Ocado tips, tricks subs, M&S shortbread giveaways and defectors..

[Garyunicorn]

Carrying on from the old Ocado thread. www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/a4045676-Ocado-tips-hacks-Toblerone-and-Christmas?msgid=102560793#102560793

I have been contributing, just changed my name to prevent being outed over something!

[quote NotGenerationAlpha]@beela What do you mean you have a weekly delivery and reserved slot? I have been just booking the same slot manually 4 weeks ahead. (I remember seeing an email about reserved slots are back but they are midweek only). I think it depends on the area. But I can get one for tomorrow if I want to. Otherwise, the next available is 5/1. But I've got every sunday booked until 17/1 currently.[/quote]
@notgenerationalpha yes, I manually book the same slot each week too. I just meant that I am a pretty consistent and regular customer. They are still only letting me have one a week, but I forgot to rebook and my next available one is 10th Jan.

So I thought I'd try to get a reserved one (I don't really mind when it is, we both wfh for now) but it let me get half way through the process of setting that up and then there were none available.

I've had enough, it shouldn't be this difficult.

[quote VanCleefArpels]@beela the trick is to book as many slots in advance as you can, fill them with random stuff up to £40 then edit as needed. When you get a delivery go on and book another at the end of your bookings (if that makes sense). Works for me - I’m good till mid Jan[/quote]
That's what I normally do.... I took my eye off the ball!

@Ontheboardwalk

All good here thankfully. Subs for eggs and pigs in blankets. No mash and missing one lot of bacon

Turkey, brandy sauces, pudding, veg and fruit all being delivered

@ontheboardwalk - I too am getting subs for pigs in blankets - a platter full of cocktail sausages - what did you end you end up with? - I wouldn't care but they are half price at the moment and I'm being charged the full price

and no broccoli - Ds will be pleased

A few other 'sensible' subs but can't moan in the whole scheme of it all. - Especially when theres a thread somewhere today where someone nipped in to a supermarket for a few things and it was rammed.

I haven't actually got it through the door yet so hopefully I'm not speaking too soon.

But thank you for the company - its interesting hearing others tales - especially the price difference s on the smart pass.

Kind of ok here - some subs nothing outrageous - 4 items no replacement but normal day to day things. Christmas chicken though is more of a chicken pigeon- we ordered a packington large - average 2.5kgs as we are a family of 7 (5 adults) - chicken is 1.2kgs and looks like it was woefully underfed. Hoping veg and stuffing will bulk it out.

Apparently there are no subs in my order coming tonight! I’m a bit nervous stuff will be squished but hopefully it will be ok. I have quite a few Christmas sides and fair bit of party food in there (not having a party just like it!)

Furball oh no that’s not good. I was feeling hard done by cos I got 12 pigs in blanket rather than 16.

What do they expect you to do with cocktail sausages?

@ontheboardwalk

Its not all bad - Fortunately they put packs of 6 pigs in blankets on offer last week so I bought one and shoved them in the freezer though they won't be plentiful at least we will have some.

The cocktail sausages are raw so have put them in the freezer next to the sausage rolls so hopefully they won't be forgotten.

I'm just glad I can shut the fridge (just!) for now and not have to worry further.

I too have a reserved and they do an order that they think I want - It does make me chuckle though as they send an email confirmation and say things like ' Here's your order but I'm sorry we haven't got lemonade, shampoo, binbags in stock so we couldn't add those' - so gosh knows how it works as surely you'd think they'd just add what was in stock?

Furball did reserved work for you during first lockdown?

I really like the idea but believe it was the first thing to break when the site crashed

I manually book as far ahead as I can and stick some instant shop items in there which I’ll confirm nearer the time

@Ontheboardwalk not only did reserve fail in the first lock down, ocado didn't feel it was worth mentioning. So I and many others had no idea their orders weren't coming until they didn't.
Mine was edited and checked out but never actually arrived and subsequent reserve slots removed.

