Waitrose rated best UK supermarket in Which? poll
A survey by consumer watchdog Which? saw Waitrose rated as the best supermarket in the UK, with Tesco coming at the bottom of the table.
Waitrose was awarded a customer score of 82% which included five-star ratings for its customer service and the quality of its fresh produce. Tesco was rated the worst of the nine major supermarkets, getting a customer score of 45% with poor marks for pricing, store environment, quality of fresh produce and customer service. In comparison, Tesco’s online service was rated more favourably with a score of 63%.
More than 11,000 Which? members rated the supermarkets with customer scores based on customer satisfaction and the likelihood they would recommend a store to a friend.
Discount supermarkets Aldi and Lidl came second and third in the survey, with scores of 74% and 69% respectively. In addition, they were the only supermarkets to get four-star ratings for their pricing, with 97% of Which? members saying they offered good value.
Morrisons achieved a score of 59%, followed by Sainsbury’s at 58% and Asda at 53%.
The survey revealed the biggest irritation for shoppers in supermarkets was not being able to compare prices because of different unit measurements. Members said they wanted supermarkets to keep special offers simple, with 55% preferring straight discounts ahead of other offers such as petrol vouchers or buy-one-get-one-free deals.
Richard Lloyd, Which? executive director, said: “Which? research shows that rising food prices are one of consumers’ top financial worries, so in these tough economic times it’s understandable that supermarkets scoring well for value for money are being ranked so highly in our league table.
“But our survey also found that consumers think supermarkets are not doing enough to help shoppers on tight budgets, with only one in five Which? members saying they trust retailers to charge a fair price for food.
“We want supermarkets to make a firm commitment to treat their customers fairly by scrapping misleading price promotions and introducing clear, consistent unit pricing so busy shoppers can spot the real bargains.”
The supermarkets achieving the best ratings for their online stores were Ocado at 81% and Waitrose at 74%.
