Supermarket driver nearly two hours early

[StillCoughingandLaughing]

I had a Sainsbury’s delivery booked for 10 - 11 tonight. I wasn’t particularly fussed about having a late slot, but it was the only one with no delivery charge, so I booked it. I wasn’t planning to go anywhere.

Earlier today, a friend invited me for a drink. I said I’d have to leave at 9.30 to be back, which she said was fine, so I went. At 8.20 I got a call - it’s my delivery driver wanting to know why I’m not answering the door. I explain my slot isn’t until 10, but he tells me I’m the last delivery of the day, so he’s there now and can I answer the door. He doesn’t speak great English, so it takes several attempts to explain that I’m not at home.

Eventually he gets that I won’t be there before 10. After a big sigh, he eventually says again, ‘I’m here now - you’re my last delivery’ - but then says he’ll wait for me. As I was arriving home at 9.45 he was on the phone again, wanting to know where I was.

This has happened to me before with Sainsbury’s, and from the missed calls on my phone, I can see it’s the same driver. I’m torn, as it’s massively frustrating when you’re trying to plan your day to get irate phone calls asking why you’re not in 90 minutes - two hours before your booked slot. I absolutely wouldn’t have minded an early delivery if I had been in, but I can do without being treated like an inconvenience. Because it’s happened before, part of me wants to complain. On the other hand, I wouldn’t want the driver to get the sack over it either.

Should I say something or not? Obviously it’s not a big thing, but shouldn’t I be able to plan around a slot rather than two hours either side ?

Given supermarkets lose between £5-£7 for every delivery order, and then pay their delivery drivers minimum wage, maybe accept that some parts of our capitalist society are exploitative and be pragmatic about the odd time you get a call from a driver waiting outside your house

Who cares? I have done many years of minimum wage work, and go about my daily life dealing with people for free, and I'm not rude to them. The cost of politeness is not an extra £7 an hour. It's just what you do.

I had this once years ago with a Sainsburys delivery and I was still on a plane when they turned up at my front door! I would complain, what's the point of them offering late delivery slots if they turn up 2 hours earlier?

I'm always accommodating when I can be (once had some flooring delivered at 5 in the morning, the dude had rung to ask if it was possible - acknowledging he was being cheeky, but it would really help him out. I have young kids, so said sure, as long as we're sneaky quiet, it'll be fine :) )

I've waived at the Ocado driver parked outside and let him know it's OK, or sympathised when one was stuck in traffic and was going to be very late, I've been happy to answer the call and accept early delivery from Tesco when I can, and they've all been great. I don't use Asda after they were less than great. With all the shops delivering now, it's easy to vote with your feet (errr. thumbs)

@Howlooseisyourgoose
Are you genuinely claiming that supermarkets make a net loss for every online delivery?

I have experienced the opposite problem - my deliveries being up to one hour late (Ocado).

The main problem with that is the frozen food was defrosted and inedible.

I only complained because the food was spoiled and/or would make us ill.

@LanaDelBoy that’s what was reported in the press, I haven’t analysed their financial releases

Good luck getting sainsburys to give a shit! This is sainsburys who when an item is substituted for a more expensive item, charge you for it and give you credit back for next time, assuming you actually give them a second chance!
I have a credit for £20 sitting in my sainsburys account waiting to expire because I just refuse to use them again, each time there are things missing and the total bill is significantly more than I agreed because they send more expensive stuff. I've given up with them!

I hate this.

I had a carpet cleaning company booked for 10am. Got a text the day before to confirm the appointment time. Went for a shower at 9am. Head full of soap and the guy is banging on the front door and blowing up my phone wanting in to get started. This included a text saying “I know I’m early but I want to get started early”. My five year old was upset because she didn’t know what to do (she came in and hid in the bathroom while I frantically got dried off). It was a fiasco.

DH in the meantime came home from the nursery run and dealt with the situation. The guy said to him “I think your wife has got her times mixed up, it was booked for 9am”. I didn’t find this out until after he had left. I was furious!!

@ExpectBetter

I have experienced the opposite problem - my deliveries being up to one hour late (Ocado).

The main problem with that is the frozen food was defrosted and inedible.

I only complained because the food was spoiled and/or would make us ill.

That’s definitely cause for complaint.

[quote Howlooseisyourgoose]@LanaDelBoy that’s what was reported in the press, I haven’t analysed their financial releases[/quote]
Can you give the source please? Were you not surprised/ questioning when you read it?
I'd be amazed if supermarkets were paying to provide people with groceries, so would love to check if it was true. Could change a lot of things about my own workplace.

