Booking multiple delivery slots is pretty selfish?

[Yorvictor130]

I think it’s actually on par with the panic buyers.

I see so many MNetters saying they have reserved a slot every week for online food delivery, is this not just as selfish as panic buying hundreds of toilet rolls? Why do you get to hog all the delivery slots. It seems to be something that people let slide on here.

Nobody can get a delivery slot for the foreseeable now and there’s people with multiple ones all to themselves. Is there not something wrong with that?

My last Sainsbury's delivery arrived on 13 march, most items missing. There has not been a free slot since. (SE London)

My mum's last delivery was due to arrive on 16 March but was cancelled without notice or explanation. She has not found a free slot since. (Essex)

Me not being able to get a delivery is a hassle but it's manageable. I can trawl round multiple shops to find what I need if I have to.

My Mum being able to get a delivery is the difference between her having what she needs or going without. She cannot physically manage going round a supermarket. She's very elderly and has multiple health issues that put her at very high risk from this virus. She's among the group who will be getting the NHS letter.

She doesn't like to complain or worry us. She told us she was fine for this week past but next week will be interesting but she can manage. Knowing my mum, 'can manage' means very meagre amounts of food. She grew up during WW2 and rationing is normal to her.

Sainsburys have at last started prioritising slots for elderly and disabled customers. She's been told she'll be able to book a slot from tomorrow but she doesn't know when it will arrive. I am hoping she doesn't have to join the queue behind everyone who has booked every single delivery slot for the next three weeks.

When I called her earlier she was worried about whether it would be ok to add a bag of maltesers to her order because they're not essential and maybe she should just be ordering the basics.

In normal times, booking multiple delivery slots is just good organisation. These are not normal times.

I would like to see supermarkets limiting delivery slots so that you can only have one and you can't book the next until your first is delivered. All the extra slots that people have booked beyond their next delivery should be cancelled.

I have the world's tiniest violin for people who might lose a few quid on their delivery pass.

Yes I find it hard to believe anyone can book more than one slot on one day.

I'd be happy to have a slot allocated, no choice of delivery time or day, and to have to much less choice, just specify some regular items so they can predict purchases and pick things earlier. I don't think any of us really need a free choice of 50,000 lines (or whatever it is) right up until 11pm the night before right now.

Failing that, even click and collect would be better than having to go to a supermarket and do the walking round with lots of other people collecting my own trolley of items with everyone else doing the same. I think the public have to be stopped from mixing with each other, one way or another, and supermarket staff will be safer that way too.

Well, I logged into one of the 3 supermarkets I was trying to do my shopping with (was just planning to go with the first one that gave me a slot) at midnight and suddenly 1 more day appeared, but it was already booked solid for the 1st 4 hours.

After kicking me off a few times I managed to get a slot for 11am on 13th April so I've taken it. I was ideally hoping for a slot nearer the end of April, but felt I had to take what I could get.

It isn't the supermarket I have been using lately for online shopping though. Rather one that I used to shop with online about 4 years ago. My usual online delivery one had no slots available for March or April, but wasn't showing any further ahead either.

If I don't quite need it all (or can't use it before it goes off), I will share it out with family and friends/neighbours so it won't go to waste as I know everyone else has been having the same issue.

I think that those who need these slots most will not be going out at all Very true @alloutoffucks although some households that need the slots will be essential key workers if they are working long shifts. Those that need them because they are self isolating could be given priority in making sure that they get what they ordered.

Families containing people in the most at risk category are in a difficult position, they need to be extra careful not to get ill themselves & pass it on, even if they can get to a shop themselves.

Essential key workers do not need home delivery if they can pop into a shop and easily find food there. It is having to search for the food that is the issue.

Tesco in town was rammed at 8:45 this morning. The car park was full of people who tried to blag their way in "forgot my NHS ID" or those waiting for 10 am. The amount actually allowed in was minimal because of these complete cunts.

