Waitrose in Romsey came out on top with 81 points in a week where below-par availability hit rival scores hard.
Despite being this week’s smallest store, Waitrose performed best in this area with three not-stocked items.
It also shone on tills & checkouts. Our shopper had “the ideal till experience”, which was the perfect balance “between being quick and efficient while also making polite conversation and not feeling rushed”.
On the shop floor, all staff members she spoke to were equipped with “handy” stock checker units. That resulted in swift help with items – which was “much better than the classic ‘if it’s not on the shelf, we don’t have it’ response”.
Overall, this was a “relaxed, enjoyable” shop in a store that was “impressively spotless for the time of day”.
Second this week was Asda in Crewe on 75 points. Here, three out-of-stocks brought down a stronger performance elsewhere in the store.
For starters, our shopper completed the shop “in record time” – thanks in part, no doubt, to wide aisles that were “a joy”.
She also reserved special praise for the large food-to-go section, which was separate from the main store – meaning customers “did not have to fight their way past other shoppers to get their butties”.
Even so, our shopper was most bowled over by the store’s “number one asset”: its staff. There were plenty available on the shop floor and she spoke to “at least five” who were all “helpful and efficient”.
Morrisons in Rochester took third this week with 73 points. Its woeful performance on availability – eight out-of-stocks and one item not stocked – was the only thing that stopped it taking first place this week.
The store performed admirably in most other departments, including a perfect 20 for shop floor service. The staff “made the store feel welcoming” and provided help when needed, while the cashier was “friendly and attentive”, “very patient” and “a great representative for the Morrisons brand”.
Store standards were another strength. Our shopper enjoyed her time in “this clean, well-presented store”, though she did point out that stock levels seemed low on “a few items”.
Ten points back in fourth place was Tesco in Bellshill. This week’s largest store had four not-stocked items.
However, shop floor service did the most damage. Our shopper “barely saw any staff on the shop floor” and ended up using the Tesco app to check stock levels and item locations herself.
The picture was more positive on store standards. The branch mounted some “very seasonal” displays including “a lot of lovely summer items”, and had “pretty good” stock levels throughout the store.
However, there were also “loads” of empty boxes in “almost every section” that needed to be moved to get to products.
Just a point behind on 62 was Sainsbury’s in Bodmin in last place. One out-of-stock and three not-stocked items was not this week’s worst performance on availability, but it provided scant platform for success.
Scores were just as poor in most other areas. Our shopper noted gaps and empty shelves, on top of empty cardboard boxes that made the store look “untidy”.
The store fared better on shop floor service, though. Staff were easy to find and generally “helpful”, though they didn’t always accompany our shopper to find items.
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