Heron (Shop)

This medium sized chain of stores is an absolute godsend for any one living on their own or to a tight budget. Branded goods at lower than most supermarkets.
My main gripe is that the stores are very cramped. I have visited at least six stores and all seem to have been built on plots no bigger than the penalty box of a football pitch!

Identifying a Heron Shop
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They seem to be undergoing a slight re-branding as they have dropped Frozen Foods from their title and the front of the stores are turning more yellow than before. Once you make your way through the slightler smaller than usual and heavy door, you are met with a block of freezers and high shelves. The decor isn't anything to write home about and it totally gives you the impression of a company who dos not care or spend lots on its image.
The walls are clad in blue and grey stripes. this is, I believe, to give the impression of the arctic as these are definately cold colours.

Locations
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The stores that I have visited include Scunthorpe, Ashby, Lincoln, Mablethorpe, Barton and Bridlington although I have also seem them in Skegness, Scarborough, Gainsborough and Grimsby. They have numerous branches in Hull and I can remember one in the City Centre and one on Hessle Road. I have been informed by a family member that they have their head office close to the Hessle Road store.
I am not sure how many stores they have but they do seem to be in the Northern Counties.
No doubt someone will prove me wrong but they concentrate their stores within established, traditional shopping areas. they do not site stores in out-of-town or edge of town areas. Granted that some people wil count suburbs of larger cities as edge/out of town, but if there are traditional shops around it, I am not counting this as out of town!

Brands and Prices
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As I have said before, top notch brands at next to nowt! One great offer (not necessarily available at time of reading due to the company's nature) is the packs of Birds Eye Steamfresh Garden Peas. You can buy them individually for 39p or get 3 packs for £1. Also, Fox's mints, normal, fruit or Liqourice and Aniseed, for 59p a bag!!
They do have lesser known brands that are tarred with the no-frills brush, such as Green Isle. Also, alhough not officially titled, they effectively have their own brand. These are normally see-through bags or white containers with a simple label saying what it is and the ingredients contained therein. The one factor that makes me say it is their brand is that their address is printed at the bottom of the label!
One word of warning, some items are so special that they are not repeated. My nephew told me about a ready meal at the bargain price of 99p made by Birds Eye, only to be told by staff that they had sold out and would not probably be re-stocking that item.

Customer Service and Accessibility
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I have first hand experience of problems encountered by disabled persons as I am confined to a wheelchair.
Heron stores are not feindly for independant disabled shoppers, you will need an able bodied helper. Not least for the heavy door to gain entry but to get things from the high shelves and to hold the freezer lids whilst I get out of them the products I wish to purchase.
The staff are friendly and in the main helpful, but the store layout does not help one bit.
Not only do I have to employ a one-way tour around the store, in most of them it is the same if you load a trolley. The checkout area is side on to a wall so only one queue forms for two or three tills which I find less than ideal.
The slightly larger stores have wire dump baskets that you have to negotiate.
All I ask is that Heron review accessibility and more of my less able friends would be able to enjoy the bargains I obtain with the help of my nephew.

Helpful extra information that I can provide includes debit card facilities. They did stop taking cheques but I think they have started again but there is a minimum spend. Saving Stamps are no longer available.

I hope you have enjoyed my first attempt to write on here, thanks for reading!