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UK - Resources for help getting food during quarantine and other supermarket related problems

Discussion in 'Epidemics (including Covid-19, not Long Covid)' started by Sly Saint, Mar 18, 2020.

  1. It's M.E. Linda

    It's M.E. Linda Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    918
    I don’t ‘like’ this post at all!

    During, and even since, Lockdown I have helped friends on occasions to obtain fresh produce because they live alone, have had problems obtaining a supermarket slot and if they do their normal sized order, that would incur the delivery fees.

    Thinking about a PwME who lives solo, but the same applies for an elderly person who lives alone:

    limited space for storage
    smaller fridge/freezer capacity
    big shopping deliveries expends more energy, wiping down and putting away
    every search for a slot - and the actual delivery - is time and energy consuming (so therefore needs to be limited to whenever absolutely necessary)
    limited income because of living on benefits or a pension

    I am sure there is much more.

    Tesco should be ashamed.
     
  2. Barry

    Barry Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    8,385
    We have been using Tesco deliveries for most of the lockdown and since, and have just changed over to their Delivery Saver for £8 a month, which is saving for us. Once you have that then you get however many deliveries you want for no extra. Minimum charge still applies of course. But apparently they are limiting how many sign ups are available.
     
  3. 2kidswithME

    2kidswithME Established Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    68
    I wasn’t aware of the price increase till I went to book a delivery slot a couple days ago, and saw that priority slots had jumped from £2 to £4.50. So I checked and it’s across all types of slots and started 1st August. Annoying but nothing to do about it.

    As I’ll be shielding due to cancer treatment (recent diagnosis) I don’t have much choice. We are a household of two, with a cat, so I place an order about every 10 days, and probably it’s still less than car use for a 20 mile round trip, certainly less hassle! Small bits we pick up in between locally.

    If anyone is wondering, you don’t have to supply evidence for priority booking, and it’s in place from the next day from when you ask.
     
  4. Diluted-biscuit

    Diluted-biscuit Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    518
    That’s expensive compared to our Ocado wild week delivery pass at 4.99 a month
     
    alktipping, Barry, Kitty and 2 others like this.
  5. NelliePledge

    NelliePledge Moderator Staff Member

    Messages:
    13,145
    Location:
    UK West Midlands
    Iceland do free delivery on orders over £35.

    I’m not a customer so can’t comment on the service but thought that might be useful info.
     
  6. Simbindi

    Simbindi Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    2,746
    Location:
    Somerset, England
    I'm really glad I switched my Tesco saver plan over to a mid week one (£3.99 per month) just before they made this change. It still seems to be valid for existing saver customers but I suspect people can no longer make the switch.

    I've had 2 Waitrose deliveries but have been less than impressed with them. The BB dates are poor and several cans have come severely dented.

    Asda removed me from their priority list because I haven't used them. So I'm having one order from Sainsburys so they don't do this as well. My daughter has been doing the odd shop in store for me (when she collects my repeat meds from the Llyods pharmacy there) but using her rather than my Sainsburys card, so they won't be able to see I am still shopping with them. I want to keep my options open for the winter as I suspect it will become increasingly hard to get online slots once the weather deteriorates.

    Ocado have finally bought their delivery prices down in my area (going down to £2 for a delivery over £75, even £0 if I were to take the 11pm slots), they were £6.99 across the board up until last week. However, it's still impossible to sign up for a smart delivery pass with them.
     
    alktipping, Kitty and Andy like this.
  7. Simbindi

    Simbindi Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    2,746
    Location:
    Somerset, England
    Only if you live within 5 miles of the store, at least in my area.
     
  8. NelliePledge

    NelliePledge Moderator Staff Member

    Messages:
    13,145
    Location:
    UK West Midlands
    I’ve mentioned before Waitrose is free delivery minimum order £60. They do have basics range as well so not all their stuff is “posh” food. Their tins & own brand detergents etc don’t seem too different to prices I pay at Sainsbury’s.
     
  9. It's M.E. Linda

    It's M.E. Linda Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    918
    Sainsbury's delivery pass is £60 for a year (anytime delivery) but they had frozen it during Lockdown and refused new customers, the most important thing is to CHECK your expiry date.

    If you have not selected continuous payment, they automatically cancelled your delivery pass and you could not even rejoin - something to be aware of before the Winter, I think!

    ETA Midweek pass (Tues, Weds, Thurs) is £30 pa. Alternatively you can choose 3 or 6 month pass for both Anytime or Midweek.
     
    Last edited: Aug 17, 2020
    alktipping, Kitty and Andy like this.
  10. It's M.E. Linda

    It's M.E. Linda Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    918
    May I ask how you register please? I have logged in but couldn’t see anything, do you have to ring?
     
    alktipping and Kitty like this.
  11. 2kidswithME

    2kidswithME Established Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    68
    Yes, you have to ring. IMO they make the phone number very hard to find on the website, but once I find it, I usually get thru straight away. If you have an invoice from a previous delivery, the number is on that for returns, but it’s the same number.

