Boots — Local services in London

I’ve been meaning to write a little review of this branch for ages. The staff are consistently really nice, both the pharmacy staff and the sales staff. I’ve needed some advice from a pharmacist about medicine for my child before, and was treated with sympathy and kindness (I was asking lots of questions because I was worried at the time), and I’ve also received helpful advice when asking about things for myself.

I often get click-and-collect orders delivered here, and I almost always make additional in-store purchases when I visit to collect. I’ve found that the staff are efficient at managing the processes in tandem, and I’ve never been kept waiting unnecessarily. I’m very surprised to see some people have left negative reviews, because I’ve only ever seen the staff at this branch being very nice and patient - and especially so with customers who need help. This neighbourhood has lots of older (80+) residents who are still quite independent, and I’ve seen the staff here take great care to communicate clearly with them, encourage them to sit while their prescription is being prepared, and so on. (This is notable sadly because nowadays so many people, especially retail staff, just treat older people as inconveniences - so this Boots branch is quite different to lots of other places in that respect, and it’s great that the staff care enough to do so.) My own observation is that the staff here are helpful and professional, even if the customer in question is being actually quite rude to them, which I’ve unfortunately seen a few times. For example, I’ve seen people trying to insist that the pharmacist dispense prescription-only medicine that hasn’t actually been prescribed for them - and the pharmacist on duty has to patiently explain why that won’t be possible, despite the person being angry and pushy trying to get what they want.

If I was minded to say anything negative about this branch, it would only be that the shop itself is very small, so when it’s busy, it can be quite hard to work out where to stand while you wait! But I’d prefer to focus on the positive thing instead, which is the nice staff - and they get five...

Waited 15 minutes to see the pharmacist and put in a prescription as both she and the cashier/manager were overly busy serving and chatting and didn’t seem aware of anyone else. When I did manage to get served as by then a large queue had formed the cashier interrupted me 3 times and was told to come back in about 5-6 days. I was not given correct information which resulted in me being left without my regular medication. There was no apology or real concern for their mistake just told to call my doctor (at nearly 6 o’clock) I thought as its local it would be convenient but should have listened to my friend who had gone elsewhere as they did...

Really poor. Meant to open at 11am. Staff present and lights on. Doors not open at 11.05am. Call to store, and told 'we're waiting for a pharmacist, we'll be open soon'. When asked why they weren't bothering to tell anyone waiting outside that, or put a sign up, the staff member lied and said they had told them. As the person waiting right outside the door, I know this to be wholly untrue. The 5 mins or so delay is fine - things happen. The...