Where are the delivery slots disappearing to?

We have three supermarkets within a quarter of a mile so have never needed home deliveries. Now we’re confined to the house for twelve weeks. Home deliveries are a mystery. Can’t even register for Sainsbury’s - where we’ve shopped for years. But, Asda are using their gift card system to enable volunteers to shop for you. Top up the card on-line so no need to worry about how to pay. DS is now doing our shopping when he does his own and driving the 30 miles to bring it to us.

Supermarkets are now doing more than twelve times as many internet orders as they were before the virus. That is twelve times as many delivery vans and drivers, twelve times as many pickers and packers, and twelve time the storage space in the back shop. No wonder slots are as rare as hens teeth. You can't get a gallon and a half out of a pint pot.

I managed to get a click and collect slot with Tesco last night when I logged in at 12.30am. I waited in a queue to access the site for a short while then snagged the last available slot for three weeks away. I think they allocate one day at a time three weeks ahead - three weeks is the spread of dates available.

I will still have to go out shopping at least once before then but can then use the order to stock up on items that I've used waiting. You can only order 80 items and there are restrictions on the number of certain products you can buy.

Interestingly, I had added some items to the shopping basket earlier in the day and by the time I went through to finalise the order last night, twelve items were unavailable. But the system was able to offer some swaps to other things, many of which were acceptable. I will now have to check my delivery at the latest time I can before it is picked so that I can amend it for any more unavailable items.

I'm also keeping a note of additional items that I might run out of in the next three weeks, such as toilet rolls, butter and eggs, I have plenty for now but might need more by the end of the month.

For me, this delivery will mean that I can get the heavy items which I struggle to carry from local shops due to mobility problems - I have done online bulk shops every few months for years. So I am not jumping onto the bandwagon nor stockpiling! Mind you, I'll have to work out how I can carry all the bags from my car into my house - I'm thinking of emptying them into my shopping trolley while sat in my car!

GagaJo Taxis in my area will collect Click and Collect orders.

People are adapting and coming up with ingenious and helpful ideas.

Hooray! Suddenly Sainsbury's have accepted me as a "vulnerable" person. I have to wait 2 days for it to be set up and then I can place an order, and will be allowed 1 per week. I don't know yet, of course, if there will be any slots left, but it's a start.

I have also won £25 on the Premium Bonds so today is a good day.

Hope everyone is keeping virus-free.

Managed to finally get on the Ocado site tonight ( still hadn’t received my priority email) Thought I still had to rack up £40 before I could book a slot, when I’d done that slots were all gone again so that was a waste of time. Will just have to try again every day until I’m back in a damn queue again. Priority not I think

I have an Ocado smartpass and was peed off that I couldn't even log in and was 9 thousand odd in the queue, sent them a stroppy email asking why they were still taking the monthly payment when I couldn't even log in. Didn't expect a reply but did receive a message saying sorry log in Monday and a slot will be available. I logged in and got a delivery slot for the next day which was Tuesday just gone, received all but 3 items. I have another delivery due this Tuesday coming so for once complaining worked. I'm in London.

Quite honestly, I'm not surprised that people buy more than they need. If you can't be guaranteed to get another delivery, even if it is a fortnight away, then it's no wonder people who struggle to get to the shops are tempted to get more in.

I'm lucky, in that after a couple of weeks when I had no idea when I would get a slot, I have managed to get them. I haven't managed to get any kitchen cleaning products, milk or a couple of other things on my list, but I have had enough to get by.

Can't even get Click and Collect slots these days

Ocado say I have priority access. I’ve shopped with them for years and have Smart Pass. Waited 50 minutes the other day to find no slots available after this Sunday, 5 April.

Tried again today, 15 minute wait and it said if you have a delivery from Monday onwards please don’t log in till later this week.

Oh good, slots for next week if some have them already. . Finally get in and nothing at all, entire calendar greyed out for the whole of April.

Taxis in my area will collect Click and Collect orders.

I ve tried them all there’s no slots in my area on any of them
And Ocado don’t deliver in my area so I ve had it

Oh - don't wait for the email from Ocado. Just try once or twice a day and suddenly you get surprised by the page saying you have priority access - with a 20min or so queue. I found that I never got an email but I did get a text saying I now had priority access - but it didn't arrive till after my priority access had ended. I was lucky I'd checked the day before.

Like others, I've used the Tesco delivery service for years....I have ongoing health issues, care for my son and don't drive. I managed to book a delivery for April 21st, nothing else was available at all.
I really do understand that many are vulnerable by virtue of age and/or medical issues but I have found it frustrating. I'm sure that with technology etc, existing and regular customers could have been given regular access, even fortnightly slots?!

