Will ASDA go to the wall?

[Fridayhermit]

My nearest big supermarket is ASDA and because I no longer drive due to disability, it is convenient. I have shopped there since I moved here over 30 years ago (and even worked there for a couple of years while having caring responsibilities). But I went in today and the shelves are half empty there are so few staff about and there is no vibe or buzz about the place which I remember it definitely used to have. Is it just my local store or are all branches equally devoid of staff and stock?

They will if they don’t sort out their online delivery system which was down for over a week recently

The two by us have had empty shelves for months. However, they seem to have had better stock levels this last few weeks. Hopefully it will improve.

There’s a lot of issues at the top. Two very wealthy brothers took it over in recent years, and they’ve had a massive falling out and seem to be using their businesses as pawns in their relationship.

Our local one (just outside Glasgow) is a midden

it’s full of puddles, barely any stock and one of the doors doesn’t work

if it wasn’t my nearest and super handy for quick grabs I don’t have the time to go elsewhere for I just wouldn’t bother

My local one is always half empty too.

I don’t know, but I’m disabled and have online deliveries from Tesco,Sainsburys and Ocado. It works for me 🙂

Everywhere has empty shelves near us atm. Aldi near us has loads of empty freezers. I thought they were all making room for Christmas stuff that hadn't arrived yet.

I don’t go into the shop, but their online deliveries are getting worse every week. Missing shopping, rotten fruit and veg, soft food crushed under bottles and don’t get me started on their substitutions - always rip offs - less than you ordered for the same price eg 4 cakes sent instead of 6 for same price, or downgraded products for the same price, or ridiculous subs that make no sense. Sick of them.

Gosh, ours is rammed. It’s overwhelming sometimes. I wish some of them would go to your stores instead.

Sorry… you think supermarkets have a “buzz” about them?

I imagine they won't last much longer to be honest

Asda are awful for food! Rotten fruit and vegetables. I stopped using them years ago. I use Sainsbury's they never disappoint

They’ve been mismanaged for years but are fairly easy to fix. They’ve recently announced big head office redundancies and I suspect are clearing the way for the announcement of a new chief exec who will start soon.

I can remember when this store would have sensible volume music on. The staff would dress up for Children in Need and other charity events. They even had a greeter who would tell customers who didn't know the layout and do so with a smile. Now the few staff they do employ are so busy getting what stock they do have on to the shelves that there is no time for good customer engagement. I went into my M&S food hall today and yes it was buzzing!

I haven’t been into an Asda store for a few months so not sure how much stock they have 🤷‍♀️

That's my fear. This store would have shut if the proposed merger with Sainsburys had gone through in 2019? It is old and expensive to maintain. I think the George section which is very large is probably where they make any profit.

I don't use them anymore. I buy a lot of chocolate for work so like to get a vat receipt, every other supermarket can do this at the till but at Asda you have to email them to send it to you- ridiculous! So I don't use them at all now, luckily have plenty of other options on the door step!

I'm North East, moved towns which are an hour apart, both Asda stores have empty shelves. Deliveries were regularly cancelled if I ordered online and when they did arrive, there would be a ridiculous amount of subs, I'm talking 15+.

I just go to Tesco now and I'm pleased that I do. You can get through a checkout with an actual person with a smile on their face. I might just be lucky but I've also never received a substitute from them when I get a delivery.

We have one of the biggest Asda stores in the UK apparently, but I generally shop online so don’t go much. Their online shopping is dire. I gave them a few chances during Covid and since but no more. Prefer Sainsbos in all ways.

There's a massive one not far from me and that seemed to have full shelves and be pretty busy even on a Wednesday morning. It is in quite a nice area though - I wonder if that makes a difference?

I will admit that my relatively infrequent online shops with ASDA have been ok. The substitutes have been relatively suitable and on my last order two were upgrades at the original item prices. It's sad because location wise the store is in a good site. It just needs investment in stock, premises and most importantly staff.

I live near one of the biggest ones in the country and the staff have said that they are massively understaffed so the morale is low and the shelves not fully stocked. I don’t think that it’ll go bust but maybe they will change owners again?

Exactly the same here in Wiltshire

You went on a bad day, there’s a staff double discount event going on so all the shelves are especially empty because of that. Happens every time they do this event.

I agree - I only go if I have to get something asda specific. Everyone who works there seems grumpy and miserable- it used to looked like a fun place with staff huddles and greeters and the like.

Never any tills open and the self serve is super frustrating. My teens say its a horrible supermarket - they don't like the shopping environment.