What a result M&S

[MintyGreenDream]

Went to m&s to collect food order.It was a breeze! No big queue outside like last year,quiet inside too so happy as I was expecting a LOT of stress and hassle

Agree entirely @mintygreendream. I didn't do Click and Collect, but did go at 8am the other day to choose and buy mine. Super easy, well laid out, great quality and choice. In and out in 40 minutes, and they had everything that I was after (low on taramasalata #firstworldproblem).

I desperately wanted taramasalata but they had none!

I’m in a small city & M&S was fine just now. Lots of dressed turkeys & other roasts available. You could definitely do your full Christmas Day shop calmly.

I just got lots of treats like pate, sweets, a quiche and brandy cream!

Yes, collected ours yesterday. So well organised, thank you M+S.

Unlike Waitrose! Their delivery - ordered weeks ago - couldn't supply red cabbage, cauliflower cheese, stuffing, crackers, custard, brandy butter, smoked salmon + a load of other stuff. I didn't know until the early hours, so we had the last minute rush through no fault of our own.

We won't starve, but it's bloody irritating!

I went to Lidl this morning. No queues. When a bottle of champagne fell off the till they gave me another one abs were very nice about the mess. Thanks Lidl

Same here, very impressed with the organisation.

Yes our M and S collect order had everything in the order. Didn't queue to get it and went straight to the car with the food. I was amazed!

Didn’t order, just went to M&S Tuesday evening at 7pm got everything we wanted, nice and relaxed no stress.

Mine wasn’t so good! Had to queue to get in the store, then went straight to the “click and collect” table and was given my items. But then had to join the huge queues to pay for them!

Was in there this morning, there were no turkeys, if you were hoping for one you'd have a problem. None of the ore-prepped turkey either. No charcuterie, no cauliflower cheese. Big town, big store.

I had only gone in for a couple of random things I needed but there's no way you would have got a traditional Christmas dinner today.

@ajandjjmum

Unlike Waitrose! Their delivery - ordered weeks ago - couldn't supply red cabbage, cauliflower cheese, stuffing, crackers, custard, brandy butter, smoked salmon + a load of other stuff. I didn't know until the early hours, so we had the last minute rush through no fault of our own.

We won't starve, but it's bloody irritating!

I booked mine weeks ago! Very disappointed wont be going to with home delivery spot anymore not worth it always has to go shop anyways!

@olympicsrock

I went to Lidl this morning. No queues. When a bottle of champagne fell off the till they gave me another one abs were very nice about the mess. Thanks Lidl

I’ve just come back from Lidl. Nice and quiet. Free range turkey crowns at 70% off!!!

Our local market.

Everything I had ordered laid out with everyone else's in bags and boxes. Butcher's son-in-law jumping around getting it out of the row for you. Greengrocer waiting with it all boxed up, cash only as normal but I had cash and he had change. Fishmonger expecting me.

Staggered home with the veg, on the way back for meat and fish passed some friends going home laden.

We collected our M&S order today and I agree it was very well organised , they also always have the full order whereas in the past when we’ve used Morrisons as well there was always something missing or the wrong type of turkey .

M and S is bliss - and the party snacks this year were delish. Easy peasy to heat and dish up when you are plastered :) and having too much fun

Mine was fucking hideous. No problem with the queue but I was expecting the food to be at the front of the store like Waitrose and to not have to navigate the aisles to the back. I’d booked an 8am slot as that was the earliest one.

Meanwhile they’d opened at 7am and it was absolutely HEAVING so no chance of distancing from anyone or avoiding being coughed on by the imbecile next to me who removed their mask to do so.

Never again. Utter fuckwits. The whole point is not having to go into the bloody shop, particularly in a bloody pandemic.

