Tesco Express

It's been around two years since the Tesco store on Central street opened and the staff still don't know their P's from their Q's. They have no clue how to run a store and half the time the cash points aren't even manned. I am better off going to the Waitrose a couple of blocks further.....I shall never set foot in that store again.

I shop here several times a week and have done so ever since it opened @ 4 - 5 years ago. There is a much worse Tesco Express near the beginning of Hackney Road that makes this Tesco Express seem like Harrods in comparison. This Central Street Tesco Express is staffed by nice people who work very hard but are let down by Tesco head office all the time. Products are erratically stocked and long-standing popular products are suddenly stopped and never re-stocked, which is infuriating. I ask the 3 managers what's going on all the time and they can only tell me that they put in the orders but have to accept what HQ sends them. I've lost count of how many products routinely disappear from the shelves with no justifiable reason. I'm not talking about unpopular or expensive items either. A recent example: no matter what time of the day or evening I went into this store, it was impossible to buy a pint of semi-skimmed milk. For over three weeks, single pints were not being delivered although there were plenty of full fat and skimmed pints available. The managers told me repeatedly that they kept ordering them but that HQ simply wasn't sending them. And while we are spoilt for choice round here with 4 Tesco, 2 Waitrose, 2 Co-op and 1 Sainsbury Express all between St John's Street and Old Street roundabout, it's maddening to do a shop at Tesco only to have to walk further along to the Co-op just for a pint of milk. It's true that this little Tesco store gets busy because it's surrounded by student halls of residence, offices, private and council estates, and two sports centres thus there are always certain times during the day when it's very full and queues do form thanks to Tesco policy of understaffing to save money. However, the staff here currently are friendly and helpful, which is remarkable considering some of the abuse I've seen levelled at them due to Tesco HQ's inadequate stocking and staffing policies. These people get paid minimal wage, are worked ridiculously hard, endure customers misplaced anger and racist comments due to frustration at in-store problems that are the fault of Tesco HQ, not these over-worked and underpaid poor sods who are just trying to earn a living wage. These are my observations and not opinions expressed by any of the staff who remain discreet and loyal to Tesco, who, quite frankly, don't deserve such dedication for the peanuts they pay their staff while raising their prices beyond inflation rates and ignoring customer needs then leaving store managers to deal with the flack. To summarise: this Tesco Express store is a useful little pit-stop for the essentials and lunchtime snacks but, for greater choice and more checkouts, try the larger Tesco on St John's Street or the larger Waitress next door to it, or the large Co-op near Old Street roundabout.

There’s never any food in the bakery. I just want a packet of bloody cookies

IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ!!

This morning I went to buy and I saw that an employee sprays a chemical product on the fruits and vegetables with a spray can and when I asked what he was doing he disappeared in the employee entrance hiding the product under his jacket.

Nice local Tescos. However, it would be better if they restocked quicker and had more thiings

Properly one of the worse Tesco stores I’ve ever stepped foot in, they never have anything in this store, half of the staff don’t even know what there doing just standing around when the line is soo full up and couldn’t even be asked to help at the tills 🙄 the staff are soo slow aswell (paint could dry much quicker) the security guard is anoyying & rude, always following people around the shop, & always on his phone, this store needs to shut down and put a Morrisons or Aldi there

Evri label printer constantly faulty

Been here a few times now and it just gets worse every time. No onions, no cans of beans, no machines that accept cash. So there's always a queue of people gathering by the tills waiting for one staff member to serve them all. And today it was clear the staff have had it too as they could be heard complaining about the manager and lack or order or sensibility in the store. Onions are the basis of most meals please keep them in stock and have at least one self service checkout that accepts cash payments it would drastically improve the store