Waitrose in Lichfield recorded a comfortable victory in a low-scoring week, with a total of 79.
Despite being the smallest store this week, Waitrose snagged a perfect score for availability, thanks to no out-of- stock or not-stocked items.
It also excelled on shop floor service. Both staff members approached by our shopper for help escorted her to the correct item and then checked if they could help with anything else.
There were no obstructions or spillages and the checkout experience was “efficient”. Overall, our shopper enjoyed “a pleasant shop” – and the free hot drink afterwards for MyWaitrose members was “a lovely treat”.
In second place this week on 71 points was Sainsbury’s Salford. Availability proved an issue: two items were out of stock and two not stocked.
The “generally clean and tidy” branch performed best on store standards, bolstered by well-stocked food-to-go and fruit & veg sections. There were “a couple of leaks”, but they were being attended to and marked with warning signs.
Staff members were “fairly helpful” with enquiries, although our shopper felt “they didn’t always go the extra distance in investigating further”.
Checkout service, meanwhile, was “acceptable, if a little on the slow side”. Our shopper deemed the single staffed checkout “slightly inadequate” given the number of shoppers.
Two points back in third place was Tesco in York. Again, availability hampered the store, which had three out-of-stocks and one item not stocked.
Store standards were better. Our shopper noted the “well-stocked and clean” fruit & veg section, although she felt the display was “a little dated”.
Staff were “helpful”, but none took our shopper to the aisle itself – which she presumed was because they were “under time pressure” picking online orders. She was also unimpressed by the displays, which “didn’t jump out at me like they do at other stores”. Everything was “very functional and clean”, although it “lacked a creative edge”.
Asda in Newcastle-under-Lyme came fourth this week with 64 points. The score was bolstered by good availability, with just one item out of stock.
Shop floor service was another strength. Our shopper wielded a double exclamation mark to herald “lots and lots of shop floor staff!!” and remarked “well done, Asda”.
She spoke to six members of staff “and couldn’t fault any of them” – but reserved particular praise for the colleague who insisted on escorting our shopper to the rice cakes.
There was one major staffing gripe, though. The checkout operative “did not speak to me at all”, not even a hello or goodbye. Not only that, but she was “busy engaging the previous till operative in chat”.
Finally, almost 30 points back on 35, came Morrisons in Southwark. A whopping six items out of stock and a further six not stocked set the tone, and it didn’t improve from there.
Staff were busy picking for online, and “no one went out of their way to help”, leaving our shopper to surmise “their focus isn’t on customer service but on completing their tasks”.
Furthermore, she found empty packaging “in every aisle” as well as litter on the floor. There were also opened cereal boxes and an apparent water problem – “the mangoes were wet, the floor was wet, the conveyor belt was wet”.
All in all, it added up to a store that felt “grimy” and “poorly maintained”.
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