Tesco - Stratford upon Avon - 16th April 2014

My parents and I went to Stratford upon Avon for a short trip and doing a bit of shopping. Whilst going out of town, we found a Tesco and decided to head there and have a look.

So, what is it like? The criteria is as follows.

1. Clean - yes, in general.
2. Friendly staff - Generally okay.
3. Aisle width - wide enough for two big trolleys to pass through.
4. Everything I was looking for was in stock - Generally well stocked and got the goods that we wanted. There was even some samples of Tesco's finest cherry tomatoes which was absolutely delicious! Clotted cream is also available at £1.95 per tub, which is Tesco's finest, making it Churchcentral Forward friendly.
5. Extras: pharmacy/opticians/specialist food/petrol station - There is a fishmonger with an okay variety of fish, a deli and a butcher. A small phone shop and clothes are also available. Considering the size of the superstore (not being an Extra), it has got an excellent variety of specialist food especially Chinese food which compares well to Yardley and Dudley. A pharmacy is also available. A petrol station is also available and it's quite cheap at 126.9p per litre.
6. Fresh produce with long sell-by dates - Yes, in general. There are reduced items (going towards out of date) which sell at mostly one third off.
7. Opening Hours - 6am Monday to 12:00am Saturday making it a 24 hour store. 10am to 4pm Sunday. Impressive opening hours.
8. Speed of till-processing - A good number of manned tills available meaning it was quite fast and efficient
9. Self-service tills available - Yes and also scan as you shop tills available.
10. Parking facilities - Yes with a three hour parking restriction which is more than adequate even if you need to have a coffee at the Costa cafe. The car park design could be better but there's a good little shelter at the middle of the car park meaning you won't get wet if it rains!
11. Value for money - Part of the big four supermarkets, Tesco's prices are quite good. Some items were more expensive though so watch out.
12. Organic produce - available if you want them.
13. Cash machine or cash back - Tesco Bank cash machines are available outside and they do offer cashback.
14. Pedestrian access - yes and are step free.

Overall, this Tesco is a little hidden gem and considering it is not an Extra, I am impressed by it. However, what marks it down is that the superstore does need a bit of TLC especially with its toilet facilities.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Tesco - Edgbaston - 10th April 2014

A trip to Tesco in Edgbaston was on the cards this time and I wanted to see if it can surprise me after feeling really disappointed with the supermarket when I was a fresher at the University of Birmingham.

So, what is it like? The criteria is as follows.

1. Clean - yes, in general.
2. Friendly staff - Generally okay.
3. Aisle width - wide enough for two big trolleys to pass through.
4. Everything I was looking for was in stock - Generally well stocked and got the goods I wanted. Clotted cream is also available at £1.95 per tub, which is Tesco's finest.
5. Extras: pharmacy/opticians/specialist food/petrol station - There is a fishmonger with an okay variety of fish, a Hot Deli with mostly roast chicken, a deli, and a halal butcher which is a new addition to the superstore. A pharmacy is also available and a small petrol station exists. It's quite cheap at 126.9p per litre.
6. Fresh produce with long sell-by dates - Yes, in general. There are reduced items (going towards out of date) which sell at mostly one third off.
7. Opening Hours - 6am to 12:00am Monday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm Sunday. Quite disappointing to be fair considering it's near Broad Street. Should really be 24 hours.
8. Speed of till-processing - Quite a few manned tills though not enough in my opinion. Fortunately, it wasn't busy so I didn't have long to wait.
9. Self-service tills available - Available and at two ends (back and front ends)
10. Parking facilities - Yes with a three hour parking restriction which is more than adequate even if you need to have a meal at the cafe. The multi storey car park is a bit of a disappointment though. Although I found a space easily, the layout looked old and dark.
11. Value for money - Part of the big four supermarkets, Tesco's prices are quite good. Some items were more expensive though so watch out.
12. Organic produce - available if you want them.
13. Cash machine or cash back - Two Tesco Bank cash machines are available inside Tesco and they do offer cashback.
14. Pedestrian access - yes and are step free.

