Tesco Express

Main complaint: Malfunctioning self scan till and unhelpful staff

I often go here and it is an ‘okay’ tescos, but this is the first time my experience was so bad that I wound up writing this lengthy review.

PLEASE AVOID the self scan till at the very left that is against the wall right next to the wine fridge!!! My payment did not come through DESPITE putting money in and resulted in me wasting my time arguing with the security and the lady at the till. I would give 1 star if I hadn’t been allowed to leave with my items by one of the staff.

I bought a pack of couscous and a tub of hummus which amounted to £2.04, and I inserted two £1 coins and two 2p pennies. HOWEVER, the machine did not read my payment and the remaining total stayed at £2.04. A few seconds later, the machine dispenses one £1 coin and a 5p coin (which I never inserted in the first place), the total remained unpaid at £2.04. I asked for help and explained my situation to the security; he inserted the £1 and 5p and SAW WITH HIS OWN EYES that the total remained UNPAID at £2.04. He then decided to just void my payment and tell me to pay at the cashier WITHOUT even explaining to her what happened. I explained to her what’s wrong and she just looked at me like I was stupid asking if I wanted to pay or not. I persisted and she wound up calling a male staff member (he let me go in the end), and the security came forward as well. I had to keep repeating myself that I HAVE paid but never got my money back and the security was raising his voice asking redundant questions like “where’s your receipt?” (which I would have never gotten if my payment never went through in the first place) and “then where’s your change?”. I persisted and finally said that he was the one who put the change in and saw with his own eyes that the money never got read. After a good five minutes the male staff member let me go with my items. As evidence, the metal detectors never went off when I left the store.

In addition, the security guard was chastising an older woman for putting items in her personal shopping bag instead of a basket. I think he was having a bad day and that compelled him to be ambitious in a negative way. I hope he feels better soon, but I now have a bad taste in my mouth about going there.

This was the only nearest store for me ibis Hotel. All day to day stuff you can get from here and at the best rate. No queue and the service is fast. You can also check-out by your own through the machine. Which was really time saving and convenient. Good store and good staff service.

No staff present, and the available staff was stocking up the shelves and was not ready to help me and my teacher that came in with me; but we eventually help ourselves. There are so many reduced prices on sandwiches, l wonder why????? Staff should engage more with the customers, otherwise there will be much more reductions. just saying!!!!!.

I was staying in a nearby hotel and awoke on Sunday morning with most places closed. However this Tesco Express does open early on a Sunday and four chocolate muffins for a quid did the trick.

The tills can never read my club card.
I stand there for several minutes trying to get it to read my QR code, try every angle possible, and it never scans. What is the point of creating a QR code if the tills can't read them?

Do not buy prepared fruits in this supermarket. I bought a fruit salad that was due date in a couple of days, despite that the fruits went bad already. I came back, the staff gave me a refund. I bought a different fruit bowl instead - the same story. The sandwiches also don’t taste fresh.

I mean it does the job some of the time when you need something with low expectations… however if the club card price doesn’t show up as marked on the item and you ask for assistance at the till, the cashier just takes it from you and is like ‘oh well too bad’ and just leaves you hanging there 😂 I don’t think the cashier is an idiot per se, just that the training of this staff is a joke.

Small store but good layout of products. Enough self service machines. Lighting appears poor as high shelves and tight walkways.