Ocado priority, tips and hacks and Toblerone

[FredAstaireAteMyHamSandwich]

Carrying on from the last Ocado thread that is about to fill up. Still haven’t been given a toblerone yet.

I'm getting subs all the time now when I rarely had any for years. At the start of lockdown they were pretty crap subs too (or just missing) but they're ok now, mainly different sizes or brands of the same thing, but still more than I'd expect. I'd love someone to explain it all to me - I expect if it's so much busier than ever before they've got more people making last minute edits to baskets but surely they can just let people not add stuff if someone's already ordered it (or do they allow for a certain %age of people removing it from baskets, like airlines overselling tickets?). I wanted some thankyou cards that then went out of stock by the time I tried to add them, then were back in stock a few days later. I wonder how many people re-search for the thing they've already been told is out of stock, for the same delivery?

@OhYouBadBadKitten

I'll do that. Thanks! If I don't want to order for a particular week will they remove the priority slot status? It's a weird situation where we really could have done with it, but now things aren't so difficult. We honestly couldn't get anything and had to rely on friends helping out for weeks.

I don't think anyone knows how they'll work out who gets to keep slots in some hypothetical future scenario where things are limited again. It might be done on overall spending more than regularity - who knows!

I think in your position I might go for an order a week for a few weeks before letting myself miss the odd one (but we struggled early on too, so I'm on the cautious side and quite afraid of losing the chance of deliveries).

Anyway it's fine to edit right up until the cut off, like others have said, so you don't have to decide now what you'll want in two weeks.

I am a smart pass holder and haven’t used them for a few weeks as was getting far too expensive . They have now said I can get a slot every 5 days and I keep getting texts / emails about booking a slot so seems they are more fussed about people who aren’t loyal .

I can see slots 21 days in advance, but can't think what we might buy two weeks hence.

OhYouBadBadKitten it does require a change of mindset. I've had a SmartPass for nearly a decade, and before Covid I generally pottered about happily adding stuff to my trolley on the app and only booking a slot (2 or three times a month) two or three days ahead. Since lockdown I've diversified my shopping and rely much less on Ocado for fresh fruit and veg. So - two weeks hence I know I'll need; household stuff, laundry stuff, toiletries, milk (which goes in the freezer), other dairy products, eggs, anything frozen, a few tins, tea. Plus occasional snacks. Oh, and ice cream!

Things I don't currently buy from them but might easily buy two weeks ahead: dried beans, lentils, pasta, rice, flour. I'm sure there must be more but I can't think what.

Shopping ahead has been a bit more stressful - but you do get into the rhythm of it after a while.

Thank you for the reassurance :) I do get a veggie box delivered and now milk&more. I'm reluctant to cancel the milk, even though it's more expensive, because milk was such a headache to get hold of. Use a farm shop for meat, but that got a bit tricky. So it's more other dairy, household stuff and cupboard stuff.

I miss the days of not worrying about food.

Indeed!

But I'm the first to admit that I had become rather lazy in my shopping, pre-lockdown. Acknowledging that large parts of the world never were sitting at home and clicking "Buy now" to make food appear, it's been ... enlivening to go back to looking further afield.

Definitely don't cancel any suppliers you already have. It can only be sensible to keep a ranch of sources - in anticipation of a second wave ...

range not ranch.

@ninjaturtle000

I don't get this. I have been with Ocado for years, but I rarely use them. Maybe once or twice a year and only £100 or so a time. I normally use Morrisons every ten days or so.

Yet, I am on Ocado's priority list, I can order every five days and 'see all slots before everyone else, 21 days in advance'. How does that make sense when so many of you more regular and much higher spending customers can't get slots at all?

I'm not on any sort of vulnerable list and I don't have a smart pass.

Makes no sense!

It makes perfect business sense, as long as customers don't know that other customers who spend less or are new are getting better service than loyal customers. Most people have no idea what service other people are getting, they just know that they have been branded as "most loyal" or given them "priority access", they don't know that there are different levels of priority access. All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others...

The regular customers who got priority access during lockdown are happy about that so they even if they still have restrictions, as long as they are getting by, they are happy. They aren't going to leave and probably don't need more than the slots they are getting so won't spend more, it's just a bit inconvenient not being able to book ahead.

The regular customers who were locked out have either gone elsewhere (and may be hard to lure back) or came back as soon as they got the chance. If you don't know that new customers are getting priority over you (rather than the vulnerable and elderly), being able to book a slot once a week and see slots 3 days ahead is a lot better than the nothing they had before, even if it means poor stock availability, so they are happy taking what they can get. Most people don't have more than one delivery a week so they aren't going to spend more if they are given better access. Those that have comeback will probably stay loyal and comeback again, even if they get locked out for a second time.

Far better to woo all those new customers who signed up because of coronavirus and those irregular customers who might be enticed to become regular customers in case there is a second wave. That generates extra income.

But what happens if all the new customers block book 21 days in advance so regular customers can't get a slot? I guess you hope the first group will stay loyal because they were prioritised during lockdown and don't want to lose that privilege if there is a second wave, and the second group have already stuck with them once so will probably do it again.

