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? )

@sueelleker

For some reason, Sainsbury won't let me log back in to current orders at present; so instead of adding items bit by bit I have to make a list and do the entire order in one go. It's only since the pandemic started, so I don't know if it's a temporary thing.

I may be thinking of the wrong supermarket, but one of them would only let you edit it when the time got near. Like the last 2 days before delivery.

Not sure how that helped, but I think they wanted fewer visitors on the site as it was overloaded.

YABU and could also reserve delivery slots if you wanted to.

My Tesco basket has two bottles of gin in it, nothing else yet. I can only get a slot every three weeks or so.
I will not be removing the gin

You're stunned?

I'm stunned that you're stunned.

What do you do when something genuinely worthy of an emotional response comes along?

I have ALWAYS done this during the summer holidays. It’s hard to get a slot where I live during the same at the best of times plus everything wanting slots - nightmare!

I’m a delivery saver with Tesco. I can see slots 4 weeks ahead so each week I book my weekly shop usually on the same time every week. I add a few things and amend nearer the time.

I have two additional needs. Shopping is a nightmare at the best of times.

The Tesco delivery guys tell me to do this too. They know I’m a regular and they get fed up fo delivering to holiday parks and campsites around my local area.

Don’t judge. I was doing this years before covid!

Yes, I have found with Ocado, that the earlier I do my 'proper order' the more likely I am to get everything I want. So they are actually stocking to order, unlike local supermarkets.

And yes, I once failed to edit a Christmas order in time (odd timing meant I had to do it by lunch time or 9.30pm instead of the usual midnight-ish). I sent half the gin bottles back.

I've got weekly slots reserved up to mid August it's been the only way to guarantee a continuous supply with Ocado, who l have used for years. Yes you are being unreasonable it's the way things are at the moment.

Why do people sling more than £40 worth of items in their basket in order to reserve the slot? I just put in a few things I usually buy (although that part doesn't matter) but it doesn't need to add up to more than £40. When you finalise your list the night before, that's when it needs to come to more than £40. It doesn't matter up until that point - you don't get charged for only having £20 worth of stuff in there for the previous fortnight.

We do that! Have done it for 9 years for a weekly slot.

YABVU. It’s about being prepared and efficient. It’s not deceitful, it’s just clever. You have the same chance too.

And for what it’s worth, delivery slots aren’t in high demand where I am. I can’t get next day delivery from any of our supermarkets in a myriad of times; I booked one late last night for this morning.

By the way, they can just get the expensive bottles of champagne refunded if they forgot to change their order 😉

YABU at the moment you have to book delivery slots so far in advance that how can you possibly know what you are going to need. This is a great idea, as long as, like you say, you don't forget to update your basket nearer the time. And as long as you're not booking slots you don't really need.

YABU

I do this but put £40 of regular buys which we need week in week out, not sure if that makes you more pissed off or not! 😂
Yabvu and I reckon a tad jealous that you're not organised enough to do it yourself

I have always booked my weekly delivery as soon as they become available. Currently this is 28 days in advance, so I have 4 deliveries lined up. I initially just put the regular items such as milk, eggs, bread etc. usually about £10 worth in my basket. I edit the basket to what I really want about 3 days before delivery. I will have a final edit the evening before delivery for any last minute needs, to deal with any non-availability, and also to look for any good special offers that weren't available when I previously reviewed the order.
The only problem I have had is that pre-Covid, you could change the delivery time and/or date up to about 4 days prior to delivery. Now there are no nearby slots available, so when I had an important unchangeable appointment at delivery time my only option was to cancel the whole order.

@Thesearmsofmine

I do this and have done it for years. There is no shortage of slots in my area now(unless it’s Ocado).

I do it as well, plenty of slots in our area including Ocado. I don't add the expensive booze but regulars like milk, bread, eggs etc are added automatically and then I edit it as and when.

You had to order from your... SECOND CHOICE SUPER MARKET..?!?! Thoughts and prayers OP. YABU.

OP, I’m glad you have a sense of humour about this! It must be a bit overwhelming having 200 people tell you that you don’t know how online shopping works.

