Ocado home delivery – what time are slots released? – The Sun

THE streets might be virtually empty, but the roads are filled with supermarket delivery trucks as Brits continue to flock to online ordering.

Even online supermarket Ocado is struggling to keep up with the demand and is no longer taking orders from new customers. Here's the latest on delivery slot availability.

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Does Ocado do home delivery?

Yes, usually home deliveries are the only way customers can get groceries from Ocado as it's an online-only supermarket with no bricks and mortar stores.

But as it stopped taking orders from new customers from early March.

On Monday April 6, the website was so overwhelmed visitors reached a landing page blocking all customers and only allowing logins from existing customers on Ocado's "priority access list", which includes vulnerable people and long-standing customers.

The online supermarket's website was closed for maintenance on Friday, April 3.

The website crashed in mid-March as it struggled under the wait of "unprecedented" demand from online coronavirus panic buyers.

"Demand is 10 times higher than normal, web traffic has been up to 100 times higher and enquiries into our contact centre are up 500 per cent," it said in on April 3.

"We have delivered more food than ever, despite the levels of staff absence all businesses are currently experiencing."

Ocado says it has turned off its app and suspended its webshop for two days in late March to prepare it for ongoing demand.

"Demand on ocado.com has been like your local supermarket trying to serve Glastonbury (the festival not the town) every hour of every day for over two weeks," Ocado posted on Twitter on March 30.

"Last week we prioritised a number of our vulnerable customers and our loyal Smart Pass members and delivered to over 250,000 homes."

When are Ocado delivery slots released?

Ocado is prioritising deliveries for vulnerable people on the government's shield list and its longest-standing, loyal customers and has sent them emails offering priority access to the website.

For all other customers, who haven't received an email, Ocado is releasing any remaining next day delivery slots at 9pm each night.

The online retailer says it has "few slots for general release" for the next 24 hours from Monday, April 6.

"We advise you to book a delivery slot before filling up your basket to ensure there is availability in your area," Ocado's website says.

"It is likely that we will bring order cut-off times forward, so we ask you to complete your order in one session to avoid disappointment later."

Ocado says even after hiring new staff and running its warehouses 24/7 it cannot deliver to any more than 250,000 homes each week.

Customers who have pre-paid for home delivery with an Ocado Smart Pass but weren't able to receive an order in March will receive a refund in their account, according to the website, or have the option of donating the refund to one of Ocado's food bank charity partners.

Does Ocado have any restrictions on online purchases?

Yes, Ocado has limited some products to one or two per order so more customers can get what they need.

It has stopped selling "bulky, heavy" bottled water and flowers, as of April 2, to free up space in its delivery vans which allowed it to deliver to 6,000 extra homes each week.

People in isolation are able to still receive contactless-deliveries from Ocado but must advise the online shop when placing an order.

Age-restricted items will not be sold to isolating customers as delivery drivers are unable to check customers' ages.

Supermarket home deliveries during coronavirus lockdown

Tesco do home deliveries with a £25 minimum spend and an 80-item limit. Slots are released every midnight.

Asda do deliveries with a £40 minimum spend and Click & Collect with a £25 minimum spend.

Iceland home deliveries have a £35 minimum spend, but are limited to elderly and vulnerable customers.

Morrisons has a £40 minimum spend on home deliveries and also provide £30 food boxes of essential items with a £5 delivery charge.

Waitrose home deliveries have a £60 minimum spend. A minimum of 25 per cent of products are reserved for elderly and vulnerable customers.

Sainsbury's have a £40 minimum spend on home deliveries. New registrations are currently closed.

Ocado's products include Waitrose-branded groceries, their own Ocado brand, and some name brand groceries.

Waitrose has also been overwhelmed with demand for home deliveries and like Ocado has few slots available.

What has Ocado said in its response to coronavirus?

Ocado says it is giving vulnerable people priority access to its website as coronavirus continues to spread.

It plans to cross-reference a government list of vulnerable people with its own existing customer base so it can identify the people who need deliveries most crucially.

Ocado's drivers are now leaving groceries on front steps rather than carrying groceries into homes or handing bags directly to customers in a bid to reduce contact.

It has also temporarily paused its bag recycling scheme while the outbreak continues.

Ocado says it has noticed the average size of orders has grown by more than 50 per cent as families staying home all week are ordering more food than ever.

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