Overall, I am still disappointed with Tesco's superstore format. The L shape format feels as if it is two small stores stuck together. It just looks wrong and some of the aisles look all over the place. I am not a fan of this supermarket and am never going to be even if it has everything I wanted.

Rating: 5 out of 10

Wing Yip - Nechells - 10th April 2014

After reviewing Day in Supermarket a few weeks ago, I felt it was appropriate to review its rival, Wing Yip, in Nechells, Birmingham.

So, what is it like? The criteria is as follows.

1. Clean - yes, in general.
2. Friendly staff - Generally okay. Most are trilingual - able to speak English, Cantonese and Mandarin.
3. Aisle width - wide enough for two big trolleys to pass through.
4. Everything I was looking for was in stock - Oriental specialist food is very well stocked. However, it lacks the basics such as buying meat in low quantities, or fruits such as tomatoes, grapes, or vegetables such as lettuce, and potatoes. Also no clotted cream so don't head there if you need to prepare for Churchcentral Forward.
5. Extras: pharmacy/opticians/specialist food/petrol station - A fishmonger and a butcher is available. There is also live seafood such as crabs, lobsters and eels. A cash and carry service for traders is available at the back of the superstore. No petrol station though,
6. Fresh produce with long sell-by dates - Yes, in general. There are some reduced goods that are out of date though and are sold at half price. English supermarkets would just throw those goods away.
7. Opening Hours - 9:30am to 7pm Monday to Saturday, 11:30am to 5:30pm Sunday. Could be better in my opinion especially as it's out of town.
8. Speed of till-processing - Quite a few manned tills and are generally quite fast.
9. Self-service tills available - None.
10. Parking facilities - Yes and quite a lot of spaces available. The downside is that parking restrictions are strict and only allow you 1.5 hours. It's okay on a weekday evening but can imagine a Sunday afternoon, peak time for trading, to be a bit of a push.
11. Value for money - One of the biggest Chinese supermarkets in the UK, it's quite good value for money.
12. Organic produce - not available as far as I'm aware of.
13. Cash machine or cash back - Nearest cash machine is the Bank of East Asia which is a five minute walk away. Not sure if they offer cashback.
14. Pedestrian access - yes and are step free.

Overall, the Wing Yip Chinese supermarket is a nice one containing lots of specialist goods. If you need to cook something Oriental, rest assured that you won't be disappointed. However, if you're looking for non-food items or English food, look towards the Big Four supermarkets.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10

Asda - Cape Hill - 5th April 2014

I was asked by a few people to review the Asda in Cape Hill in Smethwick. So I decided to head over there and do my Saturday morning shopping there.

So, what is it like? The criteria is as follows.

1. Clean - yes, in general.
2. Friendly staff - Generally okay.
3. Aisle width - wide enough for two big trolleys to pass through.
4. Everything I was looking for was in stock - Generally well stocked though I was disappointed that I didn't get a load of wholemeal bread that I wanted as they were probably sold out. Other items were well stocked.
5. Extras: pharmacy/opticians/specialist food/petrol station - There is a fishmonger with a good variety of different fish, a hot food counter, a deli and a halal butcher. No normal butcher though which was surprising. There was an aisle of world foods which looked good but not as impressive as the Tesco in Yardley. A pharmacy is also available, along with a photo counter. A good selection of clothes and some electrical items are in stock too. Clotted cream is also available at £1.98 each so it is Churchcentral Forward friendly. Also, no petrol station - not impressed!
6. Fresh produce with long sell-by dates - Yes, in general. However, as I wanted to buy some cooked ham, there was one packet which had a use by date of 2nd April. Not impressed by that at all. Luckily, there was one which expired on the 13th April so that's okay. A good selection of reduced items were in stock, which mostly consists of a third off. None to my liking though.
7. Opening Hours - 8am to 11pm Monday, 7am to 11pm Tuesday to Friday, 7am to 10pm Saturday, 11am to 5pm Sunday. Could be better in my opinion and it surprised me that it wasn't a 24 hour store but I guess it's because it was situated near the centre of Cape Hill.
8. Speed of till-processing - Lots of manned tills, but there was just too many customers so the queue would have been long. I decided to go for self service tills instead.
9. Self-service tills available - Good selection - a good mixture of ones with baskets, and ones with the conveyor belt. No issues with the machines so it was generally good.
10. Parking facilities - yes and not a massive amount of spaces which meant that it took me quite a while to find a parking spot. There was a shopping centre next to it, but other superstores such as the Tesco in Yardley coped with it better. A restriction of 3 hours was imposed which was fair as you can go to every bit of Asda including the cafe, along with other stores, and you have more than enough time to do your shopping.
11. Value for money - Part of the big four supermarkets, Asda's prices are quite good. Some items were more expensive though so watch out.
12. Organic produce - available if you want them.
13. Cash machine or cash back - Cash machines are available outside Asda and they do offer cashback.
14. Pedestrian access - yes and are step free.

