Waitrose Reviews 6,959

The recently renovated Muswell Hill branch had hyacinths, daffodils and jasmine pot plants that were dying for lack of water. They were still on sale with no reduction, probably would not survive. What a waste. In my view the shop had too many flowers and plants on sale.

well im done shopping there now period, after a sacking that man after he gave you years of service Ill shop anywhere sooner.

You don’t deserve loyal employees !! Regardless of your rules after 17 years as a loyal employee a stern warning would have sufficed. You disgust me !!! your the reason why these thieves are targeting retail stores and driving customers away typical two tier justice and your employee is on receiving end.
I hope there’s someone out there willing to offer this gentleman a job so he doesn’t end up homeless because of your pathetic actions !!

What went wrong this time? Indeed.
To hear that an employee had been sacked for trying to stop theft from Waitrose Clapham branch really upset me.
Yes, the employee lost his cool. As someone who has worked in retail, I know that this is the cardinal sin - I had signed a letter for my employer saying 'The customer is always right'.
But we are not now living in the world of genteel blandishments. That employee was doing his best, as he had done for 17 years.
For Waitrose to use its middle class card to ruin this man's life turns my stomach.
I am inclined to stop shopping in Waitrose, because every time I visit a store, I will think of that employee and the impact of his employers in his life - airbrushing him out to try to keep their fig leaf of 'niceness'.

My experience is reading about an employee of yours in London who was sacked for trying to stop a shoplifter from stealing Easter eggs and got the sack from doing this
He should have been rewarded for his bravery if this is how you treat your staff I wouldn't want to work for you
Nor shop in your stores.

Generally ok, but overpriced. Annoyed that they sacked a member of staff for trying to stop a shoplifter...

So an employee worked there for 17 years, they intervened trying to stop a shoplifter and they get fired for this? Shame on you Waitrose, shame on you! I can happily take my money elsewhere and stop shopping at a place that treats their staff so appalingly - shame on you.
Full story here in the guardian:

Waitrose employee sacked after stopping shoplifter from taking Easter eggs

I am utterly horrified to hear of your sacking of Walker Smith from your Clapham store. I beg you to reinstate him. If you do not, he will lose his home - he has only just managed to get his own tiny bedsit after living in HMOs for 25 years. Do you have any idea what that means? Please also read the book 'Tenants'. Please, reinstate this loyal employee and make reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act for his anxiety disorder.

I got Waitrose peanut butter in my online order. Ido not care what they say about 100% peanuts it is an unpleasant product. The is no way that amount of oil will be generated from pressing the peanuts. What do people do with the product because you cannot use it the American way .. peanut and jelly sandwiches.
I really like my Esher branch because the staff are super friendly and helpful, but in the end I go home with products. Very much below standard.
In every 3:pack veg or fruit l is rotten or about to go off.
Wet carrots… that’s a new one!
What is happening to Waitrose. The store is always nice and clean, staff lovely so why not care about your produce.

As I informed Tom Kenyard they ceo of waitrose his office of they behaver
Of they security guard at they store bays water and having no general management but headless supervises with no experience in management but a security guard making women feel unsafe buy he looks at them and younger women which I have notice my self and my own family had informed me of his conduct so as my wife feels uncomfortable shopping there I must go and was spending £300.00 per month so 3 weeks ago It was Sunday I was going up they store with my trolley out of know were he appears in front of my trolley I asked him to move he says white man go around me so go to sirvice desk to ask for a manager because of what was happening with this security guard as I was talking to this supervisor she says no manager sin than me I explained to her what happened she says you white people think because yous have money are better than us black people I was then told get out and take your money with you and don't enter John Lewis ether as I have been away on business I return last week go back in they store to speak with sin manager but to be told no manager comes much so this security guard appears and kicks off again no wonder this store is making a loss and mark's and spacers are now giving great service better food and cheaper than waitrose in bays water good for M&S shame on you Tom Kenyard so called CEO

Bought some cheese which was awful. Rubbery and tasteless. Complained to their customer service. after sending the same information to 3 separate people, I got and email telling me that they were sending me a £3 e voucher by email, Never arrived

Waitrose Comely Bank. Broken down lifts, empty shelves and too few working staff. Lots of ‘managers’ gossiping in gaggles while the shop-floor staff struggle to stay on top.

I get that it is Easter, and busy, but surely you order more for that eventuality? It’s not a complicated business retail - offer things to buy, and folk will buy.

In protest I abandoned my trolley half full of food and walked out.

John Lewis has clearly lost its way. The department store is empty and exhausted, and now Waitrose is going the same way. I think it’s lucky that JL has no investors. If it did, they would pull the plug.

Tyres, the driver that today delivered my shopping, has been extremely helpful, he did an exceptional job and really appreciate it

Purchased 'fresh' chicken breasts that we cooked according to instructions but the result was horrendous - it was like chewing on leather. Clearly meat from an old rooster or laying hen.
Bearing in mind we have been customers for years and consistently spend thousands of pounds each year on groceries and electrical items via John Lewis they didn't believe us when we complained and insisted on packaging photographs before considering a refund. Bearing in mind we are only talking about £4.99 we felt we were being treated like criminals. If they had any idea about customer service they would at least have a house rule whereby the word of good customers would be taken at face value up to a limit say of £10 per item.