Sainsburys seem to me to have the right balance. They deal with the vulnerable first, then release slots to pass holders, then after that open^ them to everyone else.

Everyone else never gets a look in with Sainsbury's. !

GrannyGravy13 I wish I had your luck. Tried at 3:00am (couldn't sleep). No slots for my address.
Tried at 8:00am - same comment

I'm going to try for a click and collect at ASDA as it's the closest to me 20 mins. Would have to drive for nearly 45 mins for click and collect at a SAINSBURY or MORRISONS

I've a friend whose done this now twice (ASDA) and says there's as much risk with click and collect as there is with a delivery.

I had a Waitrose delivery last week, I booked it 10 days previous, only 2 items missing. I am a regular on-line shopper with them. Have not been able to get another slot.

I registered with Morrisons yesterday, no slots available in my area. Whilst laying in bed this morning I clicked on an email from Morrisons confirming my registration, managed to get a home delivery in 3 weeks time. I think it is just a case of being on line at the right time, which I know is extremely frustrating.

Apparently only 7-8% of the population used on line food shopping now it is nearly the whole of the UK.

Supermarkets say they are not short of food, surely it isn't impossible to upgrade their systems to make more slots available?
More slots mean more pickers, more delivery vans and more drivers. You can't magic those up overnight, and will all these online shoppers still want home delivery once the crisis has passed? What happens to the extra vans and drivers then? I'd love a home delivery slot, not got one yet, but do understand the size of the problem.

I have shopped online for years. It was a godsend when I was caring for DH and couldn’t leave him. And then as my sciatica has got worse and unable to carry much, or steer a trolley even.
Impossible now to get a slot. I think some folks booked lots at once at the beginning whether they were really needed or not. Saw this recommended on Mumsnet! So it’s no wonder.
The roads are much busier today, so maybe folks are going to the supermarket. Might free some spaces, hopefully.

Never used ASDA before, but neighbour on our Whatsapp group texted to say they had click and collect slots just made available, tried and was lucky, at least we won't have to spend ages trailing round a shop.
Usually used Morrisons, but no luck there, or Ocado, or Tesco or CoOp. Waitrose offered me a slot, had even booked it, but disappeared before I could order anything. Sainsburys contacted me to say I would qualify for priority slots, tried to log in, website said I hadn't ordered for past two years, would need to reregister first. Tried to reregister and guess what? 'we are not accepting new registrations at present'!

Supermarkets say they are not short of food, surely it isn't impossible to upgrade their systems to make more slots available?

I logged on to Sainsburys using the e-mail they sent me and couldn't get a slot, I logged in with my usual name and got a slot the next day. I think the extra care places are getting over loaded.

Thanks for clarification Dood

Pikachu I do understand that vulnerable people need slots, and I did say that I think that prioritising them is part of a fair strategy. Sorry if that wasn’t clear in my post.

I am not on the vulnerable list, but I do have asthma and a couple of underlying conditions that compromise my immune system.

I don’t drive, so can’t do click and collect, and would only be able to carry a small amount of shopping if I went out to get it.

My point was that non-vulnerable people are booking slots ahead, which has meant that I have struggled to get one, and I find this very annoying when I know that many of them don’t usually shop online.

Sainsburys seem to me to have the right balance. They deal with the vulnerable first, then release slots to pass holders, then after that open them to everyone else.

I am finding Sainsbury's a complete joke. I have bad asthma and am also juggling a number of other illnesses. I am also 72. I have shopped with Sainsbury's for nearly 30 years. Can I get an online slot? No!

Yet a friend who is only 62 and does not have asthma or any of the other illnesses, has been able to get slots easily. Why is this?

I have phoned, I have filled in the Gov.Uk form but have got nowhere.

Today I read that even a blind man has been unable to get a priority Sainsbury's online delivery slot.

I am extremely disappointed in Sainsbury's.

I have had online deliveries from Ocado for years. Got an email to say as I am a Smart Pass customer I will get an email telling me which day I can place an order , as a prioritised customer. I’m still waiting a week later . Daughters who had the same email for the same reason have been able to place orders. I have tried several time’s through their website ( usual app not working at the moment) but it keeps taking me back to a page saying it’s not my turn at the moment. I have underlying health conditions so will not risk the supermarket. If daughters weren’t sharing food with me ( they live nearby) I would be panicking

Where did you read that eazy about deliveries from more than one supermarket?