Tesco Extra — Local services in Reading

Tesco Extra aims to be a one-stop shop for all household needs, and for the most part, it succeeds in offering a vast selection of groceries and a decent range of home and living supplies. However, the customer experience can be a mixed bag, particularly regarding staff interaction and certain operational aspects.

Experiences with staff at Tesco Extra can vary significantly. Encountering helpful and friendly employees, especially in specific departments like self-service or those providing assistance with locating items, there are also instances of less positive interactions. Sometimes there are other issues with professionalism, such as staff chatting amongst themselves while customers wait, or a perceived lack of attentiveness. Management approach can also impact staff morale and, consequently, customer service, is another area where staff overworked or unsupported. Overall, while many staff members strive to be helpful and professional, consistency can be an issue across different stores and even within departments.

Tesco Extra stores are generally well-regarded for their extensive product variety. Beyond the vast grocery selection, they offer a considerable array of home and living supplies, including soft furnishings, bedding, photo frames, small furniture items, cookware, and small kitchen appliances. This wide range contributes to the "one-stop shop" appeal, making it convenient for shoppers to pick up both their weekly groceries and household essentials. However, there are occasional issues with empty shelves, particularly in the evenings, which can be frustrating for shoppers.

Tesco Extra stores typically boast generous-sized car parks, which is a significant advantage for shoppers. There is ample parking spaces, ease of access, and convenience. Some car parks are also well-lit and offer reserved spaces for parents and disabled individuals. For those looking to combine shopping with other activities, some Tesco Extra car parks are also conveniently located for access to public transport or nearby attractions. However, isolated incidents of car damage though this is not a widespread complaint directly related to the car park's design or management.

My overall impression of Tesco Extra excels in its broad product offering, particularly for groceries and a substantial range of home and living items, and generally provides convenient and spacious parking. The staff experience, while often positive, can be inconsistent, with some areas needing improvement in terms of universal helpfulness and professionalism. For a large weekly shop and a wide selection of goods, Tesco Extra remains a popular choice, though individual store...

This review is mainly regarding the petrol station at the Napier Road (Reading) Tesco Extra store.

I am a wheelchair user & find it impossible to put fuel in my car myself, so I always make a point of going to petrol stations where I can be sure of getting assistance.

My usual store (and petrol station) is at Pinchington Lane, Newbury and cannot praise them enough for their standard of customer service.

However, today, as I was in Reading for a medical appointment & needed a few items from the store & fuel I went into the Napier Road, Reading (Extra) store. The fact that the fuel at the Napier Road store was a lot cheaper than the Newbury store was a "bonus".

The store was fine, very clean and well laid out (and the aisles well signposted, important for us as we don't go into that store often).

At NO POINT did we see any signs (either in the approach to the store, the approach to the fuel station or in store) saying that the petrol station was "undermanned" So we thought we would have no problems getting assistance at the petrol station.

However, there was only ONE person in the petrol kiosk, she had NO clue (or at least appeared to have no clue) what a blue (disabled) badge is and had to be "prompted" by another customer that we needed assistance.

Rather than advising us that she was on her own & asking if we could wait for a colleague from the store to come over to assist, she spent the next 10 minutes faffing about.

She didn't appear to understand that when she picked up the pump nozzle & then put it down again, she would have to go back into the kiosk to reset the pump!!

All this while other customers were driving in, trying to fill up, not realising that there was no-one on the kiosk to press the appropriate pump number button.

She then returned to the kiosk (leaving my fuel cap FULLY OPEN, which anyone knows is a fire safety risk!!!) to "call someone".

When she hadn't returned in 10 minutes, I asked another customer to close my fuel cap so I could drive away and find a petrol station that was properly manned with staff who know what they are doing!

The lesson here is, disabled drivers need to avoid this petrol station like the plague!

My one question is WHY on earth does this store have a "ServiceCall" (a device which disabled drivers can trigger, to summon assistance) at their petrol station when the kiosk is not manned with enough staff to render the assistance (or at least enough staff that know what they are doing) requested??

It's a good job that I still had enough fuel to get to a different petrol station - one that knows what "good customer service"...

I went to go shopping here at 22.50pm on 6th July 2019 bearing in mind that this store is supposed to stay open until midnight which leaves me an hour and 10 mins and all I needed was a handful of items. As I approached the entrance the security guard stopped me in my tracks telling me bluntly "we are closed you'll have to get out" in a very rude voice. I told him nicely that it says on their website that they are open until midnight and that the time was 10.50pm and I also said I only needed a few things. He said "I don't care what you need you have to get out". At this point the security guard is getting ruder and ruder. He then goes mad at me telling me I'm holding him up and he needs to go home. I then showed him on my phone that it says on the Tesco website that they are still open for another hour and 10 minutes. He then started shouting at me saying "I don't bloody care what it says on the website if I tell you we are closed then we are close". I'm shocked as to how the security man treated me and he then did the same to every other very confused customer that tried to enter the shop. This is unacceptable behaviour from a Tesco employee who should be sacked for his rude behaviour!! I then purchased one item and as I walked out I said to the security man "thank you and goodnight" he didn't say anything back but he did slam the door in a very angry rude way. So this is the last time I shop at Tesco who treat they're customers appallingly. I'll stick to other supermarkets from now on. I will also be reporting this to the tesco...