I‘be had groceries delivered for 5 years - it was a right PITA when suddenly all the slots vanished. I always partially fill the basket then edit the day before. Means I only buy what I need.

@AhBallix

Why do people sling more than £40 worth of items in their basket in order to reserve the slot? I just put in a few things I usually buy (although that part doesn't matter) but it doesn't need to add up to more than £40. When you finalise your list the night before, that's when it needs to come to more than £40. It doesn't matter up until that point - you don't get charged for only having £20 worth of stuff in there for the previous fortnight.

With sainsburys the order has to be over £40 to not have delivery fees and you have to check out to reserve your spot. So you bung in £40 check out then you can still amend it though.

I do this all the time, have done for years. Fill up my basket with favourites and then secure my slot. Nearer the time I go in and update it a few times with exactly what I need. I assumed everyone did this, especially at Christmas.

Yep I’ve always done this - as I know I want a weekly shop but takes me freaking ages to finalise the list so swap out the champers as I replace it with the actual shop. Seems pretty normal not in any way dishonest! One day I sort of hope that I forget to change it and end up with the champers haha!

This is going to be one of those click bait "non-stories" which pops up on Facebook isn't it "Woman discovers AMAZING life hack which means she can book grocery deliveries four weeks ahead..."
(Sorry turquoise50 )

On a practical note though - did someone say that with Sainsbury, after you've booked and checked out an order, that you can then leave the order open on the phone app to add things over the coming weeks?
I assumed it would time out?

I have a Morrisons delivery pass and always click 'Repeat order' for every Saturday right through to the end of the month.

Then 48hrs before it's due to be delivered, I just add/remove a few items.

How is it either selfish or dishonest? There is no shortage of slots so why not. You have said that you have managed to get a delivery, ok not your first choice but you’re not going without.

I have a core list of to things I almost always buy so use that when I'm booking my slots.

Same - I think most people do have a fairly comprehensive list of things they buy every week for me it’s :

Bread, milk, cheese, veg, fruit, certain quorn products (would be meat for most others), drinks, snacks, cereal, cleaning products, toiletries

Easy to make up to £40 and then I edit the day before (I add/subtract to an ongoing list in the notes section of phone through the week then check that when I edit the shop)

I used to only order a few days before delivery too but as soon as this all started it became murder to get slots and as I’m housebound with virtually zero support network I NEED a slot! So as soon as I was able I started booking slots 2/3 weeks ahead and I now just maintain that.

It’s not sneaky it’s practical! It also means the supermarkets know how many deliveries are booked and what items are being requested in a fair amount of time.

I used to shop with Sainsburys was a loyal customer for several years, they’ve handled the whole crisis APPALLINGLY from the start! I persevered with them for a while as they had certain products i liked but since the last delivery I booked which went stupendously wrong I haven’t bothered!!

Op I’d also advise the following tips which is how I do things:

I use the notes app on my phone (I use this for LOADS of things makes life so much easier, you can even create folders for different types of notes)

Keep a “template” shopping list of everything you order regularly (be that weekly or monthly)

Keep a running note of orders - pending (with dates and times, I set an alarm each week for 2 hours before the delivery slot as I’m disabled and need to prep) and already delivered. I make notes alongside to avoid (hopefully) future problems/making same mistakes more than once -

eg

FRIDAY 7/8/20 6-7pm

ADD - flour, eggs, toothpaste

NO - beans (sub text - this week you’ve 6 tins in! Bad habit of mine not checking while ordering whether I actually NEED a thing)

ALWAYS review the day/night before delivery to check:

If there’s anything unavailable (then you can order what you’d prefer rather than relying on their sub menu which can be odd at times or worse miss out altogether)

Special offers which have come on since you ordered which you can then take advantage of especially multi buys, but also seasonal things might not be on offer until a particular date

If there’s anything you ordered way back that you now know you don’t need but perhaps haven’t recorded on aforementioned notes - for me this tends to apply to things I’ve become sodding allergic to!

That’s what works for me

I’ve got next 3 booked currently. Not selfish as they will definitely be used.

I always have three weeks of slots booked. Pre and post covid as I like to be organised and i normally know what we need/will need in the next few weeks. I don't reserve it with booze though.

I don't really see why you are annoyed or shocked though.