Newly opened branch has made life easier in my village (Somerfields)

Member Name: Mioliere

Product:	Somerfields
Date:	11/10/08 (53 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Long opening hours, comprehensive selection of goods, very local

Disadvantages: Slightly dearer than other supermarkets

A branch of Somerfield has recently opened up alongside our local petrol station. Before this, our nearest branch was in a nearby village and, although I have never used Somerfield for my main food shopping, I often called in because now and again they have good special offers.

My new branch is in walking distance so is ideal for buying bits and pieces during the week. They carry most of the brand-named products as well as a lot of their own. They have a very good free magazine which has lots of good inexpensive recipes using their own products as well as the more well-known ones. The latest issue has some ideas for bonfire night treats.

The store is always very clean and the staff are friendly and polite. A real bonus is that it is open from early in the morning - about 6am on weekdays, I think, until 10pm at night so it's very handy for emergency shopping.

They have a small selection of fruit and vegetables, the basics, really, and, on Saturdays, a good choice of meat for Sunday's roast dinner. Although the choice is limited because it is only a small branch, if you haven't had time to visit your usual larger supermarket, you will always find something for dinner in a hurry.

Their special offers have been very good this year. For instance, now and again they have large Cadbury's chocolate bars such as Caramel and Turkish Delight, reduced from £1.70 to just £1. These don't last long, as you can imagine.

Last week they were selling nine-packs of Andrex Toilet Tissue at £6 for two packs which was a real bargain; in fact, I was so pleased about this that I reviewed Andrex the following day.

At the moment they have PG Tips teabags at £3.59 for a box of 340 which is a brilliant price.

Somerfield sells all the daily and weekend newspapers as well as a good selection of magazines, fresh milk and bread, many branded goods - some a little dearer than you would find in, say, Sainsbury's or Tesco but, then, you pay for the convenience. Their own brand goods are very good and not too dear so well worth trying. They sell alcohol, including a great selection of wine, toiletries and a huge range of sweets - the counter for these runs almost the length of the whole shop, right along the place where you queue to pay, of course! They have a coffee machine which makes the store smell very inviting but is also handy for those travellers who have stopped for fuel and need re-fuelling themselves. There is also an ATM outside which is very handy if you need to get some cash and don't want to have to visit the bank.

All in all, I am very pleased to have this little supermarket within an easy walk from my home and delighted that they are open for such long hours. It is very popular with the elderly people in this part of my village because, at last, they have somewhere to shop that does not entail catching the bus, fighting their way round the nearest very busy Sainsbury's and carrying heavy shopping home.

Summary: Although a little pricey, the convenience is worth a small fortune