The store with the fastest queue is revealed.. as we explain how to beat the wait at the tills
A test by Which? saw mystery shoppers to join 96 queues in Britain's four biggest supermarkets, revealing that the average wait sees us hanging around for just two minutes and 43 seconds
A STUDY exploring queue times at the nation's biggest supermarkets has named and shamed the UK's slowest store, as well as offering tips to beat the lines and save time at the checkout.
A test by saw mystery shoppers to join 96 queues in Britain's four biggest supermarkets, revealing that the average wait sees us hanging around for around three minutes before our bags start to be packed.
But not all supermarkets are so efficient, with Asda taking the unwanted accolade of slowest supermarket, forcing customers to wait in line for up to 12 minutes and 48 seconds before they reach the till at peak times.
This wait sees customers at Asda queue for 5 times longer than the UK average, although a typical wait at Asda comes in at 4 minutes and 52 seconds.
However, Asda denied that they offered such a slow experience, with a spokesperson saying: "The results from Which? are at odds with our own internal data, which tells us that the average wait at a manned till is just under two minutes."
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Compared to a typical experience at Morrisons, Sainsbury's or Asda, it's Tesco customers who are faced with the quickest queues.
You can only expect to wait for around 2 minutes and 43 seconds before you reach the tills at Tesco, making it the speediest supermarket out of the Big Four when it comes to queue times.
Coming in at second place, Morrisons customers have to hang around for 2 minutes and 47 seconds on average, whilst a typical Sainsbury's shop will see you facing a 3 minute and 10 second wait before your produce is being scanned and bagged.
Consumer watchdog Which? also suggested some ways you can beat the queues next time you go shopping, starting with the choice between self-service and manned tills.
Average queuing time
- Asda: 4m 52s
- Sainsbury's: 3m 10s
- Morrisons: 2m 47s
- Tesco: 2m 43s
Although most customers would rather deal with a real person, automated tills lead to quicker queues, according to the group's researchers.
And research has also suggested that shoppers instinctively join queues on the right of a bank of tills, meaning you may have more luck if you join a line on the left-hand side.
Another thing to remember is that joining a queue behind shoppers with full trolleys doesn't necessarily mean a longer wait to be served.
Given the time it takes to pay for your shopping, you'd be better off joining a queue behind two full trolleys than six half-empty baskets.
Queuing was found by Which? to be the biggest gripe for British shoppers, with the vast majority of us ranking it as the biggest frustration involved with doing a weekly shop.
And the survey of 1,239 Brits also found that we are particularly wound up by queue jumpers and stores where the system for queuing isn't clear.