I've got reserve slots well into January at present but whether they honour them or just cancel the lot again remains to be seen.

My leg of lamb was missing from my Ocado order tonight 😂
I'm a bit annoyed...only ordered it about 2 months ago after all!
But now I've told Mumsnet I've got it off my chest. We'll survive 😉

I had my delivery yesterday, arrived early (they called to check) and no subs. What a result!

I lost my reserved slot in lockdown 1.0 but recently set it back up again using the website- crap day though, Tuesday 👎🏻

Awaiting my email to see what I am getting tomorrow! I have a reserved slot on a Friday, and try to remember to add an extra one 6am on a Monday for packed lunch stuff etc.

@Ontheboardwalk

Furball did reserved work for you during first lockdown?

I really like the idea but believe it was the first thing to break when the site crashed

I manually book as far ahead as I can and stick some instant shop items in there which I’ll confirm nearer the time

No they cancelled it after the first week of lockdown

Got nearly everything today. A couple of trivial substitutions, but nothing important.

You can usually see your receipt online before you get an email/text about it. It was a few hours earlier for me today.

I just realized that some of the things I ordered to eat on Christmas Day only had a two day fridge-life from date of delivery and should actually have been eaten today. Oh well. We'll have the cabbage medley and pigs in blankets tomorrow.

And I forgot spouts altogether. I had half a mind to go out to the supermarket - but I'm not risking getting sick just to buy brussels sprouts. Icecream maybe...

I got my whole order!

I had never bothered with reserve prior to lockdown and always did manual orders. When I got a hint of lockdown coming I sensibly (I thought) tried to set it up and that was the only order I ever did that never happened. I’ve never had a problem getting slots and wonder if the fact I was too inept to sort out the reserve slots actually helped in some way as I’d made so many manual orders.

I had a reserved slot before March lockdown but they were locked in only a week ahead then. I managed to get manual slots when the reserved failed. I haven’t restarted them when Ocado reintroduced them. I’m locking them in 4 weeks ahead now manually. It makes me feel more in control.

So... subs on sellotape, potatoes (king edwards for Maris Piper which is fine!), normal crisps for Pringles, and chips. Bagels out of stock. So not bad at all!

Mostly issues with potato based products

Ocado delivery this morning. One sensible substitution. Result!!

Had a Morrisons delivery earlier this week for basics as I find the M&S range limited compared to Waitrose, with frequent out of stocks and more expensive. Morrisons have some nice "Best" products too. They use the same warehouse where I am.

Managed to get an Ocado delivery every week one way or another since March and now back on Reserved, so I've been grateful for that. Just wish it was still with Waitrose.

I got this automated email from them this morning :-

We were unable to place your next Ocado Reserved order for Friday 25 December, therefore we have now cancelled this order.

So someone somewhere has pressed the wrong button as they paused them over Christmas/New year

I got that email at 6am whilst waiting for my email about today's delivery - and it scared the shit out of me as in my sleepy state I read "delivery cancelled" as meaning today's order

A few sensible substitutions here, and it left Dartford at 4am. In a Christmas miracle, it still says it is on target for the 9-10am slot despite Stack/Brock being in between the depot and here. I am so relieved.

My Christmas delivery was very good. Chap came early which was good as I had a late evening slot.

Only thing that disappointed was a bag with Pringles, Christmas cake and Christmas biscuits kit was full of water. Well I assume it’s water. Pringles soaked and dripping so those will have to bin. Have got a refund and it’s non essential really in the scheme of things. Shame to waste food, but we don’t fancy burst damp Pringles. Especially as we don’t know what liquid it is!

Colin the caterpillar 🐛 is intact and looks amazing.

My Waitrose click and collect was only missing vegan pigs in blankets.
Interestingly some of the things I ordered were not available in the shop so I’m guessing the order them in for specific orders.
Or Waitrose is a big one with John Lewis on the same site so I wonder if they get part of the click and collect orders delivered directly rather than picked from the store.