Sainsbury's Local on Great Suffolk Street, is located right next to the Hilton London Bankside and is a short walk away from Southwark Station, the location is useful if you're a guest at the hotel or planning to get the Jubilee line from Southwark, however, it is in a highly-populated area in terms of convenience stores, while this store is nice, I don't think it offers anything you can't get at the three rivals nearby.
A pretty average Sainsbury's Local store in most regards from selection to look/feel of the store, the security guard seemed pretty friendly and even shared a joke with me.
This store offers Sainsbury's Smartshop which means you can scan and pay on your phone, which then generates a receipt and you can then leave. If you are using this, you may be subject to a service-check which will delay you leaving the store, this can be annoying as the staff aren't always ready/prepared or even trained on this, but you have to understand why they need to do it from Sainsbury's point of view.
I also don't understand why the QR code to start the shop has been hidden in the checkout area, as obviously you need this to begin Smartshop, they seem to be advertising it around the store, but with little help on how to start your shop - I have noticed this to be the case at many other Sainsbury's stores so does seem to be a big problem within the brand.
3* - OK, certainly not bad to get some essentials if you're staying at a nearby hotel or heading home, I do prefer Marks and Spencer nearby and the store isn't really suited for anything other than quick shopping for essentials. read more