The regular customers who got priority access during lockdown are happy about that so they even if they still have restrictions, as long as they are getting by, they are happy. They aren't going to leave and probably don't need more than the slots they are getting so won't spend more, it's just a bit inconvenient not being able to book ahead.

and the second group have already stuck with them once so will probably do it again.

There is another consideration which i dont think you have taken into account. There is a major change in September when they go to M&S rather than Waitrose. Some of there very long term customers like me are very uneasy about it, they are having to woo us all over again. Having a second wave may be the only reason to stick with them

I can only amend 11pm thursday for 7am saturday

No its changed to 12pm friday

Just looked at my next 3 orders all 9-10am Wednesday.
Cut off for this week is still 11pm Monday night but the other 2 have changed to 12pm on Tuesday.

There is a major change in September when they go to M&S rather than Waitrose. Some of there very long term customers like me are very uneasy about it, they are having to woo us all over again

I think that is another reason why they might want to woo new customers over old at the moment, in anticipation that some old customers will leave after the change @bruffin. Better to have a broad base of customers and ration slots now, then in September try to win people back if they leave. There will be M&S customers to entice into online shopping too.

I'm not that bothered about them moving to M&S. They have been winding down the Waitrose products for some time now. They stock lots of brands and have definitely expanded their own range.

I was in a Marks food store this morning and it was so quiet. I wonder if people will bother visiting them if they can get it delivered ? They will lose a lot of money with impulse purchases that I always make in M&S!

Just had an email from them, having them delight in telling me that they will now be welcoming new customers. But I can still only have one order every 5 days, despite having an anytime smart pass, and having been with them since the beginning. In the event that somebody from Ocado is monitoring this thread - FUCK YOU.

I've just had an email from Ocado too. By sheer good luck, I had an Anytime Pass and years of regular orders, so got back on the website quite early on. Back on the app too.

We're reopening for everyone
^We’re reopening our shop this week, use your priority access today.
The good news
We’ve been working round-the-clock to be able to serve more customers and we’re very happy to be reopening ocado.com later this week. It means that after months of limiting our service due to unprecedented demand, more people will now be able to shop with us.^
The even more good news
Your priority access won’t change. You’ll still enjoy the same great choice of slots as you do today, you can still book a delivery everyday and see slots 28 days in advance. In fact, we’ve released slots early for our priority customers like you, so if you need deliveries over the next few weeks, you can book (before anyone else) below.

I'd love to know how frequently the new customers will be able to book and how far in advance.

All fine here. I can place a next day order, app is working, admittedly no toblerones but they delivered throughout to us which has been amazing as we have a family member awaiting hospital tests so have been extra worried.

Could it just be your location is an issue or that you are clearly ordering on behalf of someone else so they know that the business isn’t long term? Maybe you could open your relative an account in their own name and manage it if they aren’t able to deal with the tech?

@PowerslidePanda

I'd love to know how frequently the new customers will be able to book and how far in advance.

Based on a sample size of 2 new customers (both referred by me):

1. Signed up in February with the £20 voucher/3 months free Smart Pass offer. Two orders before lockdown. Offered "priority access" and deliveries every five days and able to book 21 days in advance. Just been offered a free Smart Pass for 1 year.

1. Signed up in February. No orders. Also given "priority access" and deliveries every five days and able to book 21 days in advance but no free Smart Pass.

They were offered this BEFORE I was sent an email entitled "Good News", I am no longer locked out and I can now have one delivery every 7 days and book up to 3 days in advance. I have been with Ocado since day 1 and have a £9.99 Smart Pass.

That is shocking goingoverhround

My midweek smart pass expires in mid September, my husband thinks maybe they will give me a free delivery pass for a year for now crap they’ve been the last few months. He really hasn’t got a clue! I’m more wondering how much they are going to put the price up by.

I went to a Waitrose supermarket today as I've given up trying to find an Ocado slot before 10-11pm.

It seemed so odd as the store appeared to be full of masked elderly people wandering around looking dazed and confused. I can only assume they've all been shielding or sheltering for the past few months AND the store has decided to double the number of shoppers that they can admit.

So I am back to standing patiently whilst couples survey every possible brand of seasalt.....and wondering whether I have wandered onto the film set of the start of a zombie movie.

TBH I am still sulking that Ocado didn't give me a Toblerone OR my "you have been a customer for X years" bottle of wine this lockdown. I imagine the "if you order a delivery for tomorrow you can save 10%" emails are a distant memory.

I imagine the "if you order a delivery for tomorrow you can save 10%" emails are a distant memory.

I don’t remember those at all.

I imagine the "if you order a delivery for tomorrow you can save 10%" emails are a distant memory.

I don't remember exactly that ... There were quite frequent vouchers for a certain amount or percentage off one's shopping - subject to a minimum spend (usually £60) and with a maximum saving, (usually iirc £10 or maybe £15). Gosh! So long ago I'd almost completely forgotten.

But it was always "for deliveries before" a certain date usually a couple of weeks away.