Asda bagged its first win since February at its Woking store this week.
The branch pipped Sainsbury’s to the post with 71 points, thanks to a strong showing on availability. A near-perfect basket of 32 items helped push middling scores elsewhere towards a winning total.
Thanks to the wide aisles, the store “didn’t feel too busy”. Our shopper also found the staff to be helpful, especially during an epic hunt for the tamarind paste. She said the store was well stocked, light and airy, and had “plenty of promotions”.
Our shopper summed up a solid experience overall: “There was nothing amazing about this store that caught my eye, but not really anything to complain about either.”
In second place this week came Sainsbury’s with 68 points. Its Aylesford store would have taken the win it weren’t for a dreadful performance on availability. The store scored zero due to eight out-of-stocks and two not-stocked items.
The picture was rosier elsewhere, though. The store scored particularly well on shop floor service thanks to staff, who “felt like great representatives of the Sainsbury’s brand”. Despite the out-of-stocks, “they were attentive, well presented and working diligently to replenish”.
Our shopper saw no signs of leaks or spillages, and all aisles were free of obstruction. All in all, the store “felt like it was really well taken care of”.
Two stores tied for third place this week with 65 points: Morrisons and Tesco.
Morrisons in Speke, Liverpool, was hit hard by a zero for availability due to five out-of-stocks and two not-stocked items. But similarly to second-placed Sainsbury’s, it offset that with a strong score on shop floor service.
Our shopper found staff very willing to stop what they were doing to help. They “made me feel like nothing was too much trouble”.
The store standards were also hailed as “very impressive”. The branch was bright, spacious, “spotlessly clean”, and our shopper liked the photos of the Mersey waterfront displayed above the entrance. She would “definitely shop here again if I was in the area”.
Jointly placed Tesco in Launceston delivered a performance that was almost the exact opposite. Despite performing relatively well on availability – just two items were not stocked – it fell down somewhat in other areas.
Store standards were the next strongest area after availability. Our shopper noted the store looked “spacious and welcoming” with several promos that “immediately caught the eye”. He also said the Fruit & veg section was well stocked and “very attractively presented”.
Things were less positive at the tills, though, where our shopper waited 14 minutes to be served. He also noted “there was no one managing the queues” and received no greeting or an apology for the wait when he did get to the checkout.
Fifteen points further back, on just 50, was Waitrose. Availability was undoubtedly affected by its 16,000 sq ft dimensions. The store did not stock six of the items, though it had just one out-of-stock.
Our shopper noted the impact of size in her comments. Plus, she felt “the service provided by the staff made the shopping experience good”.
Their willingness to help also meant she completed her shop in less than an hour. However, she “was not happy” there was no parking for customers, as it meant she had to take her trolley “quite a way” to her car before returning it.
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