It's not just Mum who's gone to Iceland (Iceland)

Name: pink_glitter

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Product:	Iceland
Date:	01.03.08 (274 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: cheap food

Disadvantages: not much dry selection

The supermarket I shop at most frequently is Somerfield, however recently I have found myself popping into the neighbouring Iceland more and more frequently, as Somerfield seem increasingly incapable of stocking quite basic everyday products - for example I have been unable to get brown bread from there for several weeks now.

~Layout~

As you enter the store an area of trolleys and baskets greets you on the right, and a few stands featuring special offers on the left. Obviously being a freezer store, most of the aisles are just rows of freezers, but most freezers also have shelves above them, stocking things like jars of sauces, condiments, cereals and pasta. The freezers are split into sections as well, with signs above them making it easier to find things. For example all frozen ready meals are in one area, all frozen veg in another etc...

My local Iceland has recently started stocking fruit and vegetables. All of these are pre-packed, so you can't just buy one onion, you would have to purchase a pack, but I find the quality of Somerfield's fruit and veg to be quite poor, so it's convenient that I can just pop next door to Iceland rather than having to walk half a mile down the road to Lidl to get some decent fruit and veg.

At the back of the store is a large refrigerated section, selling a variety of meat products, cheese, milk and other dairy produce.

The last aisle is for dry goods. This includes bread, crisps, cakes. There is a large beer and wine section and also a good selection of soft drinks. There is a small section which sells household goods such as washing powder, cleaning sprays and cloths. This section is quite small and often doesn't have much variety, so aside from washing up liquid, I rarely purchase anything from it.

~Prices~

The prices in Iceland are in a way unique, because almost everything is rounded up to the nearest 50p. For example ready meals generally cost £1 each, £2 for family sizes, chicken breast £3, multipacks of crips £1.50 etc.. There are a few exceptions to this rule, but I generally find most of the products good value, and the rounded up prices make it easier for me to total my shopping up as I go along to prevent over-spending.

~Quality of products~

I have tried many of the Iceland own brand products and always found them to be fairly good quality for the price. Obviously the majority of them are priced fairly cheaply, so do not expect gourmet quality, but I have never found a product I thought was completely terrible.

Iceland also stock a good amount of branded frozen produce, including all the big brands like Birds Eye and Findus.

Because Iceland mainly stock frozen food, one reason I don't shop there too often is because a lot of it can be quite unhealthy. A lot of ready meals are high in salt, and a lot of the frozen meat products are processed, meaning they contain all sorts of unknown ingredients. Not all frozen food is bad for you though, and I often stock up on their wide selection of frozen vegetables, and also some of the vegetable-based products that they sell.

~Staff~

The Staff in my local branch are normally quite nice, the checkout staff are usually quite friendly, but it does annoy me that they try to push their bonus card on me every time I go in. One gripe I have, is that I recently heard the security guard in my local store bitching about something one of the customers was wearing, and urging his colleague who was stacking shelves to run to the front of the store to get a look at her before she left. I think that if you're working in an environment surrounded by customers, you need to keep your opinions to yourself, especially if there's a chance that you could be heard by one of them. I personally wouldn't like to think that I was being mocked by staff behind my back every time I went to buy a loaf of bread.

One more thing I must mention, is that staff seem to have no regard for customers when they are stacking shelves. They often bring cages full of goods into the middle of the aisle, blocking access to shelves, and seem oblivious to the customers around them. Also when stocking the shelves above the freezer cabinets, I have often seen them put the boxes on the top of the freezers, so that customers are unable to open them.

~Home Delivery~

Iceland offer a home delivery service when you spend more than £25 in store. I have never used this service myself, but basically when you get to the checkout, just tell the guy or girl on the till you want delivery, and they will take your address, arrange a delivery time, and pack your items into special bags for you.

~Iceland Bonus Card~

The bonus card I mentioned before is a card which you hand to the cashier, and I believe you have the chance to win prizes such as a trolley dash, every time it's swiped. Like I said, every time I go in, they try to force me into signing up for one of these. Leaflets with further details can be found in store.

~What I think~

The stores are well laid out and usually clean., and the majority of the time, the staff in my local branch are friendly and helpful. Being a freezer store, Iceland does not stock all the products I need, such as things like herbs, or speciality type products, so I don't shop there as regularly as other places. For cheap food at a fairly good quality, I think it's worth checking out.

Summary: Iceland