Northampton Asda store described as "Covid nightmare" by unhappy shopper

An unhappy shopper has slammed the Asda in Kingsthorpe as a "Covid nightmare" after visiting the supermarket over the weekend (Sunday, February 14).

The person, who wishes to remain anonymous, said: "Kingsthorpe Asda is a Covid nightmare. It's packed, they have no security, customers all over each other, people not wearing masks, no social distancing."

However, an Asda spokesperson confirmed that it is always monitoring the number of customers in store.

The unhappy shopper continued: "I spoke to the poor guy cleaning baskets as you go in, most likely on low pay. He has tried to tell people [to follow the rules], but management don't support him and he gets told not to challenge customers.

"So I spoke to the store manager, I asked where security was and why is the one-way system not being used. They [security] have had no support from Asda HQ and have not been advised to boost Covid measures. The measures are lower than when the pandemic started.

"He [store manager] said they were expecting a traffic-light system, however that was a week ago. I called customer service to complain, I was advised they would pass my concerns on.

"I asked to speak to senior management and I was told that they will make contact in 48 hours. Obviously they didn't.

"On Saturday (February 13) at 2pm, it was the the same. The staff are keyworkers, I'm a keyworker, the store managers are keyworkers - where do staff stand if they get Covid or die from it? Is Asda failing to care for staff and customers?"

An Asda spokesman responded by saying the company has extensive measures in place and that it continues to follow the government's Covid guidelines.

The spokesman said: ‘‘We continue to monitor the number of customers in our stores and we have extensive measures in place such as Covid marshals, protective screens, social distancing signage and numerous hand sanitiser stations.

"Our customers can rest assured that we continue to follow all government guidance as we have since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

"We have security colleagues and Covid safety marshals at the front of our stores to remind customers of the need to wear a face covering and to provide masks free of charge to anyone who doesn’t have their own.

"The retail industry has documented verbal and physical abuse directed towards shop workers during the pandemic and we will not place colleagues in a position that puts their personal safety at risk.’’