Waitrose introducing charges for home deliveries

cymruchris

The trial hasn't expanded to Wales - I've just placed the next order for a week Monday - and it's still come up as a free delivery. They'll obviously be comparing metrics to see the viability of introducing it versus the customers they upset/lose to ensure its worth it. If, and it's a big if, the pandemic continues to subside, and we continue to move towards a more open economy, there will be a number of people that will likely go back to visiting the physical stores, and of course a number that will keep buying online. As all the supermarkets have ramped up their home deliveries, got extra vans and expanded their infrastructure - there may come a point where the demand for home delivery drops to an extent that they have an over-supply of delivery slots/drivers/vans - it'll be interesting to see what happens to online shopping over the next 12-18 months.

MysteryMe

I've got a delivery on Friday and no charge, this is an Essex store.

Bacman

As it stands, no charge for delivery yet here either where I live, in Hampshire.

It isn't about rich going to some stores and poor going to others, we aren't talking Harrods after all. We aren't exactly rich however like Waitrose for quality of many of the items which are better than other stores and around the same price (eg milk and creams are creamier and less synthetic; mature cheese is the best and at the low end of what you can pay) however for items that are similar but cheaper elsewhere we go elsewhere; especially for meat and fish. What is nice though is to get heavy items delivered.

There are lots of people who go to fancy restaurants and pay lots for branded clothes, etc - that's fine, to them paying a few quid for delivery is no consideration however those of us who try to keep to a more modest budget want value; I baulk at paying more than £2 for delivery.

Mickey666

Bacman said:

As it stands, no charge for delivery yet here either where I live, in Hampshire.

It isn't about rich going to some stores and poor going to others, we aren't talking Harrods after all. We aren't exactly rich however like Waitrose for quality of many of the items which are better than other stores and around the same price (eg milk and creams are creamier and less synthetic; mature cheese is the best and at the low end of what you can pay) however for items that are similar but cheaper elsewhere we go elsewhere; especially for meat and fish. What is nice though is to get heavy items delivered.

There are lots of people who go to fancy restaurants and pay lots for branded clothes, etc - that's fine, to them paying a few quid for delivery is no consideration however those of us who try to keep to a more modest budget want value; I baulk at paying more than £2 for delivery.

I entirely agree with your point about value, but how do you calculate that value?
How much does it cost you to drive to and from the supermarket (total car running costs are about 40p/mile)
How much is your time worth to spend an hour or so traipsing up and down supermarket aisles?
How much is it worth not to have to load your car at the supermarket, then unload it again when you get home?

I pay £4.50 for a 1-hour delivery slot and it takes me about 10-15 minutes to order my weekly shopping online, which I regard as good value - especially as my nearest supermarket is a 25 mile round trip.  Frankly, I'd pay £10 maybe more to have someone select my shopping and bring it to my door.  I'm hoping to never have to set foot in a supermarket ever again.

If I lived next door to a supermarket then my 'value calculation' would likely be different.

Bacman

40p a mile is what was called the "AA rate" however the difference between using your car one day and not is the cost of the fuel, which in our normal car about 15p a mile. As to stores, we have an M&S foodhall just over 1 mile from our home so we walk to it and back; Asda which is 3 miles, Lidl 3 miles, Aldi 3 miles, Sainsburys 2 miles, Tesco 3 miles. Not a problem.

As to time, we are retired so actually going to different shops to get good deals is not only entertainment but also saves money...

As to easy shopping, yes, that is why we do online deliveries so the delivery driver has to bring up all our heavy items to us, milk, bottled drinks, canned, etc. That is worth paying up to £2 for. We currently get Waitrose for free delivery, if we choose instead to use Asda they have slots for £1.75 if you don't mind less popular times and £1 with Sainsburys "saver" (4 hour slot, on the day they give you the 1 hour slot they will come; saves £3.50 so good value).

This is being saver-savvy. Quality items that are better in Waitrose, like mushrooms, we get; however things like onions, £1 in Lidl for 2kg compared to 95p for 1kg at Waitrose - we get from Lidl; etc.

MrsStepford

Still no delivery fee for Waitrose, here in Kent. 

It's all very well comparing prices, like for like, but unless you read up on supermarket websites, (especially their corporate websites), you don't know what goes on behind the scenes, therefore the products aren't actually like for like..

British-grown fruit and vegetables at Waitrose are LEAF-certified. ASDA non-organic eggs, can be fed on GM feed. Compassion in World Farming has awarded Waitrose best supermarket for welfare in Europe, three years running. 

Waitrose & Partners is a co-operative which means staff are invested, because they own the company. Waitrose has a Royal Warrant because it supplies Windsor Castle. 

mjm3346

Still free delivery from the Wells store in Somerset - a midweek Ocado pass is £3.99/month (92p a week), apart from  Tue/Wed/Thur deliveries there is also 10% off a varying range of items and several 50% off sales during the year just for pass holders. - even if not a pass holder they have free delivery slots at less popular times (but with higher than a £40 min spend).
I liked it when they delivered Waitrose items but my bigger preference is for goods that are effectively robot picked from a warehouse and not goods picked over by other customers 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfctELCYUc0

The_Money_Saver_2

I queried this with Waitrose having switched to them following the spit with Ocado. I’m told that the fee is to reflect time and delivery costs and will be rolled out across the country. I also asked if they’d thought of introducing a delivery pass scheme; they said not but would review. Since the introduction of the £5 delivery fee I can now get next day delivery whereas before it was difficult to find a slot within 5 days. 

Bacman

I'm sure it will be easy to get loads of slots if they charge for delivery, as people will be shopping elsewhere.

Doc_N

Bacman said:

I'm sure it will be easy to get loads of slots if they charge for delivery, as people will be shopping elsewhere.

We certainly will. The free delivery offsets the considerably higher overall prices, but once that goes, we go.

Incidentally, one other downside to Waitrose is the 1200 cut-off for orders. Almost 12 hours earlier than the others. Why?