My OperaCrewe's new Tesco: unimpressed
Thursday, January 26, 2012 7:05:51 PM
Just got in from work, having taken a detour via the new Tesco store that has just opened in Crewe. Sorry, Tesco, I'm not at all impressed.
The old store was originally a Safeway, and was a normal supermarket. The new one has been built on the same site with parking at ground level and the shop above it.
First problem: the entire first aisle on the car park is parent and child parking on one side and disabled on the other. Fair enough, but if they'd put a sign up saying that I'd have skipped the pointless trip round the car park...
Second problem: finding the entrance. There are multiple signs pointing at the parking, but nary a one indicating where the blasted shop entrance is. So you end up guessing, fortunately accurately in my case.
Third problem: you go through the entrance to be confronted by a pair of travelators (which I loathe almost as much as escalators), and a large sign saying to take a trolley up with you as there are none upstairs. But there isn't a trolley anywhere in sight, and no sign pointing you to where you might find one. I'd passed a small collection of wheelchair trolleys and some with child seats on the way in, but no ordinary ones. By this time I wish I hadn't bothered and I'm already fed up with traipsing about aimlessly, so I decide to drop the trolley idea and hope there might be a hand basket upstairs. Which luckily there are.
Fourth problem: deciding that things won't improve unless someone beefs, I queue at the Customer Service desk and pass on my thoughts re the absence of useful signage. Only to be told they can't record the complaint without either a phone number or an email address. Why, for pity's sake, do I have to give them my contact information and risk spam and/or nuisance calls just to give them customer feedback?
The shop itself seems enormous, but I'm not convinced there's any better stock than they had before as the extra space is full of non-food items. You just have to walk further to find what you want.
Fifth problem: exiting via the dreaded travelator I cast my eyes around looking for the trolleys the customer service person told me were there, but still no sign of any. On the way out, I keep my eyes peeled and can only see trolleys in the shelters dotted around the car park. Then I spot the deal breaker: they now have those stupid lock things you have to put a pound coin into before you can use one. The old store didn't have these, so why introduce them? Haven't they noticed that it's 2012, and most of us use plastic? The chances of me having a pound coin handy when I come to shop are mostly zip, nil, nada.
So at best I'll only be using it for emergency supplies. I look forward with some relief and enthusiasm to doing my main shop in Waitrose, who manage to pack in a better range of food in a smaller space, where the entrance is easy to spot, trolleys are available just outside the door and don't need antique payment methods to free them up for use, and where you can just walk in without having to brave some hideous moving walkway.
Tesco: nul points...
The old store was originally a Safeway, and was a normal supermarket. The new one has been built on the same site with parking at ground level and the shop above it.
First problem: the entire first aisle on the car park is parent and child parking on one side and disabled on the other. Fair enough, but if they'd put a sign up saying that I'd have skipped the pointless trip round the car park...
Second problem: finding the entrance. There are multiple signs pointing at the parking, but nary a one indicating where the blasted shop entrance is. So you end up guessing, fortunately accurately in my case.
Third problem: you go through the entrance to be confronted by a pair of travelators (which I loathe almost as much as escalators), and a large sign saying to take a trolley up with you as there are none upstairs. But there isn't a trolley anywhere in sight, and no sign pointing you to where you might find one. I'd passed a small collection of wheelchair trolleys and some with child seats on the way in, but no ordinary ones. By this time I wish I hadn't bothered and I'm already fed up with traipsing about aimlessly, so I decide to drop the trolley idea and hope there might be a hand basket upstairs. Which luckily there are.
Fourth problem: deciding that things won't improve unless someone beefs, I queue at the Customer Service desk and pass on my thoughts re the absence of useful signage. Only to be told they can't record the complaint without either a phone number or an email address. Why, for pity's sake, do I have to give them my contact information and risk spam and/or nuisance calls just to give them customer feedback?
The shop itself seems enormous, but I'm not convinced there's any better stock than they had before as the extra space is full of non-food items. You just have to walk further to find what you want.
Fifth problem: exiting via the dreaded travelator I cast my eyes around looking for the trolleys the customer service person told me were there, but still no sign of any. On the way out, I keep my eyes peeled and can only see trolleys in the shelters dotted around the car park. Then I spot the deal breaker: they now have those stupid lock things you have to put a pound coin into before you can use one. The old store didn't have these, so why introduce them? Haven't they noticed that it's 2012, and most of us use plastic? The chances of me having a pound coin handy when I come to shop are mostly zip, nil, nada.
So at best I'll only be using it for emergency supplies. I look forward with some relief and enthusiasm to doing my main shop in Waitrose, who manage to pack in a better range of food in a smaller space, where the entrance is easy to spot, trolleys are available just outside the door and don't need antique payment methods to free them up for use, and where you can just walk in without having to brave some hideous moving walkway.
Tesco: nul points...
