Co-op Food - Lancing - North Road

Reviews

• DD

  Dani

  Jul 14, 2026
  1.0
  Staff are rarely available at the self-checkouts, so when a machine needs approval you're often left waiting several minutes just to get someone's attention. Given how sensitive these machines are, this happens all the time. During my last visit, I waited 5 minutes just to get a staff member's attention for a machine ID check. When I did, she responded to me with an instant coldness. Then she refused to approve an energy drink purchase, so I returned it and accidentally picked up another energy drink, triggering a second ID check. Expecting another refusal, I swapped it for a Coke, only to find she'd approved the second energy drink while I was away, forcing me to swap it back again. Either she believed I looked underage and broke the law moments later, or she never genuinely thought I looked underage in the first place. Neither outcome is good for customers. For comparison, a Tesco cashier of the same age (who's the inverse, lovely and helpful) recently laughed when the same drink triggered an ID check, saying, "I think we can allow you to have that," because I'm clearly in my 30s. The issue wasn't the ID check itself — it was the attitude. The same cashier spent several minutes taking what sounded like a social call behind the counter while customers waited. Then, she came over at a comically slow pace, making passive-aggressive comments about me (who'd gone out of my way to get her attention twice now) to other customers along the way (unorganically, as they were clearly caught surprised to be spoken to). What should have been a 2-minute checkout for 5 items ended up taking around 18 minutes, making me late for a meeting. It's worth mentioning I'm a visibly queer person. I can't say whether that played any part in how I was treated, but having experienced strangers taking an immediate dislike to me before over observed flamboyance, it certainly felt familiar. In either case, I no longer feel welcome shopping here. This wasn't an isolated impression. Over the 19 years I've lived locally, I've repeatedly seen the same types of older staff members display the same cold attitude towards other customers. The atmosphere here is in stark contrast to the nearby Tesco or Asda, and it feels completely at odds with the Co-op brand. This review has been a long time coming. Avoid.