Overall, this Asda is better than the one in Barnes Hill but I am still to be convinced that Asda is good as it claims to be. I'll probably need to go to a few more Asdas to be convinced whether it is good as it sounds.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Waitrose - Harborne - 26th March 2014

I decided to head to the Waitrose supermarket in Harborne to see if it lives up to its expectations of being an exceptional supermarket.

So, what is it like? The criteria is as follows.

1. Clean - yes, in general.
2. Friendly staff - they are generally friendly. They kindly offered to pack but I decided that I wanted to pack.
3. Aisle width - wide but the trolleys are smaller. Still, you can fit two trolleys side by side quite easily.
4. Everything I was looking for was in stock - Yes, it is well stocked and has quite a lot of things you can buy. There is a reduced items section but as the price of items are generally more expensive, even reduced items are over priced, despite it being reduced by a third.
5. Extras: pharmacy/opticians/specialist food/petrol station - There is a fishmonger, butcher, hot food and deli section. The selection of fish available is quite impressive but the prices are over priced. Not as much selection as the Morrisions in Rubery. If you have a Waitrose loyalty card, you can also claim a free cup of tea or coffee - though it comes from a machine so it's not that special. Clotted cream is also available at £1.98 each so it's Churchcentral Forward friendly.
6. Fresh produce with long sell-by dates - Yes
7. Opening Hours - 8am to 9pm Monday to Friday. 8am to 8pm Saturday. 10am to 4pm Sunday. As it's based right at the centre of Harborne, opening hours are okay but nothing special.
8. Speed of till-processing - not a lot of tills available, so you do have to wait a while. However, the speed of till processing is good.
9. Self-service tills available - No, just the manned tills!
10. Parking facilities - yes and not a lot of spaces available due to limited space. Parking restrictions are 1.5 hours but as there is no cafe or other specialist sections, the time allocated is more than enough.
11. Value for money - More expensive than the big four supermarkets but the quality of items are really good. The price of branded goods are the same as Tesco so it's not too bad. There is also a variety of items that offer discounts if you have a Waitrose loyalty card.
12. Organic produce - available if you want them.
13. Cash machine or cash back - Cash machines are available outside Waitrose and they offer cashback.
14. Pedestrian access - yes and are step free.

Overall, Waitrose is an okay supermarket though many items are over-priced. I wouldn't head there normally as it only really stocks essential items. Not the biggest supermarket that I've been to and the waiting times (for both parking and the tills) are too long for me.

Rating: 6 out of 10

Tesco Extra - Yardley - 22nd March 2014

On a circuit around the Birmingham outer ring road, the A4040, I came across the Tesco Extra in Yardley, so I thought I would head over there and visit. It's a new supermarket which has been open for around a year or two and also has other shops such as Sports Direct, Specsavers, Brantano and Subway.

So, what is it like? The criteria is as follows.

