Asda click and collect nightmare

[Raera]

C&C booked weeks ago for 12 noon today. Nothing added from 24 hours before cut off.
Arrived on time despite no confirmation email received.
Dreadful. Lady there with children in the car had been there an hour.
Phones not being answered.
I felt really sorry for the staff there as clearly the buyers and staff planning had got things so horribly wrong and customers waiting were getting very upset.
Customer services told me they didn't have enough staff and to go home until I got the confirmation email.
Email came in at 14.45, got back about 15.00. Tempers even more frayed on our return.
Email showed 13 subs, most of which were unacceptable eg given tartar instead of horseradish. I didn't want any of them.
Totally out of stock and no subs available- cauli, sprouts, green beans, cranberry sauce etc....... No staples available.
Fortunately we had already bought meat from elsewhere, but there was a lady in tears because none of the things she had ordered for Christmas dinner were not available, so the things I mentioned but also all her meat, pigs, stuffing etc.
Or order brought out at about 15.15.
Worker was very polite and apologetic but said because of the queues he couldn't deal with any subs returns and asked me to take everything and apply online. WTF!
4 supermarkets later we managed to buy the veg etc we needed. No cranberry sauce anywhere but bless Lidl, they had fresh cranberries and I've just made my own, a job I didn't really have time to do.
Adding insult to injury, having looked at my groceries I have now found that a few are use by Dec 24th. Unacceptable service
Get your act together! If people pre order this means you know what stocks you need.
Never again and my order was for about £300.

I usually get Tesco or Sainsbury deliveries but never bother at Christmas now after previously having the entire Christmas roast unavailable.

I never allow substitutions because although sometimes they're in your favour, other times they're just silly. I also want to buy my own fresh stuff because of dates.

We did an Ocado order early in the month for cupboard stuff because we had a voucher and then did all the fresh food shop yesterday.

I did have to go to a second shop to get a few bits but it all felt much less stressful than waiting on a delivery or collection. if you can, do that!

The exception to that is sometimes using the food to order service which you order jn advance but usually collect in store. I've done that at christmas and through the year for parties and never had an issue.

Just got our Ocado order and everything is there. The only substitution was a different brand of creme fraiche. Very pleased!

Lots of people got paid Friday and don't have the spare cash to start buying Christmas food before that.
My friend always gets a voucher from her employer so waits for that.

i imagine a lot of companies pay early, nhs paid on 20th, 4 days early

you think you will get what you have ordered, because you ordered it, but that isnt the case. you only get what is available

My Asda click and collect was a bit of a joke too, although not as bad as my sisters. They substituted her carrots with a cheese board and her potato skins with cranberry profiteroles!

My gripe with them is they didn’t have enough staff to collect unwanted substitutions so told everyone to leave them in a crate at the side of the collection area..thieves would have had a field day! I thankfully took a photograph of mine as despite reporting them unsuitable online they are reviewing my request apparently! It’s worth almost £30 so not an insignificant sum to be waiting on a refund for.

I went into the same store immediately after my collection and found everything except ready made gravy!

I did click and collect this year and was really pleased. As it’s Christmas, I do expect that things may not go to plan. I bought non-perishables in advance and my click and collect was early yesterday morning, to allow time to find any missing items. However I fully appreciate that how I do things won’t work for everyone for various reasons.

I’m not certain my theory is right, but I always get an early morning click and collect (Tesco). I seem to be more likely to get everything I’ve ordered, presumably as they are freshly stocked.

I had ten subs in my Asda Click and collect yesterday, all OK-ish. DH went into Asda later in the evening to find Lenonade and they didn't have any 🤷🏻‍♀️ just one example of stock levels.

I use Asda thought out the year but tempted to try another supermarket next year.

I don't know about Asda but a family member works home delivery/ click and collect at a large supermarket.

They don't have storage for everything overnight (and it would make the use by dates issue even worse). They do pick from 5am but if something isn't there when they come to pick your order, there's nothing they can do about it. A 2pm order would probably get picked somewhere between 5am and 11am.

They do, at this time of year, get a load of turkeys put on one side for home delivery and click and collect, because that's a really essential item for people. But they just don't have the space to do that for everything.

Edited to add: actually, I say there's nothing they can do if the products aren't there - they do go back later and see if new stock's come in. But if it hasn't, then they can't make it appear!

I was 9am yesterday but should maybe do even earlier.

@PumpkinSpicedTea I generally go for the earliest slot available- 7-8am.

No good for us. Partner is disabled and would never cope with crowded store. I don't drive. So we have to rely on home delivery for our big shops. Think you should've thought that through before posting. Others have above you l.

You're saying disability is laziness now? Did you think about different groups who use delivery before you posted???

Find a small to medium size local Co-op and go there today. Choice isn’t enormous but you’ll get most things and it won’t be mobbed as most people use the bigger supermarkets for their real blowouts.

I had an Asda delivery on Thursday, 3 subs kept two and no double cream but picked that up in Morrisons which was quiet on Friday.I was very happy tbh as that was less subs and missing items than I used to get weekly when I had a Morrisons delivery pass.

I had a similar experience a few years ago. Now I'll only trust Ocado. This year he arrived bang on time and my only sub in a £200 shop was kitchen roll. Zero stress. Well worth the delivery fee.

Asda home shopping and c&c is picked from the shop. At least I'm the one near us anyway.

It's lazy to assume that people who use online shopping are lazy. There are many many reasons for it. My dd has anorexia and this is our third Christmas living with it. I suffer with PTSD from our darkest days and going around the supermarket when they're in full 'festive' swing can be upsetting.

Christmas is a really difficult time for a lot of people and cutting corners is often a necessity to be able to get through it.

It works for us! For the same reason we get a 6:30am Sainsbury's delivery.

Driver once told us they pick between 4-8am, in delivery order. Shop opens around 7am.

Vans also have issues keeping items frozen, so we like to get early delivery.

@DelilahBucket it's be cause Christmas day is on a Monday so you have Friday night, Saturday and Sunday to get all your shopping if you work Monday to Friday

🤣🤣🤣 of course it comes from the shop floor! Do you not see all those staff with the trolleys working their way around tesco/asda etc picking customers orders.

That’s rotten OP, sounds like Asda messed up greatly. Glad you got it mostly sorted though.

I saw someone glibly tout going to the supermarket as a solution. A stampede of wild horses would not get me in a supermarket at any time of the year let alone Christmas. I get my groceries delivered all year, works a treat - even at Christmas. You go to the supermarket all you like, while you queue and stress I’ll be at home on the sofa, stuffing my face!!

It doesn’t come from the shop floor everywhere. Our asda pick from the warehouse.

I would suggest you all check whether any substitutions that you gave back have been refunded.

I requested mine online and they were refused - when I contacted them they claimed I had not returned the items. After a bit of discussion they have eventually agreed to refund! It amounted to almost £30 so not an insignificant amount!

Asda are struggling this year, I seen lots of complaints on social media from collection/deliveries (tik tok etc)

I ordered a Christmas shop on the 22nd from Aldi, only two subs.

Asda also struggled in 2022 and 2021.

See a long running theme?