The Best Grocery Shopping there is (Waitrose)

Member Name: frangliz

Product:	Waitrose
Date:	20/11/06 (1487 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: High Quality Food and Household Products

Disadvantages: Some items are expensive.

Waitrose supermarket was originally confined to the south of England, but more recently stores have opened in Buxton, Wilmslow, Sandbach, Durham and Hexham as well as four in the West Midlands and two in Edinburgh. My experience of Waitrose is based mainly on the stores in Havant and Southsea, but I also shop in the Chichester branch from time to time and am familiar with the stores in Petersfield and Waterlooville.

Waitrose has the reputation of being on the expensive side, but in actual fact Somerfield's prices are higher. Waitrose has its own brand of food and household products at very reasonable prices, and when you walk around the store it is worth looking out for grey and white 'price commitment' labels which indicate items at very competitive prices, for example Southern Gold Pure Orange Juice (from concentrate) at 62p a litre as of the date of writing. As in any supermarket, items nearing their sell- by date are reduced; sometimes they are in their usual place, sometimes in special bins at the end of aisles. There are also special offers that change monthly, details of which are given in a leaflet available in store. These are a few examples of the November 2006 offers:

buy one get one free on Pepsi/Diet Pepsi/Pepsi Max
25% off Waitrose Select Farm British Chicken Breast Chunks 400g - £2.88
buy 2 save £1 on Nestle Cheerios/Bitesize Shredded Wheat 3759/500g
25% off Benylin Cold & Flu Max Strength Capsules 16s - £2.24
save £5 on Kronenbourg 1664 20 x 300ml - £9.99 (down from £14.99).

Waitrose stores have fresh counters for meat, fish, delicatessen and usually patisserie products. (Havant branch now has only self-service individual patisserie items.) The queue at the delicatessen counter can sometimes be a little slow, but I've never had to wait long for fresh fish. Prices at these counters are sometimes reduced, but I have never been disappointed with their quality. There is also a fresh salad bar and an olive bar. Chichester and Waterlooville have a carvery, rotisserie and meal centre as well as well as a 'bratt pan' where you can buy an Indian or Chinese meal to take away or eat in at their cafeteria.

A good range of organic babyfood, dairy products, tea, herbs & spices and sweets is available, as well as fruit and vegetables. There are a few wheat-free cereal products, namely Eat Natural Breakfast, a blend of seeds and nuts with honey and fruit, and Eat Natural cereal bars in several fruit flavours. Gluten-free products include baking accompaniments, packaged cheese and tinned vegetables. Waitrose are increasingly trying to boost their ethical image, and currently stock Fairtrade red wine, honey, sugar, chocolate, hot chocolate and several varieties of instant and ground coffee.

Most branches have a stationery section with a good selection of greetings cards; one exception to this is the Southsea store, as they are just round the corner from Knight & Lee (a branch of John Lewis) which stocks stationery. At this time of year Waitrose has an excellent range of Christmas cards (including many charity cards) and gift bags, wraps and ribbons. There is a selection of DVDs and a small range of books as well. The Havant branch has kitchen utensils, mugs and glasses, and most stores have a good range of barbecue products in the summer. I understand that one or two of the largest stores now stock some household items from John Lewis, but I have not visited any of these stores myself.

Larger stores have a 'quick check' system whereby you can take a scanner with you as you do your shopping and scan each item, enabling you to go through the checkout more quickly. Random checks are made on customers following this procedure to avoid the possibility of shop-lifting.

Most branches have a separate customer service desk for any enquiries and for booking delivery of your shopping. If you do want to have your shopping delivered, you have to inform the cashier before your shopping is priced so that the necessary paperwork is completed and the shopping put in special bags marked 'freezer', 'fridge' or 'store cupboard'. You have to complete your shopping at least an hour before your scheduled delivery slot to allow time for loading. There is a charge for this service.

The Havant branch is a particularly small one, and several of its main aisles are obstructed by wide columns that can only be passed on one side by a trolley, so that if people are coming in both directions, one will have to hang back. This can be irritating if you are in a hurry to catch a bus, for example. It also does not make things easy when assistants (or 'partners') are stocking shelves, especially as some of them seem to have the attitude that their presence is more important than yours. Having made that comment, I will say that if you ask one of them where you can find a particular item, they won't just give you directions but will leave what they're doing and take you to it. You can't ask for more than that.

The other branches I have mentioned are much more spacious and easier to walk around with a trolley, although popping into the Southsea branch just after 8.30 one morning there were a large number of partners stocking shelves from 'cages'. I was however able to go straight through the 'baskets only' till without having to queue at all. Sometimes there can be a wait, as this is often where cigarettes, tobacco and mobile phone vouchers are sold, and purchasing a voucher can be a time-consuming affair. The Southsea store maintains a particularly low temperature, which is very pleasant on a hot summer's day, but a little shivery in winter.

I haven't often had to wait long at the checkout, and if there are particularly long queues more checkouts will usually be opened swiftly. Checkout staff are almost always friendly and helpful; there has been the odd occasion when two have been talking to each other as though I weren't there, but this is rare. I had one unexpected and unpleasant experience last spring, when I put some of my shopping in strong carriers I had brought with me and was stopped as I was leaving the store and asked if I had 'been through the tills'. I immediately offered to show my receipt, and the staff member began to apologise profusely, realising she had made a mistake. I felt so upset afterwards, being a regular customer, that I wrote to the management. On my next visit I received another apology, this time from the deputy manager, who insisted on compensating me with a large Guylian Easter egg and a bunch of flowers. I accepted the apology gracefully and have continued to shop at that branch. It did seem ironic, though, that very soon after that Tesco started offering green clubcard points to customers who brought their own bags with them!

Besides shopping, it is often possible to hire glasses, a fish kettle and a wine chiller from Waitrose stores. Staff at the customer service desk would arrange this for you.

Most stores have a car park alongside the store; the Havant branch has an underground one.

Opening hours vary slightly:
Monday, Tuesday and Saturday 8:30-19:00 (Southsea until 20:00)
Wednesday and Thursday 8:30-20:00
Friday 8:30-21:00 (Southsea until 20:00)
Sunday 10:00-16:00

I do use Waitrose for my main shopping, but there are a few items such as tissues that I would buy from Wilkinsons or Tesco because they are so much cheaper. Whilst Waitrose is my nearest supermarket and also the one that is nearest to the bus station (I don't drive), even if it were a little further afield I would make the effort to go there because their groceries and household products are of such high quality.

Summary: Shopping for groceries at Waitrose supermarket