1. Clean - yes, in general.
2. Friendly staff - they are generally friendly. They kindly offered to pack but I decided that I wanted to pack.
3. Aisle width - wide and you can fit at least two trolleys in each aisle. I shopped there at around 9:30pm so it was quite quiet.
4. Everything I was looking for was in stock - Yes, it is well stocked and has lots of things that you can buy. Not a lot of items are reduced as I headed there really late.
5. Extras: pharmacy/opticians/specialist food/petrol station - There is a petrol station with unleaded at 127.9p per litre, which is quite cheap. There is also a pharmacy, an opticians, and a salon! You can have a haircut there which sounds bizarre to me. There is also a specialist halal butcher section as there is a significant Asian population. Of course, the deli, butcher, fishmonger and hot food section is available. In addition, there is a World Foods section where you can buy specialist goods from abroad. The Chinese foods section looks impressive and contains a selection of items that you can buy from a Chinese supermarket - in many ways, similar to the Tesco Extra in Dudley. Finally, you can buy Tesco's Finest clotted cream at £1.95, so it is Churchcentral Forward friendly. No cafe though - as there is a Subway opposite.
6. Fresh produce with long sell-by dates - Yes. There is a section of reduced items but it's not reduced much, around a third.
7. Opening Hours - 6am Monday to 12 midnight Saturday and it's open 24 hours. On Sundays, it's open from 11am to 5pm. Exceptional opening hours.
8. Speed of till-processing - lots of tills available, but only two to three manned as I went there at 9:30pm.
9. Self-service tills available - yes, though as the manned tills were not busy, it's better to head there.
10. Parking facilities - yes and plenty available. Parking restrictions of 3 hours but plenty of time for you to head to the supermarket and other shops too as it's in a shopping centre.
11. Value for money - part of the big four supermarkets, they do have quite a lot of special offers. Obviously, some items are more expensive in Tesco than in other supermarkets so you need to shop around!
12. Organic produce - available if you want them.
13. Cash machine or cash back - Tesco Bank cash machines are available outside. Tesco also offers cash back when you shop.
14. Pedestrian access - yes and are step free.

Overall, I am really impressed with this supermarket as it's big and the layout of the supermarket is impressive. You can head upstairs to buy clothes, electrical items and other non-food items. All the essentials are downstairs. As it's situated in East Birmingham, I'm unlikely to head there normally but if you live near there, it's the supermarket to go to!

Rating: 9 out of 10

Day In Supermarket - Wrottesley Street - 22 March 2014

I've been asked by a few of you to write a review on a Chinese supermarket in Birmingham. Well, today, I went to Day In Supermarket. There's two branches and I decided to head to the original base at Wrottseley  Street opposite Big Wok buffet restaurant.

So, what is it like? The criteria is as follows.

1. Clean - yes, in general.
2. Friendly staff - they are generally friendly. They are trilingual and whenever you want to look for something, you can ask them and they are really efficient.
3. Aisle width -unfortunately due to size, it's narrow and it meant that two small trolleys was a struggle.
4. Everything I was looking for was in stock - Mostly - if you're looking for specific Chinese, Malaysian, Japanese and stuff from the Far East, they are available. However, you won't be able to find items such as cheese, milk, carrots, tomatoes as it is a specialist Oriental supermarket. No clotted cream either - so don't head there if you are buying cream teas for Churchcentral Forward.
5. Extras: pharmacy/opticians/specialist food/petrol station - Nothing extra - just specialist food available.
6. Fresh produce with long sell-by dates - yes in general. You can buy expired goods which are normally reduced at half price.
7. Opening Hours - 9am to 6pm Mondays to Saturdays. 10am to 6pm Sunday. Long opening hours on a Sunday as it's not a big supermarket, more of the size of a convenience store. Quite restrictive opening hours in my opinion.
8. Speed of till-processing - two manned tills available. Quite fast, efficient and friendly. They also pack your items.
9. Self-service tills available - no.
10. Parking facilities - unfortunately due to the location, based right at the city centre, there's no free parking. The nearest is the Chinatown car park opposite.
11. Value for money - As it's based at the city centre, prices are more expensive than say Wing Yip, which is based at the outskirts of Birmingham. However, there are promotional items and some items are cheaper than the big four supermarkets, especially on specialist food, such as pak choi or tofu.
12. Organic produce - not as far as I am aware of.
13. Cash machine or cash back - No, and they don't offer cashback. Though I normally use cash to buy items there.
14. Pedestrian access - Good - one side with steps and one side with a ramp, allowing disabled access. The only let down at the end of the ramp - there is a step, so that could be improved.

