more reasons to............ (Morrisons)

Member Name: kellylouj

Product:	Morrisons
Date:	11/07/06 (2880 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Low priced products always in stock, lots of bogofs

Disadvantages: no home shopping

As I settle into my new role as "Chief Buyer" in my household I thought it best to review my favourite supermarket Morrisons.

I am quite fortunate that I have Asda, Tesco, Somerfield, Iceland and Morrisons all in a comfortable travelling distance for me to complete my monthly shop and Morrisons wins hands down in filling my trolley.

****Morrisons****
Morrisons is one of the big 4 in fact it is the 4th largest supermarket in the UK.

It was founded in 1899 by William Morrison and to date his son Ken Morrison is the current chairman.

Morrisons was firstly and egg and butter merchant in Bradford, West Yorkshire until moving on and developing Market Stalls.

In 1958 William Morrison opened a small town centre shop and provided the first self-service facility complete with 3 checkouts, this then lead on to the opening of "Victoria" the first supermarket in Bradford.
To date there are currently 360 Morrisons stores throughout the UK with the latest store opening in Leyland. Only since their take over of Safeway in March 2004 has Morrisons become one of the main competitors for best supermarket.

****My Morrisons****
There are two stores located to me one is close to where I work in Chester and is where I complete my main shopping. The other store that I prefer to visit is a further distance away in Rhyl which was the first store to be opened in Wales and is by far the best Morrisons that I have been in so far.

Both stores are quite different from one another.

The Chester store has a pharmacy, and separate Magazine and DVD,CD shop.

The Rhyl store does not have pharmacy but it does have homeware items that the Chester Store does not have.

Apart from the above differences they all offer the same products and brands.

Both have petrol stations and offer lower priced fuel than competitor fuel stations.

****Products****
Morrisons have a variant of their own branded products which I will detail below.

"The Best" is Morrisons premium line made from the best quality ingredients and normally slightly more in cost.

"Eat Smart" is the low fat range that has reduced calorie, salt, fat and sugar contents and are in a mid-price range.

"Bettabuy" is the economy range that enables customers to buy the basic quality products at low prices.

Morrisons is a more traditional supermarket compared to Tesco and Asda as they tend to concentrate on the staple goods rather than the added extras such as clothing.

Morrisons do offer a small range of clothing essentials such as underwear and baby clothing but they do not have their own adult range.

They also offer electrical products ranging from blenders, toaster and kettles to hair straightners and curling tongs all at low prices, infact I recently bought my blender from there and it was a lot cheaper than other retailers.

Market Street is a sweet reminder as to how Morrisons began and is where you can obtain plenty of fresh produce at great prices.
Each store has a fishmonger, butcher and a baker and they are fully trained to give you advice on cooking your fresh produce.

The fish is exceptionally good from the Morrisons in Rhyl but I have never been tempted to buy and from the Chester branch so it just goes to show how each branch can vary in standards.

The fresh fruit and vegetables are a lot cheaper at Morrisons and the quality is fantastic and they are always fully stocked something my least favourite supermarket Somerfield could greatly improve.
Morrisons individually price the items on size and weight not just standardize them all with the same cost as some supermarkets do.

Bread is baked fresh daily in store and they also produce their own pies and pastries fresh in store and the Sausage Rolls are to die for as they are not caked in grease as some pastries can be.

Stock is constantly rotated by staff throughout the day to ensure that the produce remains fresh and in date.

****Service****
The staff are very friendly and polite in the stores and I do feel sorry for them in their dowdy uniform it really does need bringing into the 20th century.

The trolleys operate on a £1 deposit system so if you find yourself short of change just pop into the customer services area and they will be able to change money for you so you can get a trolley.

You may remember the advert with the person going in with a basket and later returning for a trolley this really is the case in Morrisons as they have so many products on buy one get one free there really is not enough room in your basket.

****Queues****
My pet hate!! Morrisons do operate a cash only basket till as well as a debit/credit card basket till this is great if you are in a hurry as the queues are always pretty short unless you visit on lunch times as they provide such good lunch items Chester is always packed at 12pm.

In general you normally only have one trolley in front of you that is being processed so your wait is never too long and I find that it is less stressful that is competitors Asda and Tesco who are pure hell to wait in a queue.

****Store in General****
As this review has been a bit of both the Rhyl and Chester Store its hard to some them both up but the shopping experience is certainly a lot more enjoyable than other supermarkets.
You know that products will be in stock and the majority of the time cheaper.

****Special Offers****
Morrisons nearly always have offers on products that you would want to buy such as bread, butter, fresh meat and poultry, eggs, cereal, wine and beer the offers do change and I find them a lot better than Asda and Tesco for BOGOF promotions as I rarely pick up the basics I need there on special.

****Rewards****
Isn't this what every customer wants? Something back for lining the Supermarkets pockets? Well Morrisons do offer you something that is beneficial if you fill up your petrol you can collect points earning up to 15 miles with every litre of fuel you fill in your car, once you get to 4995 miles you will receive a £5 shopping voucher to take off your shopping bill, not bad for something you need hey??!?

****Disabled Facilities****
All Morrisons stores tend to offer fantastic services for Disabled Customers, this includes complimentary wheelchairs and adaptable trolleys to attach to your wheelchair.

Assistance dogs are welcome in all stores.

With over 5% of parking allocated for blue badge holders Morrisons certainly looks after its customers as it also provides a number of spaces for Mother and Baby shoppers.


****Overall Opinion****
Morrisons is my favourite shop but it all depends on the one you visit I have been to other Morrisons that are nowhere near the standard of the ones that I shop in so can quite easily believe the poor opinions on other reviews.
I believe that Morrison do cater for families offering low prices and more offers than any other supermarket.

****My Complaint****
No online shopping facility.

Summary: Morrisons is ideal for shopping as you can get all u need from the one place