Is all online supermarket shopping the same?

novamation · 18 October 2018 at 12:12PM

I used to use sainsburys online to do a big shop, but stopped when I became the only person in the house. I want to go back to it, I think it will be easier as I'm struggling a bit on the bus:(, but I'm not sure who to shop with.

When we first chose sainsburys, about 10 years ago, I think it was because people used to complain that asda turned up whenever they want, and tesco substitute whatever they want?? Is this true? From memory, sainsburys were always on time, but there was stuff missing or substituted in every order.

I'd really like to shop with Asda and/or Iceland, are they both reliable? I'm normally in all day, so the timing doesn't matter, but I will be annoyed if there's lots of substitutes and stuff missing. I'd consider Tesco's or sainsburys, Ocado might be too expensive. I'd consider others too, do Aldi and Lidl deliver?

Farway · 18 October 2018 at 2:53PM

I don't shop online so no experience of any f them

Aldi / Lidl do not deliver

If you are struggling a bit on the bus, assuming you can get there OK you could buy in Iceland, you pick and pack and they will deliver free if over I think it's £25
Never done it but I always see people doing just this so I guess it works

They also have a Bonus card saving scheme, which you may not require but could be conditional upon that. However for every £20 you bung on it they give you a quid, which is 5% for nothing
I've got one of those, never ignore free money:money:

earthmother · 18 October 2018 at 4:36PM

With regard to timing - Asda do 2hr slots, whereas Ocado, Tesco, Morrisons do 1hr slots - for my area, they all tend to turn up on time, but every area differs.

Substitutions - you can specify 'subs/no subs' for Asda, but you can go further and request specific subs for Tesco (though they won't always pay attention). Honestly never had a subs issue with Morrisons or Ocado anyway (they come from a warehouse rather than store, so helps their stock control).

And pricing is much of a muchness across them all - depends on what you buy, and what deals are on that week (hence why I shop with them all).

If you are likely to do smaller shops anyway, then some Asda areas are £25 minimum order - others have a £40 minimum order, as do the other stores. Some Co-ops also do shop delivery like Iceland, if that's something you could look at.

Peter999_2 · 18 October 2018 at 5:02PM

I've used Asda, Tesco, Iceland and Morrisons.

I had problems with them all apart from Morrisons.
The drivers are very friendly and helpful and I find the receipt is great - it lists things in the order of when they will go off. i.e. it will say Wednesday 13th and have a list of items below it.

You have to pay for the plastic bags, but you can hand them back on your next order and get refunded.
It's a minimum of £40 per order but we easily use that once a week, and if we have to make it up to £40 we just stock up on household stuff.

Also, we've had a delivery every week since April and have not had one substitution yet. Apparantly they don't come from local stores, but a local depot which seems to mean their stock is more accurate than an actual shop.

mumf · 18 October 2018 at 5:15PM

In our experience,Asda delivery is awful! Poor timekeeping and ,frankly,rude staff.We are now back with Tesco,and it is a worldof difference.Our daughter uses Ocado,and finds them good too.

alanq · 18 October 2018 at 5:24PM

Service will depend on where the delivery is coming from and the quality of local staff. If it is a local store, availability depend on what's left when items come to be picked. Deliveries direct from a central depot in my experience tend to have fewer items out of stock though there is more potential for delays to deliveries.

I have always opted out of all substitutions.

Some other things to consider:

Some supermarkets will deliver without bags other will charge a fixed price for bags. Ocado charges for bags but rebates the cost when you hand them back to the driver on your next delivery.

Some will charge the prices that applied when you placed/last amended your order (e.g. Ocado) others will charge the price in store when the order was picked.

The costs of one-off deliveries at various time slots and for delivery passes Anytime and MidWeek.

I've tried Tesco, Ocado and ASDA and have no complaints about the drivers.

lucyhope · 19 October 2018 at 7:56AM

If your supermarket is not too far away from home why not take a taxi home with your shopping?
I know it doesn't sound moneysaving but we can get all we need in one shopping expedition, saving money because we don't have to go again for stuff we forgot to put in the basket, there's no minimum spend and we can go to the cheapest (Aldi or Lidl which are not far away) It works for us

Frugal_Saver · 19 October 2018 at 8:28AM

I used Asda for weekly deliveries for the last 6 months. I would get substitutes every other week no more than 2 and most of the time they were reasonable substitutes if not better than what I ordered. I had a few occasions where items were missing altogether but you can easily request a refund. I also had damaged packaging and squashed peppers where the drivers refunded me and told me to keep the items (they were still edible if you’re not too fussy).

I like getting an email on the day before the shopping arrived to confirm what was being delivered. This gave me time to think about whether I would accept the substitutes or send them back. I had a delivery last week, after the driver left that there was a number of extra items there I hadn’t ordered (driver helped unpack). I phoned to let them know as someone is missing these but they said it was my choice to dospose of the items or use them.

This week I tried Tesco as my Asda delivery pass expired, I can’t put my finger on why but I wasn’t as impressed. There’s no email confirming exactly what’s being delivered on the day (nor is there a follow up email after delivery). I prefer the app for Asda as it allows you to add favourites without adding them to your basket, I haven’t found a way to do that on the Tesco app.

One advantage was the delivery works out cheaper than Asda as I’m able to book a 6 hour slot for £1 and they narrow that down to an hour slot on the day. The Asda pass I signed up for was £6 per month to book a two hour slot.

I’ll give Tesco a few more weeks before going back to Asda or considering other supermarkets.

DCFC79 · 19 October 2018 at 8:30AM

As with alot of things in life you will find some bad reviews and some good for each of them so dont discount 1 based on the bad reviews but its uo to you.

Sainsburys offer 1 hour slots, some slots on certain days are cheaper than others, for my area evening slots are cheaper on a monday and theres more cheaper slots on tuesday to thursday during the day.

micky2phones · 9 November 2018 at 1:27AM

IMO Iceland are more friendly and not rude, were as IMO Asda are hit and miss had some really rude and unhelpful drivers, so much i complained about them.

Had some so good i left a good review and phoned up to say they were new but had very good Customer Service Skills and should be encouraged.

[Deleted User] · 17 February 2019 at 12:24PM

I've done online shopping from Iceland a few times (free delivery on a £35 spend). Good points are that I can order in an afternoon and there still being loads of slots left for the next morning. Bad points are that it always arrives right at the end of the slot or 5 minutes late. Not a biggie but I hate waiting around watching for the door etc.

I only order for frozen. Made the mistake of ordering some crisps and milk once and them 2 things came in separate bags each which I was charged for. In the real world you'd just put them in one of the other bags of shopping.

Is all online supermarket shopping the same?

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