Co-op Food - Wanstead

"It is never my first choice but it has a bit of everything and quick self-checkout tills."

"Poor selection that hasn’t changed in years, but the staff are the worst part. Most of them are crazy rude. Honestly had to update this review. Tonight I was being lazy and deliverood my dinner. The Wanstead coop said there wasn’t and lasagne, basically stopping all of the rest of the order, delivered it, I forgot something small so had to go in to the store and there was a full shelf of the lasagne I wanted. The place is terrible."

"On 13th July and tried to use one of the self-service tills (the only one available at that time - the till closest to the exit) but there was a charge on the till, the one furthest from the exit was closed and there were two customers using the self service tills in the middle. I then went to the counter - there were two members of staff behind the tills and no customers, the oldest member of staff had a basket full of shopping (but there was no customer at her till) the other member of staff claimed that she was busy doing something (she appeared to be doing nothing), I turned back and the second self-service till (closest to the exit) had become available. I scanned and paid for my shopping and began to exit the store - I believe by that stage the old member of staff had moved from behind the till and another member of staff had gone behind the tills (so two staff are behind the tills and the old woman has moved to the self-service tills out front). I was near the exit when I was called back - by the old woman but also by the other members of staff now behind the tills, I returned and the old woman directed me to the third self-service till (which an old English man had been trying to use) and told me that I had not paid for my shopping. I protested that I had paid, that that was not the till I'd used (at that point another customer was using the till I'd used - the only working till). I was not believed and she was insisting I pay. It was only when the English man said that he was using the self-service till that the old member of staff pointed to, that I was told by her: 'Okay, then go'. No apology, just 'Okay, then go'. It is interesting that I was the only black customer in the store. It is interesting that I was only believed when the English man said that he had tried to use the till she was pointing to not me. This is clearly racial profiling (as a number of people were using the tills but I’m the only one called back), but also racial bias in that my word was not as important as the English mans. All members of staff involved appeared to be the same ethnicity (now I don't know their background so I' using 'appeared') and the only black customer (amongst white/English customers) was accused of stealing. After I complained the manager reviewed the CCTV and then tried to down play the profiling in an email, and claimed that the fact that I did 'not have a satisfactory shopping experience highlighted the need for customer service training’. I was due to meet him this morning to try to make him understand that this is only in part about training and it is also about racism, but I thought 'what's the point'!, there are always going to be people in the world that will deny racist practices by staff because it makes them and their company look bad. So I chose to put this review online - hopefully they will try to manage the problems with the store. I would give 0 stars if it was possible. I will never shop in the Coop again."

"It's a decent little local co-op. An average selection of general produce placed alongside a pretty exceptional range of wines and beers - a bit out of kilter with the rest of the store. Head-Office must employ a good wine-buyer. Till staff have slightly grumpy tendencies in my experience. Helpful...but seemingly uninspired with the task placed in front of them."

"Employees don't wear masks properly: always under their chin, even when talking with customers. I've seen many people without a mask inside as well. Service is also bad. Once, the lady at the till scanned the wrong barcode (the full price one instead of the discounted one) and if I wasn't a person that always checks receipts after groceries, I wouldn't have noticed it. I had to go back and ask for a refund. I wonder if cleaning standards and social distancing are followed properly as I always notice employees chatting in group when coming from the back of the store. They don't care to keep a distance from customers and from each other, which would be maybe acceptable if they were wearing a mask."