Strong availability and “great” service helped Sainsbury’s to its third win of the current Grocer 33 year. Its neat and “organised” Bishop Auckland superstore scored a very strong 79 points during this Sunday morning visit.
Our mystery shopper enjoyed the “impressive” promotions throughout, which included seasonal Halloween lines and a Vanish cleaning display which “really stood out”. The store’s wide aisles meant our shopper was generally able to move around obstruction-free.
Staff were always happy to walk our shopper to the right area. Every colleague seemed “happy” and approachable.
Although there were “some gaps on shelves”, particularly in fresh, there was just one not-stocked item denying our shopper a full basket.
In second place with a solid 69 was Waitrose in Peterborough, thanks largely to its “polite” partners.
First impressions weren’t great, with our shopper finding the car park awkward to navigate. They were also unimpressed by the “less attractive” buckets of “end of life” plants that greeted them upon entry to the store.
Otherwise, they noted that displays were “orderly, attractive and interesting”, particularly on gondola ends.
Several unmanned restocking trollies, as well as several spillages, caused obstructions on aisles. Our shopper noted one customer “struggling” to reach products because of one poorly placed trolley.
Despite the number of stray trollies, there were plenty of partners on hand and willing to help our shopper.
Asda’s Ingham Road store in Skelmersdale belied the supermarket’s recent poor G33 performance, with a good third-place score of 66. The store appeared to be “run well” with staff “happy in their work” and willing to help.
Aisles and deli counters were stocked with lots of “enticing offers” with walkways free from obstruction. Our shopper’s “pleasant trip” was ultimately only let down by availability, with four out of stocks.
Just behind with a score of 64 was Morrisons Doxford Centre store in Sunderland. “First impressions were good” with our shopper particularly enjoying the “exceptionally wide” aisles, and seasonal displays.
The fruit and veg section appeared well supplied. However due to the store being busy, there were “some noticeable gaps” by the time our shopper left the store. Our shopper’s “one big disappointment” was more of a personal one, with them being unawed by a lack of dedicated space for vegan and vegetarian lines.
While some newer members of staff were unclear with the store layout, “there were stars who went out of their way to help”. This included an “excellent” lady on checkout.
Languishing behind the pack was Tesco’s “sad-looking” superstore in Wokingham, which scored a poor 33.
Our shopper’s experience of the “extremely busy” car park was so bad that had they not been on a mystery shop for The Grocer, they “gladly would have gone to another supermarket”.
It was just as “unpleasant” inside the store. Poorly placed restocking trollies, gaps on shelves and a flickering light added a further “depressing feel” to the visit.
While one staffer was “pleasant” and happy to help our shopper, the service provided by a younger shopworker on checkout verged on “rude”, topping off what was a “horrible” shopping experience.
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