Just five points separated the top four retailers in what was a highly competitive but low-scoring week.
It was Tesco in Bracknell that took the win with 65 points – nearly convincing our shopper to become a regular (if it weren’t for the distance from her house).
While three of her items were out of stock, she said stock variety and availability was great, with few gaps visible. The store was quiet during her Saturday morning visit, resulting in a “very pleasant” shopping trip.
Our visitor did, however, come across an issue at the till – she was charged twice for the garlic and not charged for the Genoa cake. She was also not asked for her Clubcard.
The main downside was that she struggled to find staff to ask for assistance. Additionally, she found the layout odd.
Second-placed Asda scored 64 points and provided a “good experience” on the whole. Its Dundee Milton branch impressed our shopper with its diverse offer of fruit & veg, overall tidiness and vast clothing area. The store signage was also very informative.
Customer service was hit and miss – staff were busy restocking (while keeping their trolleys out of the way of shoppers), and some were knowledgeable and helpful, others less so. Despite replenishing efforts, the store still struggled with availability – five items were out of stock, and one was not stocked.
Sainsbury’s store in Oswestry was close behind with 63 points. Our shopper found the store to be “very well stocked” – only one of the items on her list was out of stock (the Centrum Advance), while three others were not stocked.
She found the branch to be orderly and tidy, with good lighting. Staff were also helpful and went out of their way to check if an item was stocked.
On the other hand, our shopper was not impressed with the lack of promotional displays, and she found the narrow lane on checkout “claustrophobic”.
Waitrose’s Surbiton branch came fourth, with 60 points. This store was undergoing major restocking activity at the time of our shop, yet this was managed “extremely well” with “no obstacles presented”. There was no litter and all fixtures were well maintained.
However, the store still struggled with availability – there were several gaps on shelves, and our visitor only took home 22 items, as six were out of stock and five were not stocked.
The fresh food counters were the highlight of our shopper’s trip as they had a large selection of items available. Additionally, staff were attentive, polite and helpful, even though they appeared extremely busy.
Morrisons was off the pace with just 42 points. Its Cheltenham branch was at a disadvantage against rivals as it was mid-refit, which meant some parts of the store were blocked off. Our shopper said that the parts of the store that had already been redone – such as the café, food to go, and coffee stand – looked good, but that the rest of the store felt “very unloved”.
There were several unattended spillages and staff were not particularly helpful or polite when approached for assistance. She also had to move some restocking cages around on various occasions to be able to reach the products she needed. Due to low supply in many areas of the store, nine of her items were out of stock.
On the bright side, the food-to-go area looked fresh and inviting, and all the fresh food counters were well stocked. Plus, the store layout was logical and intuitive.
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