Update 25/03/20: Food delivery and click & collect slots are still unavailable, with the earliest estimates of new slots arriving to be mid-April. Adsa is still down, and Ocado continues to have long wait times, which have now increased to up to four hours.
Online food delivery has become more relevant than ever, following the government's strict advice for everyone to stay at home to help combat the spread of coronavirus.
With more people working from home or in self-isolation, it’s understandable that there has been a huge demand for online grocery delivery orders – in fact, Boris Johnson even suggested it in his address to the nation on Monday evening.
But it hasn't been easy to get a food delivery slot recently. The good news is that supermarkets have been working around the clock to speed up the supply chain, so which online grocery delivery services have the earliest slots?
- Supermarkets to prioritise online orders for elderly
- Ocado suspends its online grocery delivery service due to high demand
- Best food delivery apps UK
We've taken a look at how the major supermarkets are dealing with the increased demand – we'll be constantly updating this piece, but it looks like it'll be mid-April before new delivery slots are opened up. You'll find full details below.
In the meantime, please remember to use all food delivery services responsibly to allow the services to normalise. Only order what you need to preserve stocks for others who might be in need.
Our process
We signed up to all the major supermarkets below, and created a shopping basket full of popular goods.
We then compared four different locations to provide a sense of what stock is available in each area and whether delivery slots are currently offered.
Your situation may differ, but the locations we covered were:
- London
- Leeds
- Portsmouth
- Bath
Tesco
Next delivery slot: from April 14 (last updated 25/03/20)
Unfortunately, all delivery slots up until April 13 are unavailable based on our research – you might find more in your area, but right now there isn't much availability.
Tesco has a decent selection of items online, but getting hold of them at the moment can be tricky.
Most brands are in stock, but eggs, hand soap, pasta, milk and bread are the exception, with some items sold out.
According to Tesco, new slots are offered up at 23:30 each day:
How to sign up for an account
Enter a valid email address and password, and confirm whether you have a Clubcard or not. You’ll receive one automatically upon registering if you don't.
Fill in your personal details, including your phone number and UK Postcode. You can then select if you’d like to receive offers and vouchers from Tesco or not.
Benefits and perks
Online shoppers can collect Clubcard points and Tesco has begun price matching Aldi on both its own-brand and branded products.
A Delivery Saver pass is also available for regular customers, and comes with the added benefit of priority delivery slots during the busy Christmas and Easter periods.
Coronavirus measures and policies
Customers who shop online are encouraged to shop in-store where possible to help free up delivery slots for the elderly customers and those who are self-isolating.
Due to increased demand, Tesco isn’t accepting any new Delivery Saver customers right now either.
A restriction of only 3 items per customer on every product line is in place, and multi-buy promotions have also been removed.
Asda
Next delivery slot: from April 14 (last updated 25/03/20)
Asda will still let you register as new online customer, but online delivery slots are not available up until April 14.
Update (25/03/20): Asda seems to be having trouble with their website as the grocery section is currently down.
How to sign up for an account
Registering is quick and easy with Asda (it says as much on its website), simply enter your email, a password and then enter your delivery postcode and you’re good to go.
You can choose whether to receive exclusive offers and the latest info from Asda too if you’d like.
Benefits and perks
Competitively priced and with a Delivery Pass available, Asda online shoppers can save up to £80 and £100 by choosing a 6-month or 12-month pass.
Offers are clearly highlighted on the Asda website, so you’re never likely to miss a cracking deal.
Coronavirus measures and policies
Customers are limited to a three item maximum on all food, toiletries and cleaning products when ordering online.
When placing an online delivery order, anyone who is self-isolating is advised to fill in the ‘Other information’ section to advise where their order should be left, i.e. on the doorstep.
Ocado
Next delivery date: unknown (last updated 25/03/20)
If you visit the Ocado website you’ll be placed in a virtual queue, which can take up to four hours (the brand has paused the app due to high demand).
