Waitrose is the UK’s favourite supermarket while bargain superstores Aldi and Lidl came joint third in a survey from consumer magazine Which?

The ‘big four’ supermarkets – Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Asda and Morrisons – may be where most Which? members did their main shop, but customer satisfaction scores ranged from just 49% to 58%

Waitrose won first place with happy customers giving it a rating of 79%, with one commenting on the ‘superior quality of food’ and another describing shopping there as ‘a pleasure’. The store only fell down in terms of price. M & S came second with a rating of 64%. Aldi and Lidl were in joint third place with a score of 61%. These bargain superstores matched the big four on product quality, including the quality of fresh fruit and veg, but beat them on price. However, the smaller range of products may be why shoppers were more likely to use these for a ‘top up’ shop rather than their main shop.

Bargain shopping baskets alone clearly weren’t enough to win shoppers’ approval - Netto was bottom of the league, with a poor customer score of just 41%. One member likened their experience in the store to ‘shopping in a junk shop’.

Which? Chief Executive, Peter Vicary-Smith, says:

“The success of some budget supermarkets in our survey proves that savvy shoppers can make the most of their money without compromising on quality.

“UK shoppers want the whole package – great value for money, a wide range of quality products, and a pleasant shopping environment. It’s not rocket science, but those supermarkets that consistently get it wrong should beware – shoppers will vote with their feet and take their business elsewhere.”

Online supermarkets tended to fare better than their high street counterparts, although their position in the league table remains broadly the same, with Waitrosedeliver.com coming joint top with Ocado, with an 80% satisfaction score.

The full report, Supermarkets: Do you feel satisfied?, is from the February 2010 issue of Which? magazine.

Which? surveyed 13,025 Which? online panel members in November 2009.

The customer scores combine overall satisfaction and likelihood to recommend to a friend. Stores were also given ‘star ratings’ out of five for price, product quality, customer service, filling your trolley (stock, range and ease of finding products) and store environment (tidiness, queuing and trolleys). Online ratings include delivery (punctuality and convenient delivery slots) and order accuracy (substitutions, missing, wrong or damaged items).