Waitrose introducing charges for home deliveries

Bacman

Sainsburys also charge about £4.50 however if you pick their 4 hour window, it costs about £1.50 and in the morning they advise the hour slot you will get it so you aren't hanging about. Downside is they used to give free delivery for orders over £100 after 2pm in the week however that has stopped.

Doc_N

Yet to find out whether Waitrose will offer some kind of delivery pass, like some of its competitors.

The Tesco one costs £7.99 a month, which sounds a lot, though if you have weekly deliveries it’s still cheaper than any other delivery option. More so if you use Clubcard points to buy a 6 month pass for £16.

Bacman

When I looked on the Waitrose site a couple of days ago I found a link that indicated a delivery pass at £3 however it didn't say if that was for a week or a month and didn't have a button to proceed on, not that I was going to anyway.

I like Waitrose food and their quality however now we are out and about and less reliant on home deliveries, we go to Lidl and Aldi as well as Sainsburys and Asda, so have certain things that are as-good but cheaper there, other items from M&S and Waitrose. That helps to keep the cost of food shopping down.

MysteryMe

I'm lucky that my Waitrose is only 3 miles away so I can do click and collect easily enough but it's another negative to add to the list.

JezR

The charge that has been introduced where I live is £3 rather than £5 so some variation in the "trial" maybe.

GlasgowExpat2

I’d happily pay £5 to have my shopping delivered to my 3rd floor flat (no lift). I used to use their shop in store and get your shopping delivered service which cost £5 for orders less than £50. 

cymruchris

My next order here in Wales still shows as £0 - I alternate between Waitrose and Ocado - but if the £5 charge comes here - I'll sway more towards Ocado. 

MrsStepford

Just placed an order for next week, no delivery charge. Noticed it was nearly fuly booked until Tuesday. No mention of a delivery pass or impending delivery charge. I wouldn't mind if they reverted back to £60 minimum order and no delivery charge or sold a delivery pass. I think the £5 delivery charge is the worst option. I left Ocado after queuing for 2 hrs as a delivery pass customer (since 2012) and when told I was next customer, I got chucked to the back of the queue. I don't want to pay more for non-organic M&S veg, than I pay for organic veg and I don't buy Peppa Pig cakes. I really don't think that the majority of Waitrose customers will fuss over a £5 delivery charge. It's peanuts compared to the £200+ which some people spend there. 

NeilCr

MrsStepford said:

Just placed an order for next week, no delivery charge. Noticed it was nearly fuly booked until Tuesday. No mention of a delivery pass or impending delivery charge. I wouldn't mind if they reverted back to £60 minimum order and no delivery charge or sold a delivery pass. I think the £5 delivery charge is the worst option. I left Ocado after queuing for 2 hrs as a delivery pass customer (since 2012) and when told I was next customer, I got chucked to the back of the queue. I don't want to pay more for non-organic M&S veg, than I pay for organic veg and I don't buy Peppa Pig cakes. I really don't think that the majority of Waitrose customers will fuss over a £5 delivery charge. It's peanuts compared to the £200+ which some people spend there. 

Me, too
I am three orders ahead (priority customer) and nothing about delivery charges
Agree with much of the rest of your post. I'd be fine with £60 minimum (I can do that with cat food and wine alone!) - if they do put a £5 delivery charge on I'll wear it. It's my nearest and best store, delivery folks are friendly and helpful and I either have no - or good- substitutions

I think you are right about the clientele, too. Partner's son is a Waitrose delivery person and he goes to some seriously nice places. Mind you - he went to one less salubrious area and got a £15 tip for  carrying the bags up a couple of flights of stairs in a block of flats - which he would have done, anyway! 

maisie_cat

If I could get a Waitrose delivery I'd happily pay for the time & cost to have it picked & packed for me and delivered.
Going through the stress of driving to and shopping in a supermarket just to save a fiver is daft
When I used to do a monthly big shop and get it delivered I probably saved more than £5 on avoiding spur of the moment spending.
Unfortunately I cannot get Waitrose or Ocado here, the only thing I miss about Surrey.