Update (25/03/20): In an email to existing customers, Ocado Retail CEO Melanie Smith has said that “no matter how hard we work, we will not have enough capacity to serve the unprecedented levels of demand”.
She went on to say that “new delivery slots will be released every day for the coming week, as and when we have capacity”.
Those who have a delivery booked for March 25 or later can still edit their orders, and it's currently unclear whether Ocado are allowing new customers.
How to sign up for an account
You can sign up to Ocado using a Facebook and PayPal account, or simply fill in your details such as your email address and postcode to register.
Tick the box if you’d like to opt out of Ocado’s offers, vouchers and gifts before you hit ‘Register’.
Benefits and perks
New customers can enjoy three months free delivery with Smart Pass, and Ocado also offers one-hour delivery windows.
Coronavirus measures and policies
Ocado had to temporarily suspend its service due to high demand, but is now its back online.
Customers can only book one delivery slot every seven days to free up more slots for other customers.
Some products are limited to one or two per order, and a small number of bulky items have been removed from sale to make more room in each delivery van.
The company has shared how stockpiling has affected its service during the coronavirus outbreak.
Morrisons
Next delivery slot: unknown (last updated 25/03/20)
Due to extremely high volumes of traffic, the Morrisons online website is currently down. Customers have been advised to check back outside of peak times, but we're not expecting to see a huge swathe of delivery slots on offer.
Update: The Morrisons website seems to be working for some, but the bad news is that no delivery slots are currently available at this time. There is also a small selection of pasta.
How to sign up for an account
To sign up for a Morrisons online account, firstly enter your postcode to check if Morrisons deliver in your area.
Once you’re given the all clear, enter your details and a password to register. You can also receive tailored offers, coupons and communications from Morrisons.
Benefits and perks
You can use a Facebook account to sign in, and Morrisons Quick Shop fills your trolley with the top things you might be wanting to buy with a single click.
A Delivery Pass is also available with regular choices for those looking to do their weekly shop online.
Coronavirus measures and policies
Orders must be finalised 48 hours before delivery.
Morrisons are working on introducing a number of measures to help reduce the amount of substitutes and missing items that some customers are encountering with their online food shops:
Sainsbury's
Next delivery slot: unknown (last updated 25/03/20)
Unless you’re already registered as a Sainsbury’s online customer, Sainsbury’s has paused all new online registrations.
If you have an existing account, delivery slots are currently unavailable. The company offers a click & collect service but this is also unavailable.
How to sign up for an account
Due to the huge increase in online orders, new registrations have been paused for the time being.
To sign up for a Sainsbury’s online account, enter your email address and fill in your details on the following page. Once you’ve finished, you can start shopping.
Benefits and perks
You can collect and spend Nectar Points with each online food shop. A Delivery Pass is also available, which can help you save up to £156 per year.
Coronavirus measures and policies
Elderly customers and those deemed as vulnerable will be offered priority delivery slots.
Waitrose
Next delivery slot: unknown (last updated 25/03/20)
Waitrose is still accepting new customer registrations – however, all delivery and click & collect slots are unavailable right now. You can still amend or cancel existing orders, though.
It doesn't look like many will open up in the near future either, as the brand isn't confirming any new slots at the moment – but that could well just be a lack of communication to the social media team:
How to sign up for an account
Signing up to Waitrose is simple – just fill in your details, such as your address and contact number, then click ‘next’ and you can start shopping straight away.
Benefits and perks
Waitrose has a number of attractive introductory offers, including a £30 saving on your first three online grocery shops.
The website also includes hundreds of recipes and lists the ingredients so you can quickly add them to your basket.
Coronavirus measures and policies
The company has paused its online voucher codes along with any offer incentives until further notice.
Some products have are restricted for a limited time, with customers only allowed to buy a maximum of two packets of toilet roll and three of any specific grocery item.
Entertainment products are also no longer available to order online for the foreseeable future.
Substitutions for online orders cannot be returned to your driver if they have been handled, and drivers will not enter homes.
All online deliveries will be bagged as well to make them easier to collect quickly.
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