December 10 2006

Will you be carrying the turkey home from the supermarket?

In many parts of the country, consumers hoping to order their Christmas food supplies online have already missed the boat. Demand is already outstripping supply to the point that Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and Ocado have already all but filled up their pre-Christmas fresh produce delivery slots.

All of the slots for the last delivery day before Christmas have already gone in many regions, an investigation by the Daily Mail has found. The problem is exacerbated this year because Christmas falls on a Monday. Sainsbury's, Asda and Tesco are stopping their delivery services on Friday, December 22. Ocado will continue delivering through to Christmas Eve - but most slots for the Friday, Saturday and Sunday before Christmas have already gone.

"Even during this past week, customers had to wait three or four days for a delivery from Sainsbury's in areas such as London and Bristol," says the Daily Mail. "And in addition there are also concerns about significant gaps between what customers order and what arrives on the doorstep."

Delivery charges are also being increased. "Tesco has put up its Christmas week delivery charge by as much as 50% - £5.99 compared to a normal midweek fee of £3.99. Ocado normally offers free delivery for orders worth over £75. However, it has introduced a charge of £7.50 for Christmas Eve and £5 on some other days."

Will Christmas prove to be a PR headache for the supermarkets as regular online shoppers have to revert back to carrying their own shopping home?

If you've missed out on a supermarket delivery, or if you have a 'not so perfect' Christmas experience with an online retailer, email a letter to the editor. We'd also like to hear from you if you've received better service than you were expecting.

Emma Herrod