Please do not take supermarket delivery slots unless NEEDED

[Chester1980]

This is a plea to anyone who is not vulnerable - please do not take delivery slots from supermarkets. My elderly father lives hundreds of miles away and I cannot get him a slot because they’re all unavailable. This is despite him having an NHS shielding letter. We can’t even get through to any customer services for help.

If you can get to a supermarket and you’re not vulnerable, please think of others who cannot get out and release your delivery slot.

Keep trying. Sainsburys for one are staggering the release of their slots. This morning there was nothing, this evening I got a slot for a week’s time.

@Chester1980
If he had the text/letter,and registered on the Gov site,the government have contacted companies to give them the list.People will then get an email telling them they can get a priority slot

I'm very happy not to take a delivery slot, as I don't need one. In return, please could people stop slagging off those who go to the supermarket in person?

I'm having the exact same problem for my elderly father who lives hundreds of miles away from me. I've looked all week and can not find a slot anywhere! Starting to really annoy me now.

Tescos has access to the Government shielded list, they've sent me an Email offering priority slots, they also say they haven't matched everybody up yet, and they're still working on it.

He does get a milk delivery

My elderly mother is isolated (both by letter and by location) and gets a milk delivery. Her milkman does eggs, dairy products, orange juice, potatoes and a few other items of fresh produce. Definitely worth checking although more expensive than the supermarket.

Its also worth checking with any social groups/community activities he belongs to as those DM attends are using their efforts to phone members and organise bit of shopping, prescription collection etc.

I've had long waits on the phone but both Tesco and Waitrose gave advice to use locally (local groups connected to the branch) and are in process of trying to prioritise vulnerable people (and both offer the shopping slots for the more mobile elderly). I've heard similar of Sainsburys. The one supermarket who seem to have been pretty rubbish on all aspects is Ocado.

It may also be worth joining FB groups for his local community for news of services.

Iceland sound about the best for prioritising vulnerable clients who aren't existing customers.

But if everyone one a given day ordered only the bare essentials, it wouldn’t free up any slots for that day or for the future, so I honestly don’t get the difference? How it it helping to not order anything “frivolous” like an oven glove (I’m assuming the person’s old one burnt through or wore out and they stuck one on their supermarket shop instead of go out especially, which seems highly sensible to me).

No totallywipedout you must be slagged off either way.

People need to stop fixating on delivery slots from the big supermarkets. There aren’t enough and they can’t manage the demand

Instead options are: local volunteers, did boxes for shielded individuals, farm deliveries some cafes and restaurants are turning to delivery of ‘essentials’ boxes.
Alternatively can you post some bits ? A fried did this for her parents - uht milk, pasta, bake at home rolls etc

@Chester1980 I've just been on the Morrison's food box website with no problems. They also do actual meal hampers that might be handy!

No problem! Leave your mobile number in the email and they will call you. Good luck!

I got a fantastic delivery today from a local farm shop - really lovely meat and fruit/veg - I ordered it on Friday so not a bad wait either. Is that a possibility for you OP?

While people refuse to follow the distancing rules in supermarkets I'm really unhappy to go back into one. There was great signage last time I shopped but I think some tannoy/recorded announcements would have helped.

Chester I’ve been up very early checking various site to get slots for my elderly parents and in-laws in different parts of the country. Any down time I’ve had I’ve been looking. I’ve managed to get them deliveries and now they have got themselves on the vulnerable list they are doing it themselves with Sainsbury’s. I also found a farm shop that delivered. You can’t just go on one site and hope for the best. I apologise if you have been doing this.
Check online for any volunteers who are looking after people in his area.
Unless he lives miles from anyone I’m sure someone will be able to help him. Can you put here roughly what area he is in?

@Onceateacher You made me laugh, which is no mean feat at the moment!

I have a pass and a recurring delivery slot. I decided to keep it and I do four peoples shopping on it. But others who see it arriving don’t know this.

So - as a single parent, what happens if i take my son with me? is it allowed? Frowned upon? Get judgemental looks?

Apparently some of the supermarkets won't let you in. I'm not really sure what single parents are meant to do.

Im getting a bit fed up with others who haven’t got slots trying to make them feel guilty. Everyone has struggles.

I’m a keyworker in a profession which isn’t recognised by the supermarkets. I’m working really bloody hard at the moment. My husband is in the medium risk vulnerable group as am I technically.

I can’t go early in the morning like I would have done and if I go in evening after work shelves are empty of the basics I need.

We already have milk delivered. I have added bread to it now.

I have gone to a greengrocers before work but it’s 10 hours in car til I get it home and this does shorten its life.

I will do a butchers order.

We have enough store cupboard items for now but soon we need a big shop.

If I get a slot I’ll be asking mother who is shielding and mother in law who is vulnerable if they need anything. I’ll extend the offer to my sister in law too.

It’s a decision made centrally.

So do what you have to do to complain to who needs to hear it. 🤷🏻‍♀️
Until then I’ll order whatever is available and my kids will at least get a few Easter eggs. I think things are shit enough for them with exams being cancelled, not seeing mates, a needed medical procedure being cancelled for one of them and them knowing that their mum is at risk...Sorry but I don’t begrudge mine or anyone else’s kids an Easter egg added to my online shop.

@Michaelbaubles they could use a tea towel? Im not trying to pick on specifically ONE person ordering a seemingly frivolous item, it’s every other order containing something inessential. It’s takes man hours to collect all this stuff up, we only have a limited time available to shop as we can’t be shopping round the store when it is full of customers.

When you book a slot online you aren’t the only person with that time slot, it all depends on the amount of items ordered in that hour time slot that fills it up. For example if 3 people choose a delivery time 3pm-4pm and ordered say 50 items each, there would be space available for another person to book a slot. If those 3 people ordered 80 items each, there may not be space for that extra order. Order more items, it takes more time to pick, pack and deliver. That’s the point I’m trying to make.

"Healthy" people can only see slots for 2/3 weeks time.

Where I live, a local taxi firm will collect Click And Collect orders for you. You pay just the fare from supermarket to home.

I would definitely check his local FB. There's a lot of small businesses here who are selling and delivering groceries as well as people who are happy to pick up prescriptions and click and collects. We also have local restaurants who are doing ready meals

OP, whereabouts does he live?

He need to register on the government website and say that he needs help (or you can- you need NHS number from letter)
Then go onto ocado (if they deliver there) and fill the vulnerable form in
Repeat with other supermarkets- not all have forms but most have an online facility

For example if 3 people choose a delivery time 3pm-4pm and ordered say 50 items each, there would be space available for another person to book a slot. If those 3 people ordered 80 items each, there may not be space for that extra order.

But everyone I know book their slot before they add their shopping to their basket. So how would the supermarket cope with that then, I might order 20 items, I might order 150 item.... they have no clue when I book my slot.