The Tesco & other non-Morrisons supermarket thread

[cdd]

Just visited the Tesco Metro in Tooley Street, London. First "New Tesco" store I've been in (not only was it following the new brand, but it was only opened a few months ago too). It was a very mixed bag. An odd mixture of the old and new. I noticed it was reviewed here: http://ukretailers.blogspot.co.uk/2012/ ... gs-to.html

Still I bought something from the bakery. That is a real accomplishment for them since I usually never touch Tesco bakeries with a bargepole (those rank packaged doughnuts make me sick, unlike the M&S ones which are a real treat). I suspect that as the products are improved from above it will get better.

I was fascinated that the Tesco Saving Stamps machines were installed there. I thought they were a relic of history. There seemed to be a lot of wasted space on the upper level (which is really just a jumping point to get to the basement where the store actually is).

[SirKen]

Some great links which I've borrowed for Twitter (@dresserman) so thanks!

I did indeed visit the Tooley St, I agree with you on the street level. It's still a Tesco and it's an improvement but they need to do more.

[woah]

Made a rare visit to Tesco today - had a particularly dismal experience.

The supermarket floor is above the car park so there are two travelators to take you up to the main floor. A trolley and bin were used to close the one heading upwards as it had broken down. No signs to explain the alternative way of getting to the store, which is using the single lift upstairs which can hold two trolleys at once! On the way back, they had removed the barriers and instead had one of the trolley movers telling people to use the lift.

Once we got into the store and started shopping - around 90% of the chilling cabinets and about 70% of the freezers were not working - completely empty shelves.



All that was left was a small selection of pizzas and frozen burgers in the freezers and a few odd bits in the corner of the chilling cabinets. Milk was still available, but pretty poor that there was no indication that there is very little chilled or frozen food in the store. When we got to the till, the woman said that they had been fixed in the morning but had broken again in the afternoon. She also said tons of food was being thrown away, and not even the staff were allowed to take any home.

Is this really what a 9-month-old Tesco superstore should be like? On the other occasions we've been there there's often been lots of gaps in the shelves and it's not really a nice place to shop with no music playing, the only sound being a very irritating travelator safety annoucement. Saw a couple of buckets around to contain leaks from the roof as well.

Is it just our nearby Tesco or does anyone else have similar problems in their stores?

[TG]

We came close to losing a good proportion of our chilled meat last week, but that was a major power failure rather than buggered fridges. But, agreed, nine months and that should NOT be happening - but then, this is the company that replaces a whole fleet of dotcom delivery vans and opts for fridge/freezer units of less than half the recommended size for the cabinets they have to cool, and then wonder why one sniff of a hot day and nobody's chillers work...

[bilky asko]

Made a rare visit to Tesco today - had a particularly dismal experience.

The supermarket floor is above the car park so there are two travelators to take you up to the main floor. A trolley and bin were used to close the one heading upwards as it had broken down. No signs to explain the alternative way of getting to the store, which is using the single lift upstairs which can hold two trolleys at once! On the way back, they had removed the barriers and instead had one of the trolley movers telling people to use the lift.

Once we got into the store and started shopping - around 90% of the chilling cabinets and about 70% of the freezers were not working - completely empty shelves.



All that was left was a small selection of pizzas and frozen burgers in the freezers and a few odd bits in the corner of the chilling cabinets. Milk was still available, but pretty poor that there was no indication that there is very little chilled or frozen food in the store. When we got to the till, the woman said that they had been fixed in the morning but had broken again in the afternoon. She also said tons of food was being thrown away, and not even the staff were allowed to take any home.

Is this really what a 9-month-old Tesco superstore should be like? On the other occasions we've been there there's often been lots of gaps in the shelves and it's not really a nice place to shop with no music playing, the only sound being a very irritating travelator safety annoucement. Saw a couple of buckets around to contain leaks from the roof as well.

Is it just our nearby Tesco or does anyone else have similar problems in their stores?

I think it's possibly a bad store.

I don't think Tesco is wonderful - not by a long shot - but at Hull St Stephen's Extra they have music (storewide music, with a loud stereo with seasonal music at certain times of the year near the seasonal items), and no travelator announcements. It's hardly in tip-top condition (it's about five years old) but it could (and should) look so much better.

The build quality of the place is probably down to whoever built the shopping centre, but other Tesco stores I've been to don't leak (the newly refurbished Tesco Orchard Park. and Tesco Filey).

The toilets at St Stephen's Extra are in appalling condition, however. There are no toilet roll holders, it's dirty beyond belief (no chance of a tomtit, I can tell you), and the taps on the sinks don't work properly. The Orchard Park ones are newly refurbished, and are therefore in good condition (the thin toilet paper is another issue entirely), and the single male and female toilets at Filey are pretty much immaculate.

One place it would have equated to was the local Somerfield that closed down - they had a lot of power problems and fridge problems, leading to near empty fridges on 5 or 6 occasions I can remember. The staff were rather annoyed they weren't allowed any of the stock they were chucking away. It didn't leak, but they didn't build the store.

[Gavin Scott]

I just can't, in my whole life, remember ever having to use a toilet at a supermarket.

Fair enough if you have some condition that causes bathroom urgency, but I wouldn't even think about using a bog in a shop.

I think people have got "going to the supermarket" muddled up in their heads with "day trip to Skeggy", and that's why Tesco are now worth billions of pounds.

Yuck.

[bilky asko]

I just can't, in my whole life, remember ever having to use a toilet at a supermarket.

Fair enough if you have some condition that causes bathroom urgency, but I wouldn't even think about using a bog in a shop.

I think people have got "going to the supermarket" muddled up in their heads with "day trip to Skeggy", and that's why Tesco are now worth billions of pounds.

Yuck.

See, I'm the opposite - I'd never dare go to the toilet in Skegness.

[all new Phil]

I sometimes use the Asda toilets if I pop in on my way home from work. True story.

Maybe this subject warrants its own thread?

[bilky asko]

I sometimes use the Asda toilets if I pop in on my way home from work. True story.

Maybe this subject warrants its own thread?

Definitely. Who wouldn't want to start a thread called Supermarket Bogs?

[iSon]

I think that's too specific.

Perhaps there could be a discussion about all toilet habits. Although that may not be particularly desirable, and also all the talk of shite may result in too much of an overlap with the TV Forum Watch thread.

[Pete]

I think that's too specific.

Perhaps there could be a discussion about all toilet habits. Although that may not be particularly desirable, and also all the talk of shite may result in too much of an overlap with the TV Forum Watch thread.

It also risks bringing James Martin back to the forum. He was always full of shite afterall.