeable gaps, and customer service was slightly hit and miss. Our mystery shopper also had difficulties getting the pound coin out of the trolley and was unimpressed by a member of staff she asked for help with it.
But the store was “very clean” and easy to navigate, and our shopper highlighted the “well presented” end-of-aisle Christmas displays, noting the varied offering in the decent-sized clothing section and the large homeware area, which featured lots of toys and stationery.
Waitrose’s “impressive” Hexham store scored 79 points. Our visitor loved the “delightful” in-store Christmas displays and “absolutely beautiful” seasonal wreaths display at the store entrance.
She was also impressed by the level of customer service, saying all staff were friendly, knowledgeable and well presented. They were able to check for stock efficiently through their headset system.
One crucial Christmas dinner element was missing from our shopper’s basket though – the frozen turkey, all sold out by Sunday morning. It was one of two out-of-stocks, with one not-stocked item too.
Morrisons in Woking came third with 64 points. Our shopper pointed to the food counters as being the highlight of the store. They were all well stocked and offered a good selection of items. All in all, she managed to buy almost all items except for the Advent calendar and scented candle.
However, the fruit & veg section was limited and disorganised. One staff member also gave her wrong information about an item that she eventually spotted herself when walking around the produce area.
Fourth-placed Sainsbury’s only managed 49 points. The fruit & veg section in its Paignton store was very sparse and there were boxes everywhere in the aisles. It felt neglected even though there was lots of restocking activity around the store. The dry goods and non-grocery aisles were noticeably better stocked and free of clutter, though.
The store also felt spacious due to its high ceilings, but our shopper found the store layout odd, particularly that there was no dedicated seasonal aisle – meaning Christmas products were found in end-of-aisle displays. This made it tricky to find some items.
Staff appeared to be working hard, but overall, this did not feel like a smooth shopping experience.
Asda’s Telford store took last place with 45 points. This branch also failed to stock the turkey, along with the Cadbury Advent calendar. Two other items were not stocked.
Our shopper found the layout illogical. The store was generally untidy and cluttered, and even the sanitiser stations looked “fairly unhygienic”.
Customer service was only average as staff were polite but not all were helpful or knowledgeable. On the plus side, this store offered an excellent range of services, from click & collect to an in-store café and a pharmacy. But all in all, “not a great experience”.
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