Waitrose

Always Clean and Well Presented Shop, slightly more expensive than the other major supermarkets, but thats for quality.

not a bad place. in fact pretty good. has a moderate range of everything you need. from toys and household goods to groceries and a fairly large coffee shop. staff always polite. can be expensive.

Easy shopping, friendly staff, no trolley barging or screaming kids — fantastic! The quality of the food is excellent so expect to pay a little more, however the customer service and whole experience is very good!

Continuing my odyssey to shop at all the British supermarkets, Sarah and I (Sarah’s my new bicycle) treked out to the nearest Waitrose. Arriving just before opening hour, there was a crowd of about 30 people waiting to get in, which is usually a good sign. Massive parking lot and a bike rack for Sarah.
Clean and bright on the inside, Waitrose has the flavor of Publix (for those of you in the Southeast) or Harris-​Tetter (Mid-​Atlantic). Higher end products and lots of organics. When was the last time you were in a shop (other than Wal-​Mart or Target) that had a display of iPods as well as organic produce?
Prices were a little bit (but not much) higher than Tesco/​Asda/​Sainsbury, but there were also a good number of items that I’ve not seen at those stores. Excellent wine section and a fresh cheese section (you know Brits and their cheese!) plus a fresh fishmonger and butcher. I was quite impressed and glad I had only Sarah’s saddlebags to limit my purchases or I could have gone quite overboard.
Waitrose has some interesting convenience features. They do free delivery (as they all do here) but they also have a clever hand scanner that you ‘check-​out’ when you enter the store. As you put your groceries into the trolley, you scan each one. At the end of your shop, you bring the scanner to a special register, pay for what you’ve scanned, and then leave. You can completely avoid any human interaction if you so choose. Several of the trolleys have a special holder (like a cup-​holder) for the doo-​dad!
Speaking of trolleys, Waitrose has more than the two sizes (small and large) I’ve spotted at Tesco and Asda. There are also ones that hook to wheelchairs and double-​baby seats and double-​toddler seats. And several have a clipboard attached for your shopping list. Pretty slick!
Waitrose publishes a free weekend tabloid style magazine as well as a £1 glossy recipe guide. A rather expensive way to reach out to customers and plug certain items, but I liked it. Also a quarter-​inch thick catalog for home delivery.
A very pleasant shopping experience with a good selection and convenience. If it wasn’t so far from where I am, I could see Waitrose being my regular shopping destination.
Note: this Waitrose has a Costa inside with plenty of seating.

Large superstore, usually has everything and doesn’t tend to get crowded because it’s fairly far out of town. You do need a car to get there, but it has its own car park. Typical Waitrose prices, of course.