Big 4 comparison

Spitroast

Lets have a supermarket vote :dance:
1 BEST, 4 WORST

Here's my opinion of my local ones:

Quality of fresh food
Asda 4
Morrisons 1
Sainsburys 3
Tesco 2

Food offers
Asda 3
Morrisons 1
Sainsburys 4
Tesco 2

Price of food (non offers)
Asda 1
Morrisons 2
Sainsburys 3
Tesco 4

Best for other stuff non food (clothes, electrics, etc)
Asda 1
Morrisons 4
Sainsburys 2
Tesco 3

Customer Service
Asda 2
Morrisons 1
Sainsburys 3
Tesco 4

Vote for your overall favourite in the poll at the top of the thread.

VfM4meplse

You missed out customer service - this is the one critical factor that will stop me from revisiting a store.

Spitroast

Very good point - now added, thanks.

jenniewb

I think you have already explained the reason why I cannot vote on this- there are too many categories, added to which, different stores of the same brand can give totally different results.

For an example, one Tescos near me has the worst customer service I have ever experienced. I walk out feeling at best like a thief (it seems to be the case that the customer service desk must check my cash severeal times over and very thoroughly before taking them) they over charge and then do not pay back on the 'double the difference' deal and are often out of stock on many lines yet this is the largest Tesco I have been to, and although they have just had a batch of new ones, most of the trolleys have what feels like square wheels- so uneven its amazing my food doesn't hop out of the basket and onto the floor!

Another Tescos near me has excellent customer service, they know me by name, say hi to me whenever I visit, are normally in stock of most items or willing to check for me if something is out of stock (unlike the other Tescos).

A Sainsburys near me is also good- but only after rush hour, the staff after about 10pm change and seem to just be...better! They smile more, they know where items are if I can't find something and its just a nicer place to shop. Another Sainsburys near me although also great for customer service, tends to be out of stock for what I want most of the time whilst a different Sainsburys again, well, what it lacks for in customer service makes up for being in stock for things I need!

Pricewise I'd say Tesco (I don't shop in Asda anymore as I have not had good experiences from them in the past, long story but you'd have to bind and gag me to take me back in there!) quality wise it depends what you want, I find Tesco better for fresh fruit and veg yet stragnly Sainsburys better for frozen veg. Unless your comparing the value ranges in which case Sainsburys is better for fresh and Tescos for frozen.... Tescos are cheaper then Sainsburys though for what I need.

There are no Morrisons near me to compare. I have visited one on occasion but they do seem more expensive on things I buy then even Sainsburys but don't have that same neat and tidy feel Sainsburys seem to have.

Waitrose is very pricey, but has items you wont get elsewhere. I would however question most of the quality for the fresh fruit and veg. The frozen stuff seems to be sometimes double the price in comparison to Tescos.
The customer service is very good- at times even better then M&S and though I quite often see management standing around talking in huddles at the end of the day, I also see management (or some of them) assisting the basic workers to do basic hands on stuff like closing the shutters, wheeling over 10 dozen trolleys or tidying shelves. This makes things feel alot more family like and gives me more respect for them.

I don't think you can have an overall winner, it depends what your shopping for and what your needs are.

katylou6180

I felt compelled to write here before I went to bed!! lol I have experience of all the big 4 where I live and am guessing that variations are from store to store, I shop both instore and online with all the 3 of 4 that have an online service, "M" being the missing one!
Asda, Rubbish for fruit and veg- does not keep, £1 deals and dried stuff etc usually good, meat could be better, shop dirty and customer service terrible- online unfortunately no better!
Morrisons- Fresh food v good, as is fruit and veg, Bogofs good, but "normal priced food more expensive than others, lack of "budget range", clean shop, muppet staff- blank looks on supposed "customer service".
Tesco- Fruit and veg reasonable and a bit hit and miss, offers v good, meat reasonable, "normal prices" v good, good "budget range" clean shop, good customer service, online also, good dates on fresh stuff, and good delivery drivers.
Sainsburys- Fruit and veg reasonable, not quite as "hit and miss" as T, offers terrible as are always quite expensive, meat v good, "normal prices" more expensive, "budget range" excellent, clean shop, good customer service, online also great customer service and "average" dates on fresh stuff.
I shop with all four and this is just how they are down here in Ipswich and it's just my opinion, I also vist Aldi for the "super six" and Lidl if they have anything I want, I am not loyal to any particular supermarket and have always found it best not to be, if you live within range of a few and have the time to have a look then you can cut your grocery spend a lot (here goes the old styler in me again o/s board is a mine of info) by planning and knowing what keeps best from where and keeping an eye out on prices!

Storck

Here's my opinion of my local ones, excluding ASDA because to be honest I have never shopped there in my life:

Quality of fresh food
Asda NA
Morrisons 1
Sainsburys 2
Tesco 3

Food offers
Asda NA
Morrisons 2
Sainsburys 3
Tesco 1

Price of food (non offers)
Asda NA
Morrisons 1
Sainsburys 3
Tesco 2

Best for other stuff non food (clothes, electrics, etc)
Asda NA
Morrisons 3
Sainsburys 2
Tesco 1

Customer Service
Asda NA
Morrisons 3
Sainsburys 2
Tesco 1

Obviously as others have already said these scores are probably biased due to which stores I visit most, Tesco then Morrisons and then Sainsburys, and also the stores in my area. I must say that even though Sainsburys probably came bottom in most of my scores I still go there for special things. I still think the quality of products there is above the other 3.

Dizzy_Ditzy

Here's my opinion of my local ones, I've taken out Sainsbugs cos I dont shop there.

Quality of fresh food
Asda 2
Morrisons 1
Sainsburys NA
Tesco 3

Food offers
Asda 2
Morrisons 1
Sainsburys NA
Tesco 3

Price of food (non offers)
Asda 2
Morrisons 1
Sainsburys NA
Tesco 3

Best for other stuff non food (clothes, electrics, etc)
Asda 2
Morrisons 3
Sainsburys 2NA
Tesco 1

Customer Service
Asda 2
Morrisons 3
Sainsburys NA
Tesco 1

Where I live, there is a Morrisons and Asda within spitting distance of each other, and there is a tesco direct so tend to go there to get the non food items i want or need.

I went to Tesco at the weekend, (for food shopping) for the first time in quite a while, and was astounded at how much things had gone up by, that maybe I'd not noticed so much in the places I shop regularly. I do use tesco direct regularly, but thats for non food stuff, where I dont have any complaints

Things like fruit and veg I always try and get at the grocers, it seems fresher, is definitely cheaper and is supporting local shops. On the occasion that I do get any F&V from the supermarkets, it tends to have to be used on the day I buy it- I bought some broccoli from tesco on friday, went to use it on sunday and it had gone mouldy. Fresh meat etc i tend to find is better in asda, or occasionally tesco.

I've been lucky in that I've not had any reason for a long time to need customer service in either place, unless you count the stupid self serve checkouts in asda where i nearly always end up swearing at it cos its doing its own thing instead of what I want to do!!

recovering_spendaholic

I like to shop in Sainsburys because I find that their fresh fruit and veg is the nicest, and I also like their meat and I like the fact that they don't sell poultry or eggs from caged birds. I go to Asda for cleaning and laundry stuff and also for the offers, which are sometimes really good, but all to often IMO they are for fattening stuff which I don't need;) I find that Tesco has the worst customer service - My local Tescos has the rudest staff - They are awful! Morrsions is too far away to be viable for me to shop there, which is a shame because they seem to have good offers.