£40 minimum on delivery is ridiculous, but fine, you're greedy. But £40 minimum on click and collect too?!?! you may as well check people's bank account before you let them in the store "sorry peasants! shop somewhere else you poor moneyless trash!", that is what you are saying to people. I just wanted to order an Easter egg for my sister when I'm living half way around the world and I miss her.

Waitrose and their "Little Treat" masquerades. They’ll wave a shiny bauble, a delightful pot of jam one moment, then a frankly uninspiring packet of crumpets the next. And here I am, bracing myself for whatever pathetic offering they'd conjure up next, only to find… nothing. Absolutely nothing.

My account proved we'd cleared their spending hurdle. On the thirty-first of March, I sent my son, to surpass that mark, and he did. Yet, inexplicably, Waitrose, a company of such supposed standing, cannot fathom the simple task of issuing a voucher. It beggars belief that a high-street retailer can’t manage a bit of basic arithmetic. Now I’m reduced to scrutinising every single transaction with them, my eyes peeled like a hawk.

I dispatched an email, quite reasonably expecting that voucher to materialise as if by magic. But no, they cling stubbornly to their assertion that the required amount was never met. The threshold for spending on that fateful day was under seven pounds. My son spent over seven pounds. Either Waitrose’s grasp of mathematics is as rudimentary as a toddler's, or there’s a plot at play here.

But that, my friends, is just the appetiser. When you're judging a company, its history speaks volumes, and the most recent offences usually shout the loudest. My son, you see, must be meticulously covered up in public due to his autism and a profound aversion to germs. And what do you know? Security barred him from entering the shop because he dared to wear a face mask. Their head office claims ignorance. Either their local management is ... or the higher-ups are fully aware and simply deny the truth.

We are discussing a mentally disabled man being denied entry while trying to shop for his disabled mother. How a company handles such predicaments reveals their true colours.

And the belligerent staff, that's a saga spanning *decades*. From nineteen ninety-three right up to this very moment. There was one particularly memorable instance where a staff member, with irrefutable facts at her fingertips, accused my son Nick of outright lying. Then, as if that weren't enough, she demanded a search. I was incandescent with rage, naturally, and contacted head office. And their response? The branch manager sanctions this very behaviour. Well, I have a message for Waitrose: the laws of this land apply to your shops too, whether you choose to acknowledge them or not.

I patronise their establishment for their superior foodstuffs - many patronise us in return.

I do so remotely, mind you, for I am housebound, battling two cancers. Most of their human foibles, I’ve learned to overlook, to let slide. But these three incidents are beyond the pale, utterly, unequivocally unacceptable. I’ve never escalated matters to an ombudsman, primarily due to our chronic health struggles, but honestly, they’ve earned it.

There are the staff issues, the suspect "sweet treats," and the pervasive mould problems that plague their stores, particularly in the cheese aisle. I've had to drag my son back to return items frequently, and goodness knows how many more we've simply tossed aside. My germophobic son recoils from mould, and forcing him to trek for miles to return these contaminated products is a genuinely harrowing experience for him. And all of it, mind you, remained sealed, kept diligently in the fridge, well within its expiry date. Yet here we are.

High costs do reign, and shops oft cringe and bow, Yet Waitrose name doth not such acts allow. Our coin they crave, yet courtesy's denied, Good breeding's lack, where honour should abide.

I’ve just visited the Muswell Hill Waitrose and the store looks great after the renovation ,it’s a big improvement. However, my experience was let down by a member of staff who has been there for some time. On several occasions she has come across as quite rude, and this evening (around 8:15pm) was no exception. When I asked where to pay by cash, she gestured for me to move my basket but spoke so quietly that it wasn’t clear what she had said. Another customer and I even looked at each other, unsure of what was going on, and I felt uncomfortable asking her to repeat herself. I was then left waiting without any clear indication of whether I would be served, which added to the confusion. The store was also virtually empty at the time, which made the lack of communication even more noticeable. Thankfully, I was eventually helped by a very polite and friendly member of staff. I did share my disappointment with him, as the difference in attitude was very noticeable.
It’s a shame, as the store itself is lovely, but customer service like this really impacts the overall experience , especially when there are other supermarkets to choose from in the area. This took place around 8:15 pm

I like Waitrose and trust their integrity so have been very disappointed with the books they stock - they need to take more care choosing quality books.

Invasion has disturbing scenes - descriptions of sexual slavery and intermezzo by Sally Rooney is basically sordid porn to soften grief. Neither book should be stocked by Waitrose - below your standards. Jez

I am a frequent visitor to Havant Waitrose branch , and on visiting on 9/3/2026 between the hours of
3-4pm this is what happened :

Absolutely disgusted ,with 2 of the staff in Waitrose Havant . every item I scanned at self service ,up until I finished and "PAID" I was closely watched by an assistant close by ,(less than 3ft away ) which made me feel very uncomfortable, why I ask  ? 
I then sat on bench inside shop ,and  phoned for my taxi and on it arriving, and me going through the exit the wheels locked on the trolley, another assistant then came and  questioned me, and asked did I have a receipt for my goods etc .
I am a 71yr old and a senior citizen , and have never felt so humiliated .
The Havant store is one that I visit many times, and have done in the past with my late husband .

Very poor quality food and very poor value in thier cafe .
We'll never go back