I'd like to give this 3.5, but I'm going to round down for a couple of reasons. On a number of occasions, I have popped in to get some items hoping it would be a one-stop shop, but shockingly found that there were some items I couldn't find. For example, I could not find baking beans (you know the things that weight pastry down so you can do a blind bake), but found them across the street at Morrison's.
For a regular shop, I do prefer this store for produce and meat. I have not yet found rotting produce or grey meat, so that is a definite bonus. On kitchen items, it is a bit hit and miss as I mentioned before with the baking beans, but I also have scored a beautiful T-Fal skillet on clearance here. I find their bakery not as nice as other stores and there is usually no staff behind the counter. I will say that their shelves are usually better stocked than some of the other stores I shop at, which makes it easier to find things and also reassures me that the item I need won't be out of stock.
As someone else mentioned, the cleaning supplies and products are in the far corner of the store and I too have nearly forgotten to pick up laundry detergent, washing up liquid, and more importantly TP (toilet paper)! Even when I have those items on my list, I forget where they are as it isn't a very logical (at least not to me) place for those items. They do have some self-service kiosks, but still have loads of staffed tills. So far, all of the staff I have encountered at the tills are very friendly, although some of them get so into chatting that it slows down the check out. Oops.
There is a cafe, as well as an area in the front of the store with a pharmacy and cooler with sandwiches, snacks, and drinks if you need to grab a quick lunch or a snack for a train journey. There is also a till there as well so you don't need to stand in the queues with everyone else. They do sell clothing, electronics, and some small kitchen appliances. They also tend to have a large section of seasonal items dividing the clothing/home items and the food. It is a nice store and usually very clean, but I sometimes find that I need to supplement my shop elsewhere or just go without a couple of ingredients I need. read more