Is anyone else annoyed with Ocado ditching Waitrose?

[lockdowndreamer]

Ocado what are you up to?? Ditching Waitrose for M&S? Is this really happening? Not a fan of M&S at all in the food department, always feel like they are trying too hard. Their food looks and taste like plastic and wrapped in a lot more plastic.

I will be setting up my account with Waitrose online right away. Such a hassle though moving as I have it all sorted on the Ocado website for speed shopping, with all my favs, shopping lists etc. and the Ocado service is amazing!

Hey Ocado, if you are reading this, can you set up a cloud service for us migrating customers so we can do a backup of all our favourites before moving to Waitrose? You know, like when moving from Android to iPhone..

Is anyone else annoyed at the situation?

[TheVanguardSix]

Me!! I just want to join the ranks with you, OP. I'll be ditching Ocado too. I'm really bummed about it. I've been using Ocado for years but the loss of Waitrose items is a big deal to me and enough of a reason to leave. M&S food... I just can't imagine making a weekly shop out of their products.

[Northernsoullover]

I love M & S food. I'm looking forward to the collaboration..

[lockdowndreamer]

@Northernsoullover just genuinely curious, what do you like about it and why is it better than Waitrose?

[bluebell34567]

they will do it anyway, nothing can be done.

[WoahBodyforrrm]

I'm looking forward to this too.

I love Waitrose but for me, M&S just pips it. The fruit and veg are second to none and their meat is excellent quality. My only gripe is that I find the shelf-life isn't great on most of their stuff, although I regularly eat past date foods from there which I don't do anywhere else.

I will still be going to Waitrose directly for some of my favourites that I won't be able to get from Ocado like the Charlie Bighams Spanish chicken 🤤

I may be wrong and I'll happily be corrected but I'm fairly sure I read that it was Waitrose who wanted out of the partnership.

For me, it would be ideal if we could have a ménage et trois!

[PickAChew]

Makes no difference up here, where ocado don't even deliver.

[Sunshineboo]

I really like m&s - food is good quality so we eat it and there cleaning products are good.

[MyBeloved]

I'm assuming we can still get Ocado's own brand though?

[Keepyourginup]

M&S are currently developing a large range of own label products - to fill the gap left by not having the Waitrose own label lines (I work in the industry). These will all be launching August/September (this is when the Waitrose agreement ends). Ocado have also launched a few own label lines of their own.

[lockdowndreamer]

@Keepyourginup so can you tell us a bit more? Who came up with the genius idea to ditch Waitrose? Was it indeed Waitrose as someone mentioned earlier?

[InescapableDeath]

I find the Ocado own brand stuff pretty good and cheaper than Waitrose. There’s a few product lines I’d miss (roast chicken in a bag, loo roll) but I’m sure they can all be substituted.

[Chloemol]

Looking forward to it, love M&S food, and ocardo own brands is better than Waitrose

[ReviewingTheSituation]

It's the WR Essentials that I will miss. All my basics are from that range (tinned toms/beans/fish, cereal, dairy products, pasta, rice etc etc). M&S don't currently have an equivalent. BUT...if it's true that they're bringing out new lines, I'm hopeful the gaps may be pluggd. I'll be keeping a close eye on pricing though. I'll be very happy if the 3 for £10 deal on fish makes its way onto Ocado.
I'm sure WR would be doing a lot more to try and tempt Ocado shoppers over to them if it wasn't for corona, but they've obviously had to divert a lot of effort and budget into managing the here and now rather than the future

[7ofNine]

This was announced about 18mo ago though. I ditched ocado.

[Tartyflette]

I got an email from Ocado today saying they will still be doing their own brand (and presumably a few others, like Natoora?)
For illustration, the email showed all the different brands of butter they do currently (loads) and the ones they will be doing, with the only difference being that the Waitrose own brands were replaced by M and S ones. I don't buy either so that change doesn't particularly bother me.
In fact I quite like M and S but i feel their food can be 'safe' with regards to flavour, , (i.e. tends towards blandness) despite looking the business. i bought some English strawberries there today and they were quite dull. Looked very pretty though.
Waitrose is much more of a foodie place to shop. I think they respect local origins and flavours . If i want to buy some strong Spanish iberico pork or extra stinky cheese I had in France once I don't want a toned down version for the British market, what's the point in that?.
I ditched Waitrose online service because the website was poor and i was fed up with ordering loads of items that turned out to be out of stock. I may return, though.
And on that point, what the hell has happened with white cabbages lately? Can't get hold of them anywhere. None in Ocado, 'Trose or Tesco today.

[INeedNewShoes]

At first I was really bothered when this change was first announced months ago but I’ve been gradually buying more and more of Ocado own brand stuff and finding it really good and a notch above Waitrose for value yet good quality. I really rate the Ocado meat, eggs, fish and veg.

The only Waitrose products I’ll miss where there won’t be a perfect replacement are their fish fingers and mayonnaise.

[lockdowndreamer]

@ReviewingTheSituation agree. The Essentials range is excellent and fairly priced.
But no doubt I will be moving, just hope that Waitrose drivers are as kind and helpful as the Ocado ones.. and that the website is easy to navigate. It will take time to get use to a new system but I don't fancy shopping on two different sites and find the M&S brand image rather irritating.

[Keepyourginup]

They had a long term supply agreement that ended - I think it was more Ocado wanting to ditch Waitrose. M&S now own part of Ocado. M&S will be launching a range of lines across many grocery areas - they want to capitalise on the gaps that Ocado shoppers will have now that the Waitrose range will disappear.....and obviously gives M&S an online platform which they've never had before...so gives them opportunity to launch products which may not have been very commercially viable before the Ocado agreement.

[lockdowndreamer]

@7ofNine I know, but as @Tartyflette said, it's the Butter email which came out today that hit a nerve and reminded me of the crises. From all(!) the products in the supermarket they chose the one I am a bit sensitive about - Butter! I am very fussy about my butter and Waitrose have given me the opportunity to explore some amazing brands (in store) Now I found The One and the alternative selection on the email was a bit miserable! M&S not seems to be that interested in food, just in selling food!

[Jennyie1]

Have you been able to set up an account with Waitrose? I tried at the start or lockdown but no new customers were allowed to register.

[pigeon999]

I will be leaving Ocado despite many years of loyalty and joining Waitrose delivery (when they open up after CoVid) or switching to local shopping only and having that delivered. I can't stand M&S food, apart from their sandwiches and salads. It tastes to me like hospital food.

[ByeByeMissAmericanPie]

Everything in M&S is pre packaged to excess IMHO and I’d buy their stuff if I ate a lot of ready meals.

But I don’t!

I’ll be keeping a close eye on Ocado...

[nearlynermal]

Oh no! I didn't realise is was either or! I thought Ocado were just adding M&S to their available products.

[Pugsley87]

@Tartyflette what has happened to white cabbages?!?! Like gold dust around here recently (and I've tried different shops). It's very odd

[Ifailed]

And on that point, what the hell has happened with white cabbages lately?
Cabbage has suffered in the ground like cauliflower, heavy rain last year killed off a lot of stuff planted for this year.