The Ultimate Supermarket Review
Source: Maia Aramakutu
Most students choose their regular supermarket based on which one is cheaper – because of that student budget. However, as a student who doesn’t have access to a car, I’ve based my shopping choice on which one is in closest walking distance.
During my time at university, I’ve lived in Riccarton and around Ilam. I’ve had the pleasure of having all of the major supermarkets as my local, and have familiarised myself with the strengths and weaknesses of each one. Which leads me to this article: an in-depth, unbiased review on the four main supermarkets around the university area.
The supermarkets being reviewed are: FreshChoice Fendalton, PAK’nSAVE Riccarton, New World Ilam, and Church Corner Woolworths (formerly Countdown).
The review will cover four categories – pricing, layout, product availability, and overall experience – and provide a rating out of five with an explanation.
I wrote out my weekly shopping list and went to all four supermarkets to do exactly the same shop. I did my weekly shop at Woolworths, and went around the other stores writing down the prices of each item.
Here is my weekly shop.
Shopping list used for review. Source: Maia Aramakutu.
FreshChoice Fendalton: 3/5
Photo: FreshChoice Fendalton.
Pricing: 2/5. The most expensive shop at $55.27. Some of the products at FreshChoice were priced higher than they’re worth. For example, a 750g box of Weetbix was $7.19 which is around one to two dollars higher than the other supermarkets. They also lacked in sales or deals, which was disappointing.
Layout: 4/5. Nothing special about the layout – it was standard. Everything was easy to find, and the aisles were easy to navigate and decent enough in size.
Product availability: 3/5. FreshChoice has a limited range of products compared to the other supermarkets. They did have budget products for all the essentials, which is positive.
Overall experience: 3/5. The store was empty, which was great. However, shopping felt extremely awkward – I felt as though I was being watched the whole time.
PAK’nSAVE Riccarton: 3/5
PAK’nSAVE Riccarton. Source: Google Images.
Pricing: 5/5. $47.73. PAK’nSAVE will always live up to its representation of being cheap. Though not the cheapest shop, everything was reasonably priced. They had some decent sales, and you’ll find that certain items are cheaper by default.
Layout: 2/5. The layout is relatively like other supermarkets, although the aisles are split in half with a walkway down the middle, which is a pain. It makes it difficult to go back for products if you forgot something from your list. I shopped there for a year and I still find the layout hard to navigate.
Product availability: 3/5. The main positive of shopping at PAK’nSAVE is that they stock a lot of budget products and carry two different budget brands, so you have options. However, they run out of stock quickly, so you aren’t guaranteed to get everything you went in for.
Overall experience: 1/5. This PAK’nSAVE is always busy, to the point where it makes shopping anxiety-inducing and you’re guaranteed to nearly bump into another customer at least once. Therefore, the experience is not that great – I always find myself stressed and annoyed upon leaving.
New World Ilam: 4/5
When it came to pricing, New World Ilam was a mixed bag. Source: Fiona Edge.
Pricing: 3/5. $44.86 without a Club Card, $42.46 with a Club Card. This was the cheapest shop, but it’s important to note that they had a Super Saver deal on mince. On average, the food is more expensive as they stock fewer budget items. However, they have decent sales and the Club Card can give a good discount.
Layout: 4/5. Nice layout and easy to navigate. The aisles are a bit small though, so if it’s busy it can get cramped.
Product availability: 4/5. Loses points for fewer budget items; other than that, the shelves are always stocked full.
Overall experience: 4/5. The best supermarket experience I had. Loses a point as it isn’t walking friendly. I nearly got hit by a car while trying to get to the door.
Church Corner Woolworths: 3/5
Church Corner Woolworths after a recent branding makeover. Source: Reddit/westburnworld.
Pricing: 3/5. $50.97. I was disappointed at Woolworths’ pricing. Some of the budget foods weren’t at budget prices. For example, their Woolworths brand tinned tomatoes were $1.30 a can, compared to Pams and Value brand, whose tinned tomatoes were under $1 each.
Layout: 5/5. The layout is amazing and everything makes sense. The aisles are large, which means navigating around people is easy and going back for missed products is not a hassle. They also had some decent specials.
Product availability: 4/5. Limited budget items – only the absolute necessities.
Overall experience: 4/5. Pretty good experience. The self-checkout didn’t get annoyed at me like they normally do, which was great considering I tried to fit my whole shop on the tiny weighing area.
I hope this review has given you some insight into different shopping experiences.
Happy shopping!