My bloke collected ours on Wednesday. He said it was like a military operation, he was hugely impressed. They’ve clearly employed someone very competent to design the system this year.

collected ours yesterday - our M&S was frightful! - everyone who was collecting orders had to queue outside the store (in the cold and wet) and wait to be called in - regular shoppers were allowed in without any concern for numbers- the person greeting at the door said it was so that the collection queue didn't block the shelves so regular shoppers couldn't reach the goods, nothing to do with covid and social distancing

after queuing outside, had to queue again inside to collect the order and pay

couldn't shop for stuff at the same time as collecting- had to take our order to the car then come back in to shop and queue again at the checkouts

could not have made it more complicated if they'd tried!

and the bouillabaise that was supposed to serve 4 (according to the catalogue and order confirmation,) package clearly stated serves 2 (for 25 quid!) and in reality did indeed serve 2!

not using them again- let us down last year as well, rotters.

No boxes of matchmakers left in any of the shops I looked in. DH has them in his stocking every year. I found a couple of bags Of mini matchmakers in a garage shop and I’m hoping this is an acceptable replacement as he looks forward to his matchmakers!

In all seriousness there are a few things that have cropped up (like some family who were supposed to be visiting having covid) but after a recent serious health scare we are just extremely grateful to be alive and able to celebrate together.

Our local M&S were having a disaster.

They closed the cafe and put the orders in the fridges ready to give out as people arrived. DH was 2nd in the queue on the first mourning slot yesterday.

They couldn’t find the order for the person in front so a girl left to look in the back. DH gave our information and they couldn’t find ours. Another person disappeared into the back. Person behind him also didn’t have the order there and by this point the staff were looking stressed.

15 mins later they found the first persons order but it was missing one of 2 large turkeys. They ended up giving him a smaller turkey for free and some bubbly.

10 mins later they found the order of the person behind us but again missing items. They gave him some free stuff too.

After waiting 45 mins they eventually found ours, missing the gammon. Not the end of the world and DH is not the type to get het up about something minor. To be fair the staff put a load of free stuff in a bag as an apology.

We had a look at what they’d given us when we got home. There were 2 mini hams, a large truffle flavoured ham, a Colin caterpillar cake (yay!) and a bottle of rose Prosecco.

So they obviously had some issues with stock/organisation or delivery of orders but fair play to the staff trying to make it right.

We live 2 minutes walk from our local (large) foodhall. DH went to do the honours at 8am. He was home in 17 minutes with everything we ordered. It would have been quicker but he went round the store a second time to buy a bunch of flowers.

By far the best supermarket experience of the festive season for us.

Although we just paid 70 quid for a turkey so I'd bloody hope so

Sainsburys was a faff. I did the 'Christmas food to order'. Which means you pay a deposit and have to go in the store to collect, wait 15 minutes, have everything arrive in boxes and you still have to go through check out! Every man woman and child seemed to be there. At the checkout they were flummoxed by the fact everything was in boxes so they had to open them all to scan them (except the vegetable box, though the bottom opened up and it all fell out anyway). Last thing I need is more cardboard to be frank. Don't know why they couldn't treat it as a click and collect order.

Our local M& S has refined the click & collect process over the years. Super smooth operation running from the standard c&c counter alongside menswear on 1st floor. No rampaging hordes nearby, just gentlefolk in short queue for pre-ordered scoffs which were neatly stacked in chill cabinet behind the counter. Gave name, gazed upon the two M&S assistants synchronise picking my very order off the shelf of the chiller & swipe my card to take the balance. Took two minutes.

Popped down to main food hall to retrieve OH from the chaos of the aisles. A well laid out list & systematic cruising the aisles made that episode bearable. All the M& S staff in fine form, very jolly & helpful.

Got everything home & rammed it into the fridge, scoffed M&S Stollen slices - delicious - washed down by a pot of loose leaf tea. Simple pleasures.

I deliberately left out about the almost punch up I had with another customer, as it had nowt to do with M&S.

I went to step into the lift but said customer foreclosed the lift door on me as I did not have a mask on ( I had exemption ID on) & I could not be in the lift near his baby. Never mind that his partner had stood right next to me & M&S assistant as we admired said new baby strapped to her in a sling…

That said, the M&S assistant who saw the incident did consult the store manager who deemed that I had been intimidated by said customer & was prepared to remove them from the store. Gulp!

Silly man in a panic in crowded shop on Christmas Eve - who needs the aggro? So I let it go.