Boots — Local services in London

Worst experience I’ve ever had. The staff were incredibly rude, and I felt racially profiled. I deposited five items at this store to earn recycling rewards. At the counter, I scanned my Boots Advantage Card and told the staff I wanted to use the reward. Without hesitation, she asked, ‘Is it a picture?’ I replied, ‘No, it’s from the Recycle App.’ She then asked, ‘What app is that?’ I explained again that it was the Boots Recycle App, feeling confused as to why a staff member wouldn’t know this.

She then demanded I show her the app on my phone to prove it wasn’t just a photo. So, I scrolled through my open apps and showed her the Boots Recycle App. Still, she insisted, ‘Close it and reopen it.’ At this point, I felt extremely disrespected. I couldn’t understand why she kept making me prove it again and again. Was it because I’m an Asian woman?

From the start, I showed her the app politely, which displayed the current time and countdown for the reward’s expiration. I followed her instructions because I was busy, but it felt unnecessary. After I reopened the app and showed her the barcode under the rewards section, she paused for a few seconds, visibly disappointed. It was clear she regretted that I had followed the rules and proven her wrong. She didn’t apologise, didn’t explain her behaviour, and remained cold and dismissive throughout.

Boots, could you please clarify if everyone using the Recycle Rewards in your store is required to go through all these checks? I have deposited items 9 times, and this is the first time I have been treated like this. Otherwise, I can’t help but feel that her behaviour was influenced by racism. She had no reason to keep questioning me unless she believed I was untrustworthy because of my race. This experience was...

Massively overcrowded but I suppose this is to be expected from a large store in a Westfield mall. Worse was that I felt as though I was being watched constantly by staff even though I was friendly, neat in appearance, and already holding bags from other stores (not that those things should matter at all when it comes to how you treat customers, but I think I was the opposite of suspicious!)

I asked for an item from one of the counters and was not allowed to have this with me while I browsed the other lines, which is fair enough for security reasons in such a large shop, but when I went back to pay I was served by the same member of staff who gave me the wrong shade. I didn't notice this until I got home and thus I had to come back to exchange it.

This was a waste of my time and the whole experience made me feel uncomfortable as I do not receive the same treatment elsewhere even when far scruffier. Since the makeup counters at this branch don't offer the same 5 star service as at smaller Boots branches I would personally only come here to pick up something out of stock anywhere else or to browse the more affordable lines. I would suggest you save your time, money, and dignity by shopping at the individual shops available in the mall such as Nars...

The customer service at this store is extremely poor. I have made several purchases recently, and unfortunately, in every experience I noticed a lack of professionalism and willingness to assist customers.

On my first visit, in the Dior makeup section, I spent a considerable amount of money, but the sales assistant did not even bother to test the correct shade for my skin. She showed no interest in explaining the products or offering any guidance. Instead, I had to insist, ask for the right shades myself, and even suggest which products she should look for so that I could make my purchase. Her attitude was completely unhelpful and careless.

On another day, in the pharmacy section, I experienced the same type of poor service. The staff member refused to look for an alternative medication simply because it was not immediately visible on the shelf behind them. Once again, it was clear that there was no willingness to help.

Overall, the service at this store is very disappointing, showing a serious lack of professionalism and customer care. I sincerely hope that the store management addresses these issues and invests in proper training for...