Waitrose closed due to covid until the 26th January

[FlatteredRhubardFool]

I had orders booked for tomorrow and next Monday and have just had emails saying the store has had to close due to staff isolating and to allow a deep clean of the store. I think it's great that Waitrose are very infection control conscious but there's no slots now until the beginning of February. Luckily I have a brexit stash but those who are shielded like me and can't get to the shops will be struggling if they can't get an alternative delivery from another supermarket. I have priority deliveries with Waitrose but nowhere else and I know slots are like gold dust round here at the moment.
I never considered that a store might have to close due to covid. Supply issues yes, especially with brexit but not the store completely closed.

Sorry, just to clarify that this is just my local store, not nationwide.

I imagine they must have a really big cluster of cases amongst the staff to do this.

Anyone who is clinically extremely vulnerable and is shielding can register with NHS responders to get shopping deliveries and pharmacy deliveries if they have no friends, family or neighbours who can help, though, no guarentee the volunteers will treck to Waitrose if other supermarkets are more local.
Phone call to local council for those with no online access.

Are you able to do a click and collect? There tends to be more availability for them than delivery.

Local Facebook groups and the local Doctors surgeries normally have a team of volunteers happy to help with shopping etc, contact your local GP to ask what help is available? They will have contacts to help you

Tesco in greater Manchester closed and 415 staff tested, a staff member died.

I think cashiers need a perspex box all around them really.

If you are shielded you can sign up for grocery accounts elsewhere and then go online to say you need grocery slots your details are released to shops and any that hold your information can give priority slots Waitrose are the only ones that make you fill in additional form

@Catlover10

Local Facebook groups and the local Doctors surgeries normally have a team of volunteers happy to help with shopping etc, contact your local GP to ask what help is available? They will have contacts to help you

We have a local group on WhatsApp, and had a flyer through the door at the beginning of the first lockdown so we could contact people (neighbours) for help with shopping, posting things etc.

Have you looked on any local groups for similar?

Depending on where you are, some Co-ops offer a delivery service.
We used them frequently during the first lockdown and have continued subsequently due to discovering some pretty decent products.
Delivery slot availability is pretty good normally.

Morrison’s do a next day food box delivery.

Don't Amazon have food delivery now?

What waitrose is this op

Our Morrison's and Asda have loads of next day click and collect. Both are very safe, Morrison's will load up the car boot for you should you wish and Asda have large parking bays to distance whilst packing the car.

I'm high risk and very careful and I will do both of these options should the need arise. I've risk assessed both!

Try another supermarket, you might have to pay for delivery or click and collect

If you managed to get a Waitrose Priority slot, you should be OK for Iceland and Sainsburys as well.

Morrison’s also do a next day doorstep delivery service for shielding people

Sorry to hear that OP You may find that friends and neighbours are happy to pick up a bit of fresh stuff for you, even if you don't want to ask them to do a whole shop for you.

@LickEmbysmiling

Tesco in greater Manchester closed and 415 staff tested, a staff member died.

I think cashiers need a perspex box all around them really.

It hasn't been confirmed that the staff member's death was Covid related. Still extremely sad, but just wanted to make it clear

Waitrose (Edinburgh) is one of the places I could have picked up Covid. There's a strong likelihood, given how infrequently I went anywhere else.
I'm now wondering which branch the OP is talking about!

Morrisons do food boxes via DPD

These people are great- we use them all the time but now they do national- the quality is amazing but no junk food. they quickly diversified from restaurants in LD1. We get a little van but nationally it is DPD

delifresh-ltd.myshopify.com

Apparently a Morrisons staff member involved in online orders tested positive and it completely disrupted a day's online orders and led to a lot of food wastage.
Still best ensure no-one drives for a walk in the countryside rather than police the actual law on wearing face masks. So sorry to all the supermarket staff being let down by the lack of enforcement of this law at the moment.

Thanks all for the suggestions but as I said in my OP, I have my brexit stash so I'll be ok until they can deliver again. I hope this thread and all your suggestions are helpful to anyone else in a similar situation as it would be very worrying if I had nothing in. I shop for my mum online too in one big order then taxi it to her as I don't drive but luckily she's got a brexit stash too
@ssd it's the Cheadle Hulme store.
Our local volunteers are fantastic, we are very lucky. It's really brought it home how much deliveries and supplies are relied upon by most people. Scary.