Every week The Grocer’s mystery shoppers also visit convenience stores to check out the price of 10 commonly bought fast-moving food items across all grocery categories.

Who we visited

MIDLANDS Co-op Coalville, Leicestershire
Nisa Extra Pentwyn, Cardiff
Sainsbury’s local Harborne, Birmingham
Spar Bishopbriggs, Glasgow
Tesco express Bognor Regis

How they performed

Although the store looked a little tired and jaded, prices and promotions were easy to spot at the Midlands Co-op in Coalville. Its unsmoked bacon was on offer at two-for-£4, and two bottles of Coca-Cola could be bought for £2.40. The staff proved helpful as they automatically packed the items, but the store’s major letdown was its long queue.

The Nisa Extra in Pentwyn was an extremely clean store and boasted an attractively displayed deli area. It failed to stock Coca-Cola and none of our items were on promotion. However it was running a compelling fuel promotion, offering 10p off a litre of fuel at the adjacent garage for every pound you spent, as well as an in-store photo service.

Our shopper found Harborne’s Sainsbury’s Local generally tidy but with the odd piece of paper scattering the floor. Located on a bustling high street, the branch looked generally neat and was well presented. Its aisles were free of packing trolleys and shelf-stackers, and the store was well stocked with easy-to-find merchandise. 

The Bishopsbriggs Spar boasted extra-helpful staff, and was a clean and tidy store. Our shopper had no problems finding the items around the store, but did not stock the unsmoked bacon and was out of Heinz Baked Beanz. 

Despite being constantly busy, staff at the Tesco Express in Bognor Regis seemed to have no trouble keeping its house in order. Our visit took place towards the end of the day, yet the store still provided all the items except for the unsmoked bacon, which was on special offer. Extra checkouts were opened when a queue started to form, and the staff were polite.