UK supermarkets rated by customers on in-store experience and value for money

Waitrose tops satisfaction survey for second year in a row

Waitrose has topped an annual in-store supermarket satisfaction survey from Which? for the second year in a row.

The upmarket store scored a maximum five stars in nearly every category covered in the poll – from ease of finding products and fastmoving queues, to friendly staff and the appearance of its shops.

It was only let down by a two-star score for value, and received an overall customer score of 76%.

Marks & Spencer also cemented its reputation for quality food and drink products, scoring five stars for both its own-brand and fresh produce.

Its overall customer score of 73% placed it just below Waitrose, not managing to quite match its rival’s in-store experience or product range.

Marks & Spencer was unable to match Waitrose for ease of finding products, queues or staff availability, Which? said.

Harry Rose, editor of Which? magazine, said: “The quality of fresh products is the single most important factor for our members when choosing where to shop in store, and this is just one of the areas where shoppers have told us that Waitrose excels.

“There’s clear room for improvement for the ‘big four’ – Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Asda – as they continue to trail behind Waitrose and M&S for experience, and behind Aldi and Lidl on value.”

Asda was ranked bottom in the Which? survey of more than 14,000 of its members.

The consumer group’s findings suggest that shoppers like Asda’s range of goods in store, but want more recyclable packaging and products without packaging, as the store received only one star for this aspect.

Which? said its findings suggest that Asda provides neither the noteworthy store experience of Waitrose or Marks & Spencer nor the value of Aldi or Lidl.

Asda scored just two stars for the quality of its own-label products.

Aldi and Lidl were rated best for value, both receiving five stars.

The two supermarkets were seen as the best for those wanting more for their money, with rock-bottom prices making customers much more forgiving of some other aspects of their shopping experience.

One Aldi customer was quoted by Which? as saying: “It’s not a pleasant place to shop, but value for money is exceptional.”

Picture: PA. The upmarket store, Waitrose, scored five stars in nearly every category in the survey.