Marks & Spencer was pipped to the post by Waitrose in its Grocer 33 debut this week.
Waitrose’s Otley store took the crown with an impressive 86 points, thanks to excellent scores in every category apart from availability, which was hit by two out-of-stocks.
Our shopper praised the “excellent” store standards. The branch was clean and tidy, with “attractive” promotions and “pretty buoyant” stock levels.
She also enjoyed the tempting counters, which were overseen by “highly knowledgeable” staff members.
There were “plenty” of staff available on the shop floor in general, including the “lovely, friendly” Kat, who took our shopper to the apple juice and directed her to the “exact location of the scotch eggs”.
Next came Grocer 33 debutant M&S, which racked up a respectable 83 points in its guest retailer slot – higher than the winning score in two of the past three weeks.
The Sandhurst store impressed on availability, with just two items not stocked. Our shopper enjoyed the “nice experience” of shopping in a “clean and well-managed” store. The well-lit fridges made “everything look very tempting”, while the bakery department had a “huge range” on offer. Our shopper also said she “would like to try the coffee bar” on another day.
Next came Asda on Coronation Street in South Shields. Here, availability was also strong: just one out-of-stock item helped the store to a total of 77 points. The branch also secured a perfect 20 for shop floor service. Our shopper couldn’t fault the “helpful, friendly, diligent and hard-working” staff.
Ultimately, our shopper found Asda “a great store” that “really does have everything”. She noted it had clearly been well prepared for the busy Easter weekend.
Her “only small gripe” was that the celeriac was “smaller than an apple and rather dried out and wrinkled”.
If Morrisons in Chester-le-Street had performed better on availability, it would have been in with a real chance of winning this week. However, three out-of-stocks and one not-stocked item knocked the store down to fourth place on 75 points.
Elsewhere, the branch scored highly. There was another perfect 20 for shop floor service, helped by the “more-than-normal” number of staff on the shop floor, all of whom were busy working but also “happy to stop and help”.
Overall, she added, the store was “exceptionally spacious and pleasant to use”.
There was a 15-point drop to the two stores that tied for last place: Sainsbury’s and Tesco.
The former was actually this week’s top scorer on availability, with just one item not stocked. However, the store lost ground in other areas.
Our shopper commented the staff member at the checkout “wasn’t very communicative” and did not greet her.
She also found the entrance “congested and odd” with “a lot of clutter”. Then in aisle 19, she “felt something wet fall in my hair” – a drop of water that was also puddling on the floor.
Meanwhile, Tesco’s Chester store had three out-of-stocks and two items not stocked.
It took our shopper “a few loops” to find everything she needed due to some aisles not having adequate signage.
She did, however, find it to be a “well-organised and friendly small supermarket”. Overall, the branch brought a “really low-stress experience” to a city centre shop.
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