The police closed the car park and my DD and other NHS staff couldnt even get in to the fucking queue.

@eeeyoresmiles That only applies if they are living in the same household or an essential carer. Otherwise they should not be going near them at all. If they live with them, the slot goes to the person they are living with anyway, so no issue.

I have used Asda twice a week for the past 5 years and have booked the same delivery spots as I always do. I am self isolating as 5 out of 5 people in my family are high risk and for me to go to a supermarket I'd have to take my 5 year old. The other spot is for my elderly Dad who is isolating and doesn't live close so I can't share the slot with him as I can't go to his house to separate the delivery.

No, I don't feel selfish.
No, I don't think I should give up my weekly spots for people who don't usually use the service but want to now.

If I knew my slot would go to someone in serious need of it I would give it up and have to take the risk of taking my daughter to a supermarket to get what we need. But there is no guarantee of that so I won't give it up and have it go to someone who wants to stockpile toilet roll and wine when taking my 5 year old shopping is risky for me.

I have agreed to do my BILs shopping for him, to be delivered with mine and MIL needs a few basics so I will add hers also as she doesn't need much. So in reality 2 deliveries a week are covering 4 households so I don't think that is too bad.

Yes, that's our situation. I suppose we might get a slot anyway then, even if they're rationed. We could manage with simpler orders and no choice of time even then.

I usually prefer to actually go to the shop as I find food keeps better because I'll pick the longest date available and check food for bruises, etc, which the online pickers don't do. I also hate it when things are missing as you've no opportunity to look around for something to replace it like you would if you were actually in the store.

I've also heard if people only receiving 20% of their order since these issues began, so if that happens to me I'll be stuffed as it's took me 3 weeks to get this slot (earliest and only one available atm) and I can't see it getting any better.

This would just mean I'll have to go to the store and get what I can, which isn't ideal.

With the way things are at the moment, I think online shopping should be restricted for people who can't actually get to a shop, so the elderly and vulnerable, people who have to self isolate, people who have no way of getting their shopping otherwise and key workers like NHS staff who spend the day working hard only to find nothing left in the supermarkets when they finish. It would be difficult but by asking age, blue light card number etc it might be possible.

My partner and I work for the NHS and have been self isolating since Tuesday after our baby showing symptoms of CV and there are no slots for online shopping at all up to mid April. We have a bit of food but not enough bread milk etc, no family who can shop for us as they are either too far away or isolating too and a 1 year old baby to feed. It's so hard to believe that some people have their normal slot booked every single week when this is definitely not a normal situation and families like my own are struggling to get food in the house. We are now all unwell but will have no choice but to go out shopping and potentially infect others if we can't get a slot in the next few days. My partner and I can go without but my baby can't.

This is just awful isn't it. Who are these selfish people who are emptying the shelves? I used to think that stuff was being sold on at inflated prices but now panic buying seems to be the monster that feeds on itself.
My nearly adult DS and I are both in the vulnerable group being advised to stay at home/self distance so we need to minimise the time we spend trailing round shops. Therefore I have managed to get 2 click and collect slots (no deliveries available of course) 2 weeks apart. I have just had to explain rationing along the lines of: we have to try to make what we have last for 10 days because we don't know when we'll be able to replace it. The alternative is to send my 15-year old DD out for supplies but I just can't quite square that.

I got flamed on another thread for admitting that I’ve done this! I have 4 weeks booked up, and when one is delivered I book one for a week after my last slot is due so I always have 4 booked in advance. I think people are just mad that they didn’t think of it first!

I didnt even consider online shopping until I had to isolate because I can walk to the shop and figured other people need the slots more. I guess I can understand why youd want to carry on as you normally do but I'd like to think people would be considerate and get their shopping themselves if they can to free up the slots for people who are struggling to get food. Even just getting online shopping every 2 weeks rather than every week and picking up the bread and milk etc that wont last 2 weeks when you need it. For me at the moment, it's worse than panic buying because I could still get some things I need when half the shelves are empty. At the moment, I cant get anything at all.