    The delivery charge is the same whether weekend or whatever time of day. For priority you have to choose an 8 hr slot on the day, but they text at the beginning with a one our slot within that frame. As it was intended for people who were shielded, it makes sense, and it’s not hard to work around.

    Eg I usually choose the 2-10pm slot, so by 2pm I’ll get a text with the time frame, and so far they’ve always been a bit early. I just don’t count on the delivery items for dinner that day!
     
  12. Kitty

    Kitty Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    5,051
    Location:
    UK
    I've used this ever since they introduced it, I've found it really good. I usually have two deliveries a month, but if I need a small order that doesn't add up to £40 in between, I ask neighbours if they need anything – they often do. If not I stock up on something that will add a few quid to the bill but is easy to store, like laundry detergent, dishwasher tabs or cat food.

    I'm not optimistic deliveries will be charged at this rate for long, but to be honest I'd pay quite a bit more not to have to go out three times a week for the single basket of food I can carry on my wheelchair!

    The only problem for me is that Tesco have stopped selling store-baked wholemeal rolls, which is the only bread I eat. I used to buy packs and packs of them, and stash them in the freezer. I decided to try Morrisons last week, who do sell nice bread but don't allow you to order exact quantities of fruit & veg like Tesco.

    When the delivery arrived I had to ask the driver not to stack my food on top of a filthy, smelly wheelie bin, and there was a £10 pack of chicken fillets missing from the order that I may not be able to reclaim. Until I started making a batch of curry two days later I didn't notice there was only one pack of fillets in the carrier bag, with other stuff underneath that made up the weight. My fault for assuming that fresh meat will be packed separately from anything else (Tesco always do this) and just shoving the whole bag into the fridge, but it meant I had to go to the store anyway to fetch more. I'll give them one more chance, though.
     
  13. Hell..hath..no..fury...

    Hell..hath..no..fury... Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    1,720
    Seeing this has reminded me to put a Tesco order in as it’s been a while and I don’t want to be bumped off priority for any reason whatsoever. It’s the only shop I could get on priority and will be needing it again during next lockdown.
     
    It's M.E. Linda, alktipping and Kitty like this.
  14. Simbindi

    Simbindi Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    2,746
    Location:
    Somerset, England
    They stopped charging for the pass when it was difficult to get slots, so overall I saved quite a lot of money whilst still having the full flexibility! I prefer Sainsburys, but in my area the choice of products for delivery is substantially less than offered in the local store. I have found Tesco very good for delivery in my area, but I am trying to eat more organic produce and they are limited in what the offer compared to Waitrose. I'm going to try Ocado over the next few weeks to see how good they are.
     
    alktipping, Kitty and Andy like this.
  15. JoanneS

    JoanneS Established Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    78
    I use Ocado - prior to Covid they were the only supermarket still delivering in bags, and for me unbagged deliveries require much more energy.

    In case you are unaware, Ocado's contract with Waitrose finishes end of August and the new contract is with Marks and Spencers. The M&S products are already in the site, so should be able to see whether they have a reasonable organic range, particularly if considering signing up for a delivery saver.
     
    Wonko, Kitty and Andy like this.
  16. NelliePledge

    NelliePledge Moderator Staff Member

    Messages:
    13,145
    Location:
    UK West Midlands
    Of interest possibly
    I had Ocado booked for Thursday. Was in today refining my order as I try to book orders far ahead on approximate needs then tidy it up a couple of days beforehand when I have a better idea what I actually need. I was offered alternative delivery slot tomorrow pm for no charge. Whereas Thursday was costing 3.99 I think
    presumably only do this when they have spare capacity but it’s worth knowing about.
     
  17. Agapanthus

    Agapanthus Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    209
    Luckily for me, I have had the prebooked mid-week offer at Tesco for some years, so i have had priority booking at a reasonable price. The only issue I now have is that since my husband died earlier this year, I don't buy enough for £40 free delivery any more on a weekly basis, and yet being mid week only, I am a bit limited on when I can book, and fortnightly is a bit too far apart.

    However, I began shopping for an elderly friend down the road who doesn't want to go back into shops at present, so her £20 worth or so each week makes mine up to £40 thankfully.

    I might try out Ocado at some point to see what they are like, if they deliver into our area which they may not do, as we are rather far to the west. I did try out Waitrose but they seem very expensive compared to Tesco, though I do like their ranges of foods.
     
    2kidswithME and Kitty like this.
  18. rogerblack

    rogerblack Established Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    43
    On a technical point, have the carrier bag regulations been waived during this time? Otherwise, the delivery in bags may be costing considerably extra.
     
    Kitty likes this.
  19. Kitty

    Kitty Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    5,051
    Location:
    UK
    Tesco don't charge for them unless you ask for them when you set your delivery up. To cut down on plastic I've always had my shopping delivered without bags; at the moment it's their choice to use them, so no charge.
     
    2kidswithME likes this.
  20. NelliePledge

    NelliePledge Moderator Staff Member

    Messages:
    13,145
    Location:
    UK West Midlands
    Yep no charge. Saw somewhere that finally one of the big supermarkets is looking at (suitably strong) paper bags.
     
    It's M.E. Linda and Kitty like this.

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