Countdown – Rolleston Review : Tidy, clean and lots of parking

Countdown is one of 2 available supermarkets in the suburbial town of Rolleston, located about 12 kilometres from Hornby in Christchurch. It’s a good option for shopping as it has a great range of products at reasonable prices, offers free fruit for kids, and great parking.

The Experience

Before moving to the suburbial town of Rolleston, Pak ‘n’ Save was always my go-to supermarket. However, as there isn’t one in Rolleston, and the closest would mean a 12 kilometre drive into Hornby, I started shopping at Countdown. And to be honest, I’m more than happy. The prices are a little steeper, but the quality is definitely on the plus side.

A huge bonus for me, is the free fruit basket for kids that greets you when you walk in. Kids are notoriously hard to keep happy while doing the groceries, so this free fruit gets a huge thumbs up from me. Generally its just apples, but sometimes there are bananas or mandarins.

I do find the Gluten Free isle oddly placed and really annoying. It’s placed in the fresh produce/meat/deli area which is out of sync with your general shop. I always find myself realising I’ve missed things I need and having to go all the way back to the start.

Otherwise, not too many gripes. As always, there could be more isles open, but they pack your groceries for you which is another huge bonus on Pak ‘n’ Save.

Outside, car parking is great. The huge parking lot has trolley return isles every few metres, and there are a row of Parents parks right at the front that makes it much easier and safer with kids.