THe problem is we dont know when we will be self isolating.

I always have click and collect slots booked three weeks in advance. I use them now to shop for me and my parents. My brother had to collect this weeks because we are all self isolating.

I needed the shopping, and I gave it up i would have no control over who got it.

A system which gives priority to vulnerable groups would need to be managed by the supermarkets, not you😊

His is a tough time and emotions are running high. We are all doing what we need to to get our families through.

We usually have a regular slot once a week, but when the slots dried up we booked slots at whichever supermarket we could as regularly as we could manage, we normally use Sainsbury's or Morrison's but last week had to have Asda which was a total disaster & won't be using them again. Fortunately we are staying at my mum's so she should get a priority slot at Sainsbury's this week as she is over 70 & we have a delivery booked from Morrisons next week which has been booked for 3 weeks now. Only being allowed to buy 3 of each item is a problem, we go down a loaf a day & drink lots of pop & bottled water, I am thinking of buying the pop & water either from Amazon or our local off licence which delivers.

We have a weekly shop reserved. Have done for years. I'm pregnant and DH and dc all have asthma. We are also self isolating as I had symptoms and now 3 year old does. There is one supermarket where I live and it's bare by 8 am according to the FB pages. I have continued my normal shop (increasing now to account for DC being home all week) not panic bought in anyway. Offered others to get stuff on my shop too.

There are people behaving like absolute dickheads stockpiling that are causing all these problems

This is a tricky one. It’s little different to the behaviour that is leading to empty so supermarket shelves. I don’t think there are that many people in the shops who are buying trolley loads of loo roll and pasta etc -that is causing the system to buckle. Most people are doing what seems sensible - buying a little bit extra in case they need to self isolate and the supply chains just can’t cope.

Similarly with the online shopping - individually everyone is doing the ‘sensible’ thing and booking slots as far ahead as possible and the system is buckling.

I was doing it myself, but I’ve been trying to book slots for my dad who is having cancer treatment and is very at risk and I cannot get them. I’m hoping there will be some mechanism for him to get priority as I’m terrified of him having to leave the house. It might literally be a case of life and death as I really do not fancy his chances if he gets ill.

So I’m not booking any more slots for myself until things calm down a bit. For most of us it’s an inconvenience (maybe quite a big one, but an inconvenience) - for people like my dad this is life or death stuff.

they need to prioritise delivery for elderly, disabled &/or vulnerable in my view.

and limit how much you can buy of each product

I disagree - I'm self isolating (elderly with health issues) and have booked weekly slots up to and including 18 April. If I managed to book them why couldn't you? It just takes a bit of time and effort. I also disagree with your suggestion of only booking one every 2 weeks. There are restrictions on several items and one cannot order sufficient to cover that period.

I have my usual weekly slot booked as far in advance as it lets me. I am starting to feel that it's not quite right.

However, it's a 50 mile round trip away, so I don't want to change to click and collect if I don't need to. There are a few small supermarkets closer but they don't offer click and collect.

I suspect they will start cancelling them soon anyway.

Sainsbury’s are giving priority access to those they can identify as vulnerable and then they’re available to everyone - at the same time. Delivery pass holders don’t get priority.
I’m organised and have got my next 3 deliveries booked I’m not going to apologise for it. They’re all with different shops so I’ve had a look around for slots. Currently self isolating so it’s been a godsend to get something delivered.
I’ll also be getting my mums shopping for her on those slots and possibly my PILs. So it’s not just our household hogging a slot

I don’t think I am being selfish OP, I have MS I am self isolating with my family for 12 weeks, I am reliant on delivery, and I am having trouble booking a slot. I am also ordering items for my elderly neighbours who are self isolating and don’t have internet access. I think I am being responsible, I don’t think it is too much to ask for one delivery slot a week in the circumstances.