In September of last year, Sainsbury opened its first Newmarket store. For many shoppers it was a positive experience, as the shop was spacious, clean and delivered just what shoppers were looking for. Unfortunately for many consumers, it also suffered from the very common problem of being an extremely posh and expensive store with very high prices. I visited the store a few weeks ago to take part in my weekly reviews of local businesses. My findings are that while the price and service are good, the overall experience of the store is below par.
From the moment you enter Sainsbury’s you are immediately greeted by glitzy gold fixtures and stylish furniture. Everything seems to be very expensive, which may explain why the store is priced so high. The store really is posh with large high shelves and displays which feature top brands such as Pringles, John Lewis, Marks & Spencer and Zara. As I have mentioned previously, there is nothing wrong with the store, however, the atmosphere is not warm and inviting. It is too bright and eager, not helpful for shopping at all.
This is not the only negative aspect of the store. The location is not convenient to many of the main roads in central London. Not only do the Sainsbury’s branches exist in the middle of nowhere, but shoppers need to travel up numerous miles of road to reach them. This can cause significant delays and many customers are simply unwilling to wait that long for the car park to open. This could result in traffic jams and a headache for drivers and cyclists alike.
A little further east, on the other side of the London river, is a much quieter shopping area. The store is situated in the centre of Docklands and offers a more relaxed atmosphere and certainly feels more homely. I don’t think there is any doubt that it is cheaper than Sainsbury’s and many customers will choose this over the flagship store due to the pleasant appearance and lower price. However, the lack of car park facilities and the long commute to work makes this a less appealing proposition than Sainsbury’s.
The last point I want to make about Sainsburys opening times is their packaging. The boxes seem cheap and plastic. The designs are very basic and do not represent a high quality of brand that you would expect. The company has invested a lot of money into their look and feel of their packaging, but it still feels cheap and generic. If you were to go into a high street store, you would immediately see the standard of the product, as well as the packaging. However, this does not apply to the websites of Sainsburys stores.
Visually, they have also invested a lot less time and effort in developing their online presence. They currently offer only a few pages of information about their store, which is disappointing when you consider how important this part of the store is to shoppers. In my view, they should have offered more information on the store, including opening times, and also a map, so shoppers can plan their trips around when they are opening.
The lack of information on the store website is also problematic. It seems they have outsourced their online PR to an outside company, and this company obviously has no experience in this area. Furthermore, the site contains no reviews from previous customers, or any comment on whether the store delivers on their claims. At best, the store is poorly advertised; at worst, it is completely misrepresented.
Hopefully, this article has set out how poorly the Sainsburys opening times have been planned. I hope that by reading through this article, other potential shoppers will be put off by the poor performance of the store. The final point I want to make is that shoppers need to shop around. The best place to find the cheapest deals on these opening days is to go to online discount retailers, as these stores have no influence over the opening times, and can offer the very best deals available. Even if you do find a Sainsburys opening time that is decent, do not waste your money by buying the item!