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M&S named best in-store supermarket of 2024
Marks & Spencer has topped our annual supermarket satisfaction survey for in-store shopping, indicating that – for some people at least – quality and the overall experience are still just as meaningful as price.
M&S and fellow pricey grocer Waitrose were the only supermarkets to be awarded five stars for the quality of their own-label and fresh products, and customers loved the in-store experience and customer service on offer too.
Value remains important to many, though, with Aldi coming a close second in our in-store rankings, and Iceland topping our separate online supermarkets table.
Read on to find out how all the supermarkets compared.
Best supermarkets for in-store shopping
M&S is at the top of our in-store supermarket results table for an impressive third year in a row, but Aldi and Waitrose are hot on its heels.
Together, high-end M&S and Waitrose are the only in-store supermarkets to score top marks for the quality of their own-label and fresh products, customer service and the appearance of their stores.
One M&S customer said it has ‘great products but [is] a little expensive’, while another felt that the ‘shopping experience is good but more offers are needed’.
However, we haven't made M&S or Waitrose Which? Recommended Providers (WRPs) as they only achieved two-star ratings for value for money.
And while second-placed Aldi impressed customers with its value for money (and it's the Which? cheapest supermarket of the year), it also missed out on becoming a WRP thanks to two-star ratings across three other measures.
The table below shows some of the results of our in-store supermarkets survey, but to see the complete set of star ratings check out our full guide to the best and worst supermarkets.
Note: results are based on an online survey of 3,141 members of the public who are solely or jointly responsible for grocery shopping in their household (conducted Oct-Nov 2023). Sample sizes are in brackets. Customer score is based on satisfaction with the brand and likelihood to recommend. Star ratings are out of five.
- Find out more: how to spend less at the supermarket
Best supermarkets for online shopping
Top-scoring Iceland is loved by its online customers thanks to its customer service, value for money and product quality.
People praised the ‘helpful delivery staff’ and ‘easy-to-use website’. However, it hasn’t qualified as a WRP because it still hasn't committed to putting traffic-light nutritional labelling on the front of its packets – a long-standing Which? campaign call.
Tesco and Waitrose were joint-second in the online supermarkets table. You can see the highlights below, or visit our full supermarkets review for all the star ratings.
| Supermarket (links to go retailer websites) | Value for money | Overall customer service | Availability of collection/delivery slots | Customer score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iceland (154) | 80% | |||
| Tesco (264) | 78% | |||
| Waitrose (65) - Which? Recommended Provider | 78% | |||
| Ocado (86) - Which? Recommended Provider | 75% | |||
| Sainsbury's (153) | 75% | |||
| Asda (181) | 70% | |||
| Morrisons (99) | 67% |
Note: results are based on an online survey of 3,141 members of the public who are solely or jointly responsible for grocery shopping in their household (conducted Oct-Nov 2023). Sample sizes are in brackets. Customer score is based on satisfaction with the brand and likelihood to recommend. Star ratings out of five.
Waitrose online and Ocado named Which? Recommended Providers
People shopping online with Waitrose and Ocado were happy with the overall customer service, availability of stock, and the choice of and communication around collection and delivery slots. We've named both as Which? Recommended Providers thanks to their all-round great performance.
Waitrose customers love the quality of its own-label and fresh produce. One online customer called it a 'Rolls Royce grocer offering great quality products'.
Ocado sells M&S food and drink, which one satisfied shopper told us had 'enhanced its repertoire’. Another said that the online-only supermarket has a 'really great range of products from all price ranges'.
Both were rated three stars for value for money. Only Iceland achieved four stars for online value, and no one managed five.
- Find out more: which is the cheapest supermarket?
Which supermarkets are the worst performers?
Morrisons and Asda are at the bottom of our in-store shopping table. Both got a measly two stars for value for money, and average star ratings across the other measures we asked about.
Asda has consistently been at or near the bottom of the in-store table for the past five years of our survey.
This year, shoppers were particularly unhappy with its poor product quality, customer service and stock. One said: ‘I regularly struggle to get everything I need.’
And online shoppers were unimpressed by Aldi, putting it at the bottom of the table and giving it two stars on every measure we asked about.
The discount supermarket doesn’t offer home delivery and has stopped selling its popular ‘Special Buy’ products online. All of its click-and-collect slots cost £4.99, which could make it more expensive than a home delivery from other supermarkets that offer cheaper rates at certain times of the day.
- Find out more: what's happening to grocery prices?
Which? calls on supermarkets to do more
We at Which? launched our Affordable Food for All campaign after finding millions of families are skipping meals to survive the cost of living crisis.
In an innovative study, undertaken with researchers from the Consumer Data Research Centre at the University of Leeds, we identified 50 of the most at-risk areas for finding affordable food in the UK.
We're calling on supermarkets to commit to clearer pricing, better access to budget ranges that enable healthy choices and more offers for those who need them most.
- Do you want to see supermarkets take action? Sign the petition