Overall, the Day In Supermarket is good for its size. If you are looking for specialist Oriental goods, you are likely to be happy there. The only letdown is that it could be bigger, but then it would need to acquire other sites. It's not as busy as the one in the Arcadian and it does have quite a chilled out atmosphere. Oh, and at the end of the year, they hand out free calendars - saves you buying one and the pictures are generally really nice - something associated with Chinese culture.

Overall rating: 7 out of 10.

Morrisons, Rubery - 11th, 12th and 13th February 2014

I decided to head to Morrisons three times during the school week and thought it's about time that I write a supermarket review about the supermarket next to where I work.

So, what is it like? The criteria is as follows.

1. Clean - yes, in general.
2. Friendly staff - they are generally friendly. They kindly offered to pack but I decided that I wanted to pack.
3. Aisle width - wide and you can fit at least two trolleys in each aisle. As I shop at just after 5pm, it was less busy and you can bag quite a few bargains.
4. Everything I was looking for was in stock - Yes. I am really impressed with the wide range of food items that are in stock. I bought ingredients for a Mexican food themed lifegroup which proved to be popular with everyone. I also bagged a lot of bargains and bought lots of fish for only 25p per meal - bargain! There's also clothes and electrical items as well. It also has clotted cream at £1.95 which is quite expensive. Nevertheless, if you want to buy something for Churchcentral Forward, clotted cream is available!
5. Extras: pharmacy/opticians/specialist food/petrol station - There is a petrol station with unleaded at 127.9p per litre, so it's not the cheapest.. It also has a cafe which is not too bad. There's also some good specialist food items available including Chinese items so I am happy. It also has a pharmacy which means you can get your medical items there too. Finally, you can get some clothes and electrical items there.
6. Fresh produce with long sell-by dates - Yes. And with items that are on the reduced aisle, they are generally still in fresh condition, and you can bag a real bargain with discounts of up to 75% off!
7. Opening Hours - 7am to 10pm Mondays to Saturdays and 10am to 4pm Sundays. Opening hours are reasonable though it's not 24 hours.
8. Speed of till-processing - lots of manned tills available. Quite fast, efficient and friendly.
9. Self-service tills available - yes, though as the manned tills were not busy, it's better to head there.
10. Parking facilities - yes and plenty available at 5pm. And no parking restrictions!
11. Value for money - part of the big four supermarkets, they do have quite a lot of special offers. Obviously, some items are more expensive in Morrisons than in other supermarkets so you need to shop around!
12. Organic produce - available if you want them.
13. Cash machine or cash back - cash machines are available but signs are not that clear though.  Morrisons also offers cash back when you shop.
14. Pedestrian access - yes and are step free.

  Overall, I am more impressed with the Morrisons in Rubery than the one in Edgbaston for many reasons. It's close to my workplace and I can bag a lot of bargains which means my money goes further but also knowing the fact that I am buying good food. A win win situation for me!

Rating: 9 out of 10

Asda, Oldbury - 5th February 2014

Whilst having dinner with the legendary Skillz in Oldbury, I decided to have a late trip to Asda in Oldbury.
So, what is it like? The criteria is as follows.

