July 2025 by ash
3x the average retail price, don't bother
June 2025 by Michael James Lawrence
Good store with post office and smyths children?s toy store hidden upstairs. Sad to see the friar street entrance is blocked off now.
March 2025 by George
If you want to feel like a criminal come here and be followed by the staff as you browse.
February 2025 by Reilly Hewitson
Installed some sort of high pitched noise nuisance device. And businesses wonder why the high street is dying.
February 2025 by Skye
I had a disappointing experience at this store. I triggered the security alarm while leaving and voluntarily cooperated with the security officer by allowing them to inspect my bag. However, I was held back without a clear explanation, and the security guard baselessly insisted that I was hiding something, attempting to prevent me from leaving.
Meanwhile, another customer who triggered the alarm was allowed to leave without inspection.
I feel this treatment was unfair, and I hope the store ensures that all customers are treated consistently and with respect.
January 2025 by Jena
I am writing to express my deep disappointment and frustration following an incident at your READING store, this being the second time in a month that I been treated badly in your stores in Reading, which is disturbing, as it speaks volumes to your brand and brand culture.
Today, Christmas Eve (24 Nov) around 4pm, one of your staff, including the security guards, behaved extremely unprofessionally and discriminatorily. Despite paying for my purchases in full, I was stopped, had my bags checked, and insulted in front of other customers. I was told to leave the store in a manner that was both disrespectful and humiliating with lots of shouting and finger pointing.
As a Black woman, I found this experience deeply offensive and discriminatory. The actions of your staff not only lacked respect but also publicly unacceptably humiliated me. To the extent that I was told I was ?they?. They refused for me to film anything and refused to look at the CCTV footage. WHS is not what I imagined it to be. Your staff screamed at me, waved his finger at me, pointed at me, and this seriously put me in distress. This was witnessed by numerous store personnel; he is not a hero for standing up to his staff with the wrong attitude. I am bitterly disappointed.
I urge you to address this matter promptly and take the appropriate action to ensure that no other customer is treated in this manner. Also I urge your brand to stop racially discriminating people, its wrong.
May 2024 by Sophie B
Find me a more illogically organised children's book section. A basic grasp of the alphabet would help. This branch apparently don't have space to display any books by children's authors with surnames ranging from P-S but do have room to dedicate entire displays to Tom Gates and David Walliams.
March 2024 by Becks
I?ll start my review by saying the staff that served me on the weekend were lovely. However the store smelt awful, so bad I left before buying everything I needed. I am not sure where the manager was but they were not doing a good job at keeping their store fragrant. I will be shopping at the train station smiths from now on. Disappointed is an understatement.
March 2024 by dave p
Long narrow shop with all the items that you would expect from W H Smith. I just think it could do with a refurbishment and bringing up to date a bit.
March 2024 by ?????? ???????????
A wonderful library and I love its collections
February 2024 by Richard T
The store does not display opening times on site, they tend to close earlier than the times on the official website, no warning. They don't pick up when you phone to check times, and all customer service head office can say "check the website" they don't know either when the store makes up its own hours !
December 2023 by Anoymonous L.
This place is bad. The owner of the shops banned me for basically having a learning dissability and getting a tiny bit reckless. Tried to appeal through emailing customer service and they don't care. Whenever i'm nearby they watch me for no reason and that's very intimdating. Makes me feel like there puprosely discrimnating against me. Security was also physical for no reason. Hasn't even replied to most recent email with customer service. Better to go to the WH Smith in Reading Station rather than the one in Broad Street who are a lot more understanding and never banned me. If the owner of broad street WH SMITH is reading this. look up pathological demand avoidanceautism.org.uk/advice-and?
December 2023 by Rebecca Etchells
I?ll start my review by saying the staff that served me on the weekend were lovely. However the store smelt awful, so bad I left before buying everything I needed. I am not sure where the manager was but they were not doing a good job at keeping their store fragrant. I will be shopping at the train station smiths from now on. Disappointed is an understatement.
July 2023 by Emma Win (Emwin79)
Avoid this PO at peak times I came in at 4.45 and the queue was ridiculous.There weee 3 members of staff but only one working at the po counter!!I would expect in busy periods for others to help out to reduce wait times
June 2023 by dave pelton
Long narrow shop with all the items that you would expect from W H Smith. I just think it could do with a refurbishment and bringing up to date a bit.
