The Ocado Queue Thread.

[FlamingoAndJohn]

Hello. Are you in the Ocado virtual queue? What position are you?
Would you like some company?

Luckily, when I d get out of SI we have quite a few supermarkets in our town, but I am sure all this is going to result in is lots of very busy supermarkets. Which rather defeats the object.

Hoping my order for today turns up. I've had no email from Ocado to say who the driver is etc. I actually dont have much food left and the shelves on our local supermarkets were bare yesterday. In Waitrose they even had security guards on the aisles!

I was awake at 3am and still in a queue of 100 people! Didn't realise the edit time has been brought right forward so have missed it for tomorrow's order.

MotherOfAllNameChanges they have closed the app for the time being. You have to use the website.

I was about 120 out of 150 at around 1.30 last night. Two minute wait. Edited for next week. (Order placed last week.) Not keen to meddle again.

A proportion of my Favourites were out of stock - but the vast majority appear to be available.

Fingers crossed.

Can you really do your next order when you have one set up?

Don’t want to wait that time just to find out.

Piggy I often have future slots booked, I stick a bottle of gin or a few bottles of fizz in the cart (whatever is over £40) and then check out. Then the day before (or perhaps more in advance now!!) I go in and edit the basket with what I need. That's how you do it if you're not a premium customer or whatever with a designated slot.

You need to get up early! I went on at 5.30 this morning (thanks toddler) and queue was only 250 people and I was on within 5 mins.

Although they are now advising not to edit orders after placing them if at all possible

Yes, I have 3 orders pending, one for Sunday, one for the following Saturday, and one for the Saturday after that. I managed to book one with no wait when insomnia kicked in around 3.30am.

Ok I have bad insomnia I’ll do it tonight

@MarshaBradyo yes, I did it this morning. Booked one for three weeks time when I already have one coming on Friday

5am waited about 3 mins tops. Yesterday I was on straight away at 4am but didn't book. Actually did it today! Online shopping is making me feel a bit nervous that things won't arrive, though I'm hoping that supply chains are sorted by the time my slot in early April comes around

Not keen to meddle again.

I was also worried about editing, but the couple of extra items I added seem to be turning up this morning. I probably wouldn’t risk it again though!

How do you book a slot in advance?

Either sign up to Ocado Reserved as pp have said, or fill up a trolley with at least the minimum amount, choose a date, and check out. Generally one can edit until the evening before delivery, but they are asking people to cut down on editing and not leave it to the last minute.

I was up at 4am feeding baby, I was in a queue of 100 which only took a couple of mins.
Lots of items out of stock for me and I was too tired to think so who knows what I've ordered! Hopefully I can get back on to edit

Pigs
Ocado Reserved iscwherevyiu have the same slot reserved every week and the auto fill it with what you normally buy. You can specify if you want certain items every week or left often. I used to use it but reset it up when all this started. You can edit an order any time. Not sure if you have to have smart pass or not.

Here is the email they’re sending at the moment:

I’m very sorry our service isn’t running as smoothly as you’re used to at the moment. Like all supermarkets, we are working round the clock to keep up with high demand and make sure everyone gets what they need. We may not always get it perfectly right but we are trying our best. Thank you for bearing with us.
I’d also like to take this chance to thank our amazing drivers and warehouse staff who are working tirelessly to deliver groceries to as many people as possible in these uncertain times. Their dedication and hard work is truly amazing.
Naturally, the safety and wellbeing of everyone connected to Ocado remains our priority. We will continue to follow the latest advice from the Government and the World Health Organisation while the Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation continues.
These are some of the changes we’ve put in place so far:
Receiving a delivery. Your driver will knock and greet you as normal, but they will then place the bags on your doorstep. They will no longer be carrying them into your home or handing them to you directly. Also, please do not hand any used bags back, they will not be able to take them.
Placing an order in advance. Delivery slots are selling a lot faster than usual, so we suggest booking one or more ahead of time to avoid disappointment. We are releasing further delivery slots as soon as they become available. Don’t forget, slots are bookable up to three weeks in advance.
We’ve switched off the app. Due to performance issues driven by continued high demand, we have decided to keep our app offline for the time being. In the meantime, please shop on our website instead.
Managing the flow to the website. We have also launched a new queueing system on the website to manage the increased demand. This will help us to give you the best shopping experience possible under the current circumstances. If you see a page saying you’re in a virtual queue just sit tight, don’t close or refresh the page or you’ll lose your place.
There’s enough for everyone. We continue to see high demand for certain products as customers are choosing to stock up. To help with fair distribution, we’ve temporarily limited some products to one or two items per order. We are working closely with suppliers to restock products regularly so all customers get what they’ve ordered each time they shop.
Those are just some of the changes we’ve put in place to help manage in these extraordinary times, and it’s important to remember that we’re in this together. To quote this week’s joint announcement from all of us supermarkets together, “we would ask everyone to be considerate in the way they shop. We understand your concerns but buying more than is needed can sometimes mean that others will be left without. There is enough for everyone if we all work together”.
Here are a few ways you can make a big difference at the moment:
• Only buy what you need, there’s enough for everyone. That will help us to make sure everybody gets what they need.
• Share deliveries with neighbours if you can. The continued high demand means delivery slots are selling out very fast, so sharing a delivery could be helpful. Also remember to look out for vulnerable people you may be able to help.
• Try not to make last-minute edits to your order. Even better, place your order in one go and only make edits if you must.
• Make sure you’re at home when your delivery is due. This may seem like an obvious one, but if you’re not there to receive your order it’s unlikely we’ll be able to redeliver and the fresh food will go to waste. Frozen food may get wasted too.
• Follow the guidelines carefully. If you’re in self isolation, it is essential that you notify us in your driver notes as you check out your order. We ask you to remain inside your home when your shopping arrives. Your driver will leave the shopping bags on your doorstep.
We’ve collated all important messages and info onto one page. If you want to know more about particular changes, head to our Coronavirus information and updates page.
Finally, I’d like to thank you for your continued patience and understanding during this incredibly busy time.

@MotherOfAllNameChanges. They’ve turned the app off for the time being. You have to access it via the website.

That's a very good email.

I've got an order due in Sunday, I've just tried to login and I'm number 5571. Wonder how long that might take.

I've just tried to login and I'm number 5571.

Yesterday I tried and I was 6000 or so. I never got there.

Well this would be a busy time, as people wake up or try to edit on their commute.

Overnight is much better if you can wait.

Has anyone else found there cutoff time for editing has changed? Have an order due Thursday which can normally be edited until Wednesday evening but when I logged on last night, the order had changed its status to ‘placed’ which means no more changes allowed. Earlier in the day the last editing time was still showing as Wednesday evening.

@HollyBollyBooBoo when did they tell us they've changed the editing time? I queued and logged in this morning to find I can't update tomorrows order. I was catering for a party of 20 which we cancelled yesterday....so now have tons of mince etc for chilli con carne, 20 jacket potatoes etc etc..... That I don't need and can't freeze it all - or all the other party bits!!

I just got a ‘your order has substitutions - please take a look at your receipt’ message.

Ummm...how precisely am I meant to do that, Ocado?

Oh, my numbers gone DOWN to 6238. Not looking hopeful.

I mean I get I shouldn’t clog up the website to look - but switch off the messages please!