Food and Grocery Home Delivery COVID 19 updates

Our Voucher Shares team is keeping an eye on the Home Food and Groceries deliveries and we will be posting news updates here.

Food and Grocery Home Delivery updates in line with the latest reaction on COVID 19 (Coronavirus) spread 

18th March 2020 Food and Grocery Home Delivery COVID 19 update.

19th March 2020 Food and Grocery Home Delivery COVID 19 update.

20th March 2020 Food and Grocery Home Delivery COVID 19 update.

21st March 2020 Food and Grocery Home Delivery COVID 19 update.

18th March 2020 Food and Grocery Home Delivery COVID 19 update

At the moment, Sainsbury's has said it will prioritise vulnerable and elderly people for online deliveries and limit people to only buying three of any single item. Sainsbury's will set aside the first hour in every supermarket this Thursday 19th March. Sainsbury's will also help elderly and vulnerable customers access food online. From Monday 23rd March, Sainsbury's online customers who are over 70 years of age or have a disability will have priority access to online delivery slots. They will contact these customers in the coming days with more details. For any online customer who can travel to our stores, from Monday 23rd March, Sainsbury's will operate an expanded 'click and collect' service.

Sainsbury's and Aldi has already introduced limits of up to four items per shopper on all products, while Morrisons has said it will expand its online delivery service. Other retailers, including Tesco and Boots, have set limits on particularly popular products such as pasta, tissues and hand sanitiser. Check out the latest BBBC news update on a subject for more information. 

Here is today's newsletter update from Ocado: 

"These are some of the changes Ocado have put in place so far:

• Receiving a delivery. Your driver will knock and greet you as normal, but they will then place the bags on your doorstep. They will no longer be carrying them into your home or handing them to you directly. Also, please do not hand any used bags back, they will not be able to take them.
• Placing an order in advance. Delivery slots are selling a lot faster than usual, so we suggest booking one or more ahead of time to avoid disappointment. We are releasing further delivery slots as soon as they become available. Don’t forget, slots are bookable up to three weeks in advance. We’ve switched off the app. Due to performance issues driven by continued high demand, we have decided to keep our app offline for the time being. In the meantime, please shop on our website instead.
• Managing the flow to the website. We have also launched a new queueing system on the website to manage the increased demand. This will help us to give you the best shopping experience possible under the current circumstances. If you see a page saying you’re in a virtual queue just sit tight, don’t close or refresh the page or you’ll lose your place.
• There’s enough for everyone. We continue to see high demand for certain products as customers are choosing to stock up. To help with fair distribution, we’ve temporarily limited some products to one or two items per order. We are working closely with suppliers to restock products regularly so all customers get what they’ve ordered each time they shop.

Those are just some of the changes we’ve put in place to help manage in these extraordinary times, and it’s important to remember that we’re in this together. To quote this week’s joint announcement from all of us supermarkets together, “we would ask everyone to be considerate in the way they shop. We understand your concerns but buying more than is needed can sometimes mean that others will be left without. There is enough for everyone if we all work together”.

Here are a few ways you can make a big difference at the moment:

• Only buy what you need, there’s enough for everyone. That will help us to make sure everybody gets what they need.
• Share deliveries with neighbours if you can. The continued high demand means delivery slots are selling out very fast, so sharing a delivery could be helpful. Also remember to look out for vulnerable people you may be able to help.
• Try not to make last-minute edits to your order. Even better, place your order in one go and only make edits if you must.
• Make sure you’re at home when your delivery is due. This may seem like an obvious one, but if you’re not there to receive your order it’s unlikely we’ll be able to redeliver and the fresh food will go to waste. Frozen food may get wasted too.
• Follow the guidelines carefully. If you’re in self isolation, it is essential that you notify your driver in the delivery notes upon check out. We ask you to remain inside your home when your shopping arrives. Your driver will leave the shopping bags on your doorstep. "

And the latest from Iceland Food and Grocery Supermarket:

• Is Iceland website still accepting the orders? 
• Yes, our website is accepting orders. Demand is very high and we're showing all the capacity we currently have. We are working hard to add more and are reviewing this regularly.
• Will I receive all my items in my online order? We are experiencing high demand for some products which means you may not receive all your items. We will do our very best to deliver everything you have ordered and apologise in advance for any inconvenience. On the morning of your delivery you will receive an Order Dispatch email, which details any missing items. You will not be charged for any items you do not receive.
• What if I can't get my usual delivery slot? Our online delivery slots are available up to 6 days in advance and are filling up quicker than usual. If our website isn’t showing your usual slot, please select another day to see other delivery slots that are available. Unfortunately, we are unable to book an online delivery over the phone or email.

For more on Iceland Coronavirus FAQs and Shopping in Iceland during COVID-19 outbreak check here >>>

Latest for today - Coronavirus: Online shopping website Ocado suspends service and major suoermarkets started to limit number of items per individual shopper.  Read the full article >>>

19th March 2020 Food and Grocery Home Delivery COVID 19 update.

Supermarkets and their supply chains are beginning to buckle under the strain of customer behaviour in the face of coronavirus. Several chains are "drastically cutting" the product ranges in store. They also said they were telling their manufacturers to ignore making some products to focus on those for which there is greatest demand. Meanwhile, competition laws are being relaxed so shops can discuss stock levels and pool staff and resources.

Read full article: Coronavirus: Supermarkets 'drastically' cutting product ranges

20th March 2020 Food and Grocery Home Delivery COVID 19 update

How are supermarkets trying to stop panic buying?

The major supermarkets are imposing limits on how many of each item people can buy.

• Tesco is limiting customers to three of any product, and only two of toilet roll and paracetamol
• Sainsbury's says people can buy up to three of any grocery product and two of more popular items like toilet paper, soap and long-life milk
• Asda will let people purchase up to three of any food, toiletry or cleaning product
• Aldi is limiting customers to four of any product
• Waitrose is allowing people to buy only three of any grocery product and two packets of toilet roll

Read full article from BBC News here: Coronavirus: What are shops doing about stockpiling? 

21st March 2020 Food and Grocery Home Delivery COVID 19 update.

Mr Eustice said the government recognised it was a "challenging time" but that "buying more than you need means others may be left without." He added: "There's no shortage of food. Food manufacturing has geared up to meet an increase in demand and it is up by 50%." Asked whether he can rule out rationing or ration books, Mr Eustice said it was up to supermarkets to decide whether to put limits on how much of each item shoppers can buy. Some supermarkets have already imposed limits after some members of the public started buying items like toilet roll in bulk. And many stores including Tesco, Asda, Aldi, and Lidl have said they are hiring thousands of staff to meet the unprecedented demand. Tesco, the UK's biggest supermarket, said it wants to take on 20,000 temporary workers "to help feed the nation".  See the full article here: Coronavirus: Shoppers told to buy responsibly

Look out for one another, stay safe, and be vigitalnt! 

From the Voucher Shares team.

Check out our Top 10 Food and Grocery Stores Offering Home Delivery blog for the Online Food Shopping recommendations

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for daily updates on this blog.