People 'reserving' delivery slots

[turquoise50]

I've recently discovered that apparently lots of people are 'reserving' supermarket delivery slots by just putting a bottle or two of booze which they don't really want into their trolley to take it over £40, and leaving it there for weeks! Then when they're ready to order their actual shopping they edit it and take it out.

Thus just strikes me as dishonest and really very selfish when everyone knows that delivery slots are still in very high demand. I tried to book on Saturday and the earliest slot I could get was Monday 27th. Last week there was a two-week wait and I had to order from my second-choice supermarket instead, where the wait was only a week.

I presume people are doing it the minute their order is delivered, to hold their regular spot for next time. Whereas I tend to be more reactive in my shopping habits, besides keeping a rolling list in my notes.

I feel a bit shocked, but at the same time realise that if I (pre-lockdown) would, say, order on a Thursday for delivery on a Sunday, because that happens to be my preferred day, it's effectively the same thing. But there wasn't a shortage of slots then, going to the shops was no big deal, and I was ordering stuff I actually wanted.

YANBU - it's selfish and sneaky and people shouldn't hog slots; in fact the shops should crack down on it by making it so that slots can only be held for up to a week, and/or make the trolley limit a minimum number of items, not a minimum amount of money. (I know some shops did this for a while but not sure if still continuing.)

YABU - it's really no different from ordering your full shop a few days in advance and editing it several times before delivery as you run out of different things.

(As a side question - when these people forget to update their order and 'accidentally' get a delivery of nothing but a £40 bottle of whisky that they don't even like, should I feel a certain amount of schadenfreude, or be even more annoyed by the totally wasted delivery slot? Or a bit of both? )

@Housewife2010

I reserve my slots as many weeks away as I can. I'm a long-term Ocado delivery pass member. Ocado have rewarded me for my loyalty by giving me weekly slots during the pandemic.. I do think it's ridiculous when people hold their slots with items they don't want. Ocado can generate your usual list so I order that, then tweak it closer to the time.

The only time a Ocado struggle with the bottle of champagne to hold the slot is at Christmas when it’s hard for them to predict how much champagne they need. Otherwise you take your chances with night before editing - a lot of food may be out of stock, if that bothers you, I expect you’ll plan better next time.

Just booked 5th August. 👍

I've seen others says they reserved a slot with e.g a bunch of grapes - obviously the slot is wasted if they don't change that.

When they say reserved they actually mean they have checked out. Tescos allow you to check out under the minimum amount as they add £4 to it until you amend and have more than £40 worth.

This is where I think people are getting confused by the OP. They said reserve by checking out with one item but then you amend that shop with your actual list later.

Click and collect here is the easiest option for getting a slot. Sainsbury often has one the next day, asda has just started an express same day option. Delivery is a bit more hit and miss and some places limit how many slots they release. Having said that i am not really struggling to get one, it has meant sometimes looking over a week away but not a bother.

The slot and booking is linked to a store, of a product is out of stock it tells you. I check mine the night before and it already tells you what’s out of stock and I can swap it, I hardly get substitutes except once I got a dinner plate instead of a tumbler 🤣

@grifffendor

before covid 19 slots where more available on Morrisons , I don't drive and got bad back, asthma and also sole carer to asd child . . my gran got dementia is not able to use online shopping so buy stuff along side mine . Morrisons told people to book in advance in which I tried to do only to find no slots available . two months I been without online shop during lockdown , can't get anyone on the phone . it was horrible, I was in pain with back ache , tight chested with child having meltdowns while standing in long ques outside the supermarket to only to find empty shelfs . I was trying to hold back my tears on the way back home . there was food boxes I was able to send to my gran but could not get it myself as I got child with limited liking of food which food boxes had nothing my child would eat . I could only carry few days worth of food at the time . I have been with Morrisons many years and used online shop and found them to be good , but during lockdown it was awful I had to go in in que online just look at food and not able to order . app still not working and I only get two shops in a month and the website still crashes . I don't think it other people its how its been managed its the issue . I have known disable people who lived by themselves and use online shopping as they not able to go the shop they end up starving as they did not have any one to shop for them .

Could you not have tried a shop other than Morrisons? I am disabled and always online shop. I still managed it during lockdown by just trying all of them until I got a slot. I also bought the boxes from Morrision and M&S sometimes too. I presume that the disabled people you know could do that too rather than starve.

@BookishKitten

I wasn’t aware that this is a widespread practice.... I understand why people do it, but I also think that if everyone is editing their basket the night before this means that supermarkets can’t really be sure that there is enough stock and hence you might be putting something in the basket that will not be available for delivery that day...

The supermarket (except Ocado) check whether your order is in stock instore on the day of delivery so the customer doing it 7days before delivery doesn't give them an advantage over someone who did it the night before.

