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Two full baskets -- but out of stocks prove persistent into the new year. (The Weekly Shop).

Article Excerpt
Full baskets at Tesco at Gateshead and Sainsbury in Sale marked the beginnings of recovery in supermarket stock levels.

In last week's post-Christmas blip none of our mystery shoppers came out with a full basket for only the second time in The Grocer 33's history. As the new year got under way, low stock levels were still a unanimous complaint among our mystery shoppers.

Some shelves at Tesco in Gateshead were bare causing customers to complain. Christmas lines were still on sale and had not been marked down in price.

Staff at Sainsbury in Sale were excellent, but stock was low and the loose mushrooms were already rotting. That store only carried Persil's new Crease Release Tablets, as opposed to the standard version which the other shoppers could buy. Our shoppers reported the price of this new formula varied from 2.49 [pounds sterling] in Cardiff to 2.82 [pounds sterling] in Norwich.

The freezing winter weather had caught the recently refurbished Nottingham Co-op out. Its recently introduced coin-operated trolleys chained outside were covered in a thick layer of frost at lunchtime.

This store was low on stock throughout. Empty shelves were also the order of the day at Somerfield and Asda was low on frozen food stocks.

This week's cheapest full basket was from Tesco in Gateshead, priced at 39.12 [pounds sterling].

THE GROCER 33 Midlands NE Co-op Tesco West Bridgeford Gateshead Nottingham Tyne & Wear Apples 454g 0.50 Ital G. Del 0.50 Fr. G. Del. (best buy of the week) Bananas 454g 0.49 Windward Is. 0.49 Costa Rica Mushrooms...

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