Supermarket cancelled my Christmas delivery slot!

[Alakazam8]

During a call I made about something else, the call handler I spoke to in their wisdom, became confused and managed to remove the slot I had for today. Phoned as soon as I realised and during 4 phone calls that took over an hour managed to work really hard and do absolutely nothing to re instate my slot. Was relying on that as can’t get out to get things myself really.
Have spoken again this morning and now been advised to use their quick delivery service so all is not lost but don’t think I’ve ever been so stressed! Anyone else had this happen and equally traumatised?

Poor you!

I have a permanent worry about Christmas delivery slots, having watched That Episode of The Good Life at an impressionable age (the one where Margot's Christmas wasn't delivered because she rejected the tree).

So I'm always nervous that either it won't turn up at all, or will have lots of missing items/substitutions. So I order "defensively" - sometimes similar items in different brands (so that if ones mucked up I still have the other), never later than 23rd, so there's still time to do battle if I really must, and have a few things in the freezer in case, including an emergency rolled turkey joint in the freezer (bought around Thanksgiving time, when they appear in the shops here too)

This is why I would never rely on an online slot for Christmas - we've had three online orders cancelled recently for a variety of (genuine) reasons. It happens.

I hate going in person as it's always busy but I've never, ever not been able to get what I need, if that helps? You won't struggle to find stuff in store.

How frustrating.
I did notice there are slots available at my Tesco even for Dec 24th (SW London). Plenty on the 22, fewer on 23, and only three hours of slots on 24th, but still was very surprised (as to what would still be in stock if needing something specific I couldn't say).

Agh that's incredibly annoying. My tesco delivery just turned up an hour or so ago and I was highly impressed that out of 115 items, there was only one sub - cupcake cases!

I’d be surprised if the supermarket didn’t have any slots available over the weekend?

I do my shopping 10 days before - any veg is kept cool in the shed along with stuff we grow, and only pick up pre-ordered milk and bread from a local shop, and my turkey from the butcher a day or two before. It's great having nothing to do with supermarkets for a fortnight, and I CBA with the faff with booking slots, online shopping etc for food..

One year, Tesco's cancelled our Christmas delivery because of the danger to their vans and drivers from snow and ice on the roads. Inconvenient as it was, I wasn't unsympathetic, till the caller asked me if I wanted to do click and collect instead. So the weather wasn't fit for a delivery driver in a van with all sorts of safety features, but it was OK for us? Ahhhh. . .I made a point of telling them that we didn't drive and I had disabilities and they had a choice. . .get our shopping round or we were going to take our custom to the Sainsbury's superstore up the road. Lo and behold, a delivery slot was found for us for the following day when the conditions on the roads were better.

I don't think my nerves could taker the dress of a Christmas delivery.
I did my shop yesterday and took my mother and she did hers this morning. The shops are heaving.

There are not slots in any supermarkets by me after today until 28th December. I think the Christmas slots (22nd onwards) get fully booked weeks ago

try the likes of deliveroo and uber or ocado

Good in a way to hear it’s not just me! Finally managed to get a 4 hr slot starting from 6am tomorrow!
Never again (but don’t know what I’ll do next year!)
i can’t believe that under the circumstances they couldn’t have found me a slot sometime today or this weekend!!!

For the first year ever, Sainsbury’s have emailed both me and DH offering Christmas delivery slots. As in emailed 2 days ago. I was very surprised.
Fortunately as we’re retired we have much more freedom of action so don’t bother with delivery.’
One year when school term ended very close to Christmas I got so stressed about getting a delivery slot that I ended up with a Tesco and a Morrisons Christmas food delivery. I didn’t realise until they emailed a reminder the day before.
Dear reader, fear not, we ate and drank everything. I couldn’t afford to make that mistake this year.

Christmas delivery slots get booked up weeks in advance - they release them mid November and there's a virtual queue to book them. There aren't any slots here with Tesco/Sainsburys/Ocado until the 28th/29th.

A few years ago Asda were out of stock of nearly everything on our Christmas Eve delivery. I had 30 mins to get to Sainsbury's before they closed so stressful. Luckily the queues were really long and we did it.

I have cancelled my Waitrose slot as they were sold out of nearly everything when I went to do the shop yesterday. I have an Ocado for Sunday at 6 am, only slot I could get. A Tesco at 10am Sunday and a 10am Christmas Eve incase we forgot anything. Super organised this year.

I know some people can't physically get to the shop, but I've been totally put off online orders as the amount of time the shop doesn't have something in stock for my delivery and and I still have to go out.

Had one occasion where I had an email saying shop couldn't take my payment, tried phoning, couldn't get through. Another email to say order had been cancelled, so I went out and purchased my food. On my return, there was an email saying as I hadn't collected my order, it would be returned to shelf and a refund made.

Glad you've sorted it though, OP.

Christmas slots book out in November. I got our regular delivery on Monday but now there's nothing - not even click and collect - until the 27th. It's the same every year.

SE London. Always get a Tesco slot for the next day at 6.15pm. Think they released spare spots once they'd got their routes sorted. Got one last night for 9am this morning.
Will aim for one Sunday or Monday for veg.

I’ve just checked and there are several slots available each day up to Christmas on Ocado here. Really didn’t expect there to be especially as I booked mine weeks ago.

I’ve just looked on Ocado, and round here there are still some slots on Sunday, but you have to pay the Xmas premium delivery charge (even if you have a pass, unless you have an unused code for that). Otherwise next slots are 28/12, and plenty thereafter (but none on 01/01, assume closed that day)

Yeah I have deliveries every Sunday for Ocado but had to pay £9.99 for a slot this week, at 6.30 am. Cheeky of it.

I booked a slot yesterday with Sainsburys for the 23rd, an evening slot. So there may still be slots out there for people. I think living in a big city means I have lots of supermarkets nearby that deliver, as well as all the ubereats and deliveroo type grocery deliveries as well. It must be very tricky if you physically can't get to a shop yourself and completely rely on deliveries.

I've often had luck getting a last minute-ish delivery slot with iceland too in the past. It's always worth checking around even as it gets closer.

I hope you got a substantial voucher, OP.

I'm feeling fairly relaxed about my Ocado slot on Monday morning as there would be plenty of time to go out and get the missing stuff later that day if it didn't turn up.

Not cancelled exactly but had Morrisons hand me a bag with a block of (substituted) butter and 1 bag of carrots from a £165 order which contained EVERYTHING. It was 9pm on Christmas Eve (I thought I was lucky to get a slot so close to Christmas). Obviously all the shops were closed and Christmas was completely ruined.
Once customer services finally answered, all I got was "Well all I can do is arrange for it to come on the 27th. Obviously as I'm sure you can understand we've been very busy with it being Christmas"

ZERO apology.

Got some pasta ready meals from Tesco express as they didn't even have any potatoes, deli ham, nothing that could even pass for a Christmas dinner type meal!

This entire week and the weekend coming is completely fully booked locally for Ocado, Asda, Morrisons & Waitrose. No idea about Sainsbury's as I don't use them.

That is awful 😱 you mean absolutely everything was out of stock?