@LanaDelBoy sigh. If googling is beneath you then sure I’ll get a link but have you not heard of the concept of loss leaders?

I use Asda (not sure why as they are terrible) and they never stick to the time and always knock/deliver early. Most times at least 90mins early (and my slot recurring delivering is Sunday 9-10) so I just refuse to answer the door until 9am.

I know I’m being petty but if I wanted the order at 7:30, I’d choose that slot.

I have complained to both the driver and customer services. The driver replied that he is allowed to deliver early as long as he does all of his deliveries....

[quote Howlooseisyourgoose]@LanaDelBoy sigh. If googling is beneath you then sure I’ll get a link but have you not heard of the concept of loss leaders?[/quote]
I have, yes.
Loss leaders are single products, and the store expects you to more than make up for that loss due to the profit made on the other items you buy while there.
They don't expect to make a net loss from your trip.
So completely different from what you're claiming about making a net loss for every delivery.
The equivalent would be if everyone only bought loss leaders while in store and no profit-generating items. I am fairly certain they'd stop doing loss leaders if this was the case.

This has happened to us a number of times in recent months. I have a theory that the COVID/lockdown situation has something to do with it; the drivers just assume we're all at home all the time.

Given supermarkets lose between £5-£7 for every delivery order

That really isn’t my problem. The supermarkets have several options - charge for every order, limit availability of slots etc. I’m guessing they don’t do that because they still want the custom. If they don’t want to lose £5 on the delivery, they can take the risk of losing the £55 I spent because I went to Waitrose or Tesco instead.

From how you relay the first phone call, it sounded like you were in but weren't going to answer the door until your time slot.

Well you do realise that would be okay too, right? Granted, if I was just sitting watching Corrie I’d have hit pause and got the bloody shopping. But what if I was in the bath? Putting my children to bed? Halfway up a ladder changing a light bulb? I really don’t see why I’d have to sit in suspended animation in case the delivery man feels like coming early.

There was a thread on here recently from someone whose in-laws kept turning up early. Most posters advised her not to answer the door! If you wouldn’t put up with it from family, why would you when someone’s getting paid?

Your treatment by this driver is unprofessional and unforgiveable. Yes it's a poorly paid job, but like all such jobs you get out of it what you put in. I use Ocado, have the same 2-3 drivers regularly and they're alwways chatty, smiley and good humoured: result we both enjoy the deliveries. As regards turning up early - yes they do occaisionally ring me to say they're early and would I mind ... and if I'm home it's not an issue. If I'm not home or on calls, they're not the least bit pushy - they're polite and friendly. Great drivers, well trained.

BUT

Ocado have chosen lockdown to put delivery charges starting at £4.70 on all their deliveries - they claim there are free ones but in the past six months I've not seen one. Worse, simply to get a delivery slot and despite being well over their minimum spend, I've been forced onto their loyalty scheme at £10 a month (I now get unlimited free deliveries). Utterly cynical behaviour at a time when their business volumes have gone through the roof

Can you give the source please? Were you not surprised/ questioning when you read it?

It wouldn't surprise me. It would seem obvious that they would make less profit on groceries if they have to pick, pack and deliver them - than if you did it.

e.g. If you pent £100 in a supermarket they might make £30 profit. But if you spend £100 in online deliveries, they might only make £23 profit.

The posters in a flap about the delivery guy wanting to go home and the supermarket making a loss. How do you function?? You can’t take on everyone else’s problems as your problems. Of course the OP was entitled to assume the delivery would come during the assigned slot. Madness to suggest otherwise.

I would hate to be hounded by telephone calls. I'd send a complaint with a screenshot of the call list.

Yanbu and I've complained about this before when it's happened to me. What's the point of booking slots if they're going to come at a different one.

I seem to have an 'understanding' with my Morrisons deliveries. I book the latest (cheapest) delivery slot, they come at about 8pm, I lock up, they knock off early, everyone's happy!

@LanaDelBoy it’s the same strategy, though accept that loss leaders are more commonly used for products. I don’t work in the industry.

The supermarkets have several options Including not delivering to customers who make a fuss about a delivery driver being early.

@ancientgran

The supermarkets have several options Including not delivering to customers who make a fuss about a delivery driver being early.

Ouch, that would be a very un-productive complaint!

@ancientgran

The supermarkets have several options Including not delivering to customers who make a fuss about a delivery driver being early.

But then the compaint won't matter, will it? So the OP does no harm if they complain and Sainsbury don't care because their strategy is to deliver early, if they can.

Either Sainsburys considers an early delivery, including the driver being grumpy about it, to be an acceptable service, or they do not.

if they do = they ignore the complaint.

if they don't = they have the information to react.