1. Clean - yes, in general.
2. Friendly staff - they are okay. They kindly offered to pack but I decided that I wanted to pack.
3. Aisle width - wide and you can fit at least two trolleys in each aisle. However, as I was shopping at around 9pm, the aisles can be quite narrow when you have all the loading trolleys in place.
4. Everything I was looking for was in stock - Pretty much. The staff were restocking items so what looked empty became full in no time. As I was there at 9pm, the hot food and fishmongers were not open. However, I'm sure they've got a good range during the daytime. There's also clothes and electrical items as well. It also has clotted cream at £1.98 which is quite expensive. Nevertheless, if you want to buy something for Churchcentral Forward, clotted cream is available!
5. Extras: pharmacy/opticians/specialist food/petrol station - There is a petrol station with unleaded at 126.7p per litre. It also boast a cafe but obviously that's closed. There's some specialist food available but could do better. A pharmacy is also available.
6. Fresh produce with long sell-by dates - Yes
7. Opening Hours - 8am Monday to 10pm Saturday meaning that it does open 24 hours. On Sundays, it opens from 10am to 4pm.
8. Speed of till-processing - only one or two manned tills available. Nevertheless, I still went there and till processing was of a good speed.
9. Self-service tills available - yes, though as the manned tills were not busy, it's better to head there.
10. Parking facilities - yes and plenty available at 9pm.
11. Value for money - part of the big four supermarkets, they do have quite a lot of special offers. Obviously, some items are more expensive in Asda than in other supermarkets so you need to shop around!
12. Organic produce - available if you want them.
13. Cash machine or cash back - Barclays cash machines are available and they do offer cash back.
14. Pedestrian access - yes and are step free.

  Overall, this Asda is better than the one in Barnes Hill though not my favourite. It's also situated near the M5 motorway and can be used as a short cut on your way to work - that's if your name is called Skillz.

Rating: 6 out of 10 (though probably more if I reviewed it during the daytime)

Sainsbury's, Longbridge, Birmingham - 3rd February 2014

A new supermarket that has been opened since September 2013, I decided to pay another visit to Sainsbury's in Longbridge. It's in direct competition with Morrisons in Rubery which is close to where I work.

So, what is it like? The criteria is as follows.

1. Clean - yes, in general.
2. Friendly staff - they are okay. They kindly offered to pack but I decided that I wanted to pack.
3. Aisle width - very wide and you can fit at least 3 trolleys side by side per aisle.
4. Everything I was looking for was in stock - Almost! Large range of fresh fruit/veg/meat but the variety of fish is lacking. You can also buy hot food and there's a pizza counter. There's also clothes and electrical items as well. It also has clotted cream at £1.95 which is quite expensive. Nevertheless, if you want to buy something for Churchcentral Forward, clotted cream is available!
5. Extras: pharmacy/opticians/specialist food/petrol station - No petrol station, but it does boast a cafe, and learning facilities for primary school aged children to revise on their English and maths but at a fee.
6. Fresh produce with long sell-by dates - Yes. It also has quite a lot of reduced items (nearly out of date). I managed to buy two coley fillets for £1.50 from the original price of £3.49.
7. Opening Hours - 7am to 10pm Mon to Sat. 11am to 5pm Sun. Okay opening hours but Sainsbury's does not operate 24 hours. The later opening hours on Sunday will be welcome to some people.
8. Speed of till-processing - fast and efficient.
9. Self-service tills available - yes, though as the manned tills were not busy, it's better to head there.
10. Parking facilities - yes, with 452 parking spaces (according to the website), half of which is sheltered. 3 hours of free parking is allowed. Although there are parking restrictions, it is far less strict than when it was first open.
11. Value for money - part of the big four supermarkets, they do have quite a lot of special offers. Obviously, some items are more expensive in Sainsbury's than in other supermarkets so you need to shop around!
12. Organic produce - available if you want them.
13. Cash machine or cash back - 2 Sainsbury's Bank cash machines are available and they do offer cash back.
14. Pedestrian access - yes and step-free from opposite Bournville College. The other entrance is from the car park and going up on the travelator.

  Overall, the supermarket is quite good. It's nice, clean and it definitely has a better atmosphere than when it first opened. It's still quiet but I went there on a Monday evening. It'll be different in the weekends. My housemate also works there and this is probably one of the better Sainsbury's in Birmingham.

Rating: 7 out of 10