Morrisons, Edgbaston - Saturday 9 January 2016

Manmhk's supermarket reviews are back after a six month break!

I decided to visit Morrisons in Edgbaston to see how it performs following the closure of it's neighbouring rival Tesco, which was situated across the Five Ways roundabout.

The criteria is as follows.

1. Clean - Yes, clean in general.
2. Friendly staff - Okay. The checkout lady scanned through items, gave me a basic "Hello" greeting and also asked about the loyalty card.
3. Aisle width - Most aisles wide enough for three trolleys. It was busy (being a Saturday afternoon) at the fruit and vegetables, and the meat and fresh fish section.
4. Everything I was looking for was in stock - Fruit and vegetables section is well stocked but the layout is slightly confusing. There should be better signposts stating where the basic types of fruit and vegetables are. The meat and fish section is clear, with signposts! Other aisles were clear. I got everything that I was looking for, but had to spend more time at the fruit and vegetables section than I wanted to due to the confusing sections.
5. Extras: pharmacy/opticians/specialist food/petrol station - Small clothing section, small world foods aisle with a hint of specialist stock from across the world. Good fishmongers, butchers, deli, hot food, salad and a bakery section boasting with an award winning baker. You can also buy Lottery tickets too. Cafe is situated upstairs, but it doesn't have any extra perks such as electricals, and neither a petrol station. Oddly enough, it does have a separate florist, dry cleaners, and a "Rug Carpet" shop.. Vegetarian / vegan stock also available should you want it. There's also a "Halal" section too.
6. Fresh produce with long sell-by dates - Yes! All the goods I bought have long sell-by dates for the week. There is also a reduced foods section with not too many goods which shows that stock control is reasonable. Reduced foods going up to one third off.
7. Opening Hours - Requires improvement. 7am to 11pm Mondays to Saturdays, 10am to 4pm Sunday.
8. Speed of till-processing - Self-service tills available, as well as non self-service tills. I went to the "10 items or less" section - poor grammar - and the service is at a good, steady pace.
9. Self-service tills available - Yes, though I didn't use this facility.
10. Parking facilities - 2 hour parking limit at a multi-storey car park. This is okay for a good shop, but then if you fancied having lunch, then the parking limit is bordering on inadequate. However, you can get a long term parking permit - at a cost - for those wanting to work close to Five Ways. Parking spaces are quite plentiful - I found one with no problems at the ground floor, with parking spaces also available upstairs. Travelators and lifts get you down to the supermarket.
11. Value for money - Generally competitive (though slightly more expensive than the other "Big Four" supermarkets). Their improved loyalty card now offers 5 points per £1, with 5000 points equating to a £5 voucher. Oh, that's £5 off per minimum £1000 spend.
12. Organic produce - available if you want them.
13. Cash machine or cash back - Barclays cash machines available outside the superstore and cash back is available should you need it.
14. Pedestrian access - yes and step free.
15. Space ultilisation - Generally good with not too much wastage of space. The fruit and vegetables layout is okay, just needs signposts. Compared to the Tesco in Edgbaston, the layout is better but the supermarket is slightly on the small side.

In my opinion, Morrisons Edgbaston is good, but lacks features on it being great. The lack of a petrol station gives it a slight disadvantage.

 

Photo courtesy of wikirecent.in

Rating: 6.5 out of 10 - (-1 for no petrol station, -1 for unclear posts from fruit and vegetables section, -0.5 for parking limit time, -1 for lack of non-food item features)

Link to supermarket: http://your.morrisons.com/Store-finder/Store-Details/?recordid=545