I'm not an expert on Ocado but it's a warehouse rather than shop and I think your order is provisionally reserved until the order deadline but this is something I read so happy to be corrected here.

This cannot happen on Sainsbury's as if it isn't paid for by a certain time the basket is emptied again.Also you cannot reserve for 'weeks'. You can't! Slots are usually offered a week in advance. You must be talking about bloody Ocado. The most unhelpful delivery service in the Universe, the only one which did not allow 'at risk' to be prioritised and lied to me again and again.

YABU

Well I am outraged to learn that people are "shopping" online and having their groceries delivered straight to their homes!
How is that fair to everyone traipsing round the supermarket doing their shopping in the traditional way? How very dare they!

@Funguy

This cannot happen on Sainsbury's as if it isn't paid for by a certain time the basket is emptied again.Also you cannot reserve for 'weeks'. You can't! Slots are usually offered a week in advance. You must be talking about bloody Ocado. The most unhelpful delivery service in the Universe, the only one which did not allow 'at risk' to be prioritised and lied to me again and again.

You do it by paying for the basket (they don't take the money then anyway). Then editing nearer the delivery time.

@Funguy

This cannot happen on Sainsbury's as if it isn't paid for by a certain time the basket is emptied again.Also you cannot reserve for 'weeks'. You can't! Slots are usually offered a week in advance. You must be talking about bloody Ocado. The most unhelpful delivery service in the Universe, the only one which did not allow 'at risk' to be prioritised and lied to me again and again.

You do checkout, with the booze in the trolley. This holds the slot. Payment only happens the day before or morning of the delivery/click and collect

Glad to see that Sainsbury's has a sensible approach to this. It's a wonder the others have space to accommodate all the cancelled bottles of gin.

@squishee I know it’s an absolute outrage! People knowing they need food and arranging it in advance? What’s next booking holidays a year before? Can’t you just show up at the airport and book something like everyone else...
I personally just run around the supermarket like it’s a trolley dash and see what I end up with

@Funguy

This cannot happen on Sainsbury's as if it isn't paid for by a certain time the basket is emptied again.Also you cannot reserve for 'weeks'. You can't! Slots are usually offered a week in advance. You must be talking about bloody Ocado. The most unhelpful delivery service in the Universe, the only one which did not allow 'at risk' to be prioritised and lied to me again and again.

I do this with Sainsbury’s loads. Book a slot, put booze in the trolley and checkout. Then edit it to what I’ve got when I’ve got more time.

@Viviennemary

Glad to see that Sainsbury's has a sensible approach to this. It's a wonder the others have space to accommodate all the cancelled bottles of gin.

Ordering a bottle doesn't guarantee stock with Asda or Tesco. So it makes no difference to them

Your aware they don’t order in items specifically for one order aren’t you @Viviennemary ? It’s not like there’s a warehouse at the back with all the items taken back out of the trolley.
“Ah Phil she’s taken the Sipsmith out this morning”
“Oh well Larry better smash the bottle we avent space on t’shelves”

I've been getting my groceries delivered every week for nearly 15 years and I have always ordered in advance like this. I've had a delivery pass in the past and used Sainsburys to have the same time each week, but during lock down I've taken whatever slot I can get each week with any supermarket. I see it the same as making a Dentist appointment or booking a restaurant table in advance, I didn't really think anyone could have a problem with that. Maybe because ordering online is something i've done my whole adult life I see it differently - to me it's no different than pre-ordering a book from Amazon, booking tickets for Alton Towers in advance or using a VIP slot in the Next sale.

I do this so I can add to my basket when I have time - what's it got to do with you when I fill my basket, once it's my slot, it's mine.

@morriseysquif
That's it in a nutshell!

@funguy - it is exactly the same at Sainsbury's - you fill your basket in the allotted time slot, confirm payment details and leave. You can edit order until the night before and then payment is taken. Sainsbury's don't work any differently to the other outlets

This cannot happen on Sainsbury's as if it isn't paid for by a certain time the basket is emptied again.Also you cannot reserve for 'weeks'.
Don't all supermarkets have a set window for you to put an order through? Usually it's a couple of hours.

Once you put an order through the slot is yours and you can alter your order until a set time before delivery/collection.

Some people are getting annoyed with the fact that people put part of an order in to get their slot and then edit their order in the run up to delivery to ensure they get the right items. Aka they dislike the fact other people are organised, know they will need food and book a slot

So when people actually order something they really want there isn't any because it's all sitting in the baskets of folk who don't want it.

Two bottles of Tattinger this week, we all ask Alexa to put stuff on the list, when I have time I put it all in the basket, when it is all in the Tattinger will come out. Simples.

@Viviennemary

So when people actually order something they really want there isn't any because it's all sitting in the baskets of folk who don't want it.

No, it doesn’t work like that!