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