A visit to the refitted Morrisons in Camden on Saturday afternoon was revealing. One morning, in the autumn last year, the suits were out in force admiring the change that had been wrought in the store following a makeover.

A visit to the refitted Morrisons in Camden on Saturday afternoon was revealing. One morning, in the autumn last year, the suits were out in force admiring the change that had been wrought in the store following a makeover. And certainly, at the entrance, things were different.

Pride of place had been a freestanding unit filled with posh veg, asparagus and suchlike, which had a continuous stream of mist cascading over it, giving the impression of one of those upscale Continental supermarkets. Beyond this lay more wood clad units and all looked good.

On Saturday however, things were different once more. The units were still in place, but they were, to a degree that was very apparent, close to being two-thirds empty and it was only around 3pm. The staff were charming and worked off their feet. And therein lay another problem. Layouts having been changed it was difficult to find what was where in the new scheme of things and there was nobody to help – all had their work cut out.

Even the wood-clad raised sentry post with the words “Here to help” above it, appeared to have been deserted. If you did find what you wanted, it was actually pretty good, but it was an uphill struggle and while great care seemed to have been lavished on selecting new equipment for parts of the shop, housekeeping seemed to have been overlooked.

And there perhaps was the point. This was a store that seemed to have been given no more than half a makeover and once you got beyond the fresh area, much of what was on view was the same old same old, with the addition of a few new graphics.

So to the checkouts – which were busy. So busy in fact that long queues had formed and there was no separate line for those with baskets. In fairness, there were the self-serve checkouts, but these seemed to be straining under the onslaught and not all were working.

Morrisons has not fared well over the Christmas period and on the evidence of the Camden store, which is a reasonably large affair, the reasons for this seem clear. A few months on from being refurbished this store looks unloved and understaffed. There is every reason to suppose that Camden is not alone in this and if it is indeed typical, then the supermarket’s problems are about more than just being late arrivals at the convenience and online balls.

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