As families and supermarkets prepare for one of the busiest times of the year with millions of online grocery orders expected to be placed, a study of customer reviews has revealed the supermarket that's been branded the worst for Christmas food orders.
Marks and Spencer recently opened its Christmas Food to Order slots and other supermarkets are expected to soon follow suit, with Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons having announced that their delivery slots will be available to book in October. Shoppers at Tesco, meanwhile, will be able to reserve a slot before the end of November.
But no matter how organised you are ahead of the festive season, whether it's tracking down the cheapest supermarket, buying the best chocolate advent calendars, or shopping party food for quick and easy canapes, there's always room for something to go wrong.
And last Christmas, both home deliveries and click-and-collect orders were plagued by chaos. Food shortages, missed deliveries and bizarre substitutions were rife. Some unlucky customers were forced to skip Christmas dinner altogether.
With this in mind, researchers at Britsuperstore have taken to Trustpilot and analysed reviews from some of our favourite supermarkets to find the very best - and worst - for Christmas deliveries. And the results might just change the way you do your shopping this year...
3 worst supermarkets for Christmas home delivery
- Asda - It received 343 reviews, of which 196 of them (57.1%) were complaints about food delivery.
- Iceland - It received 97 reviews and of those, 42 (43.3%) were complaints about delivery.
- Waitrose - It received 89 reviews with 36 of these (40.4%) related to complaints about delivery.
To conduct the study, Britsuperstore used the review platform Trustpilot to analyse reviews from eight UK supermarkets, specifically selecting reviews from the Christmas period. It recorded complaints which criticised Christmas delivery and represented this number as a percentage of total reviews.
But it's not all doom and gloom, there are some supermarkets who have delighted shoppers with their home delivery service standards.
3 best supermarkets for Christmas home delivery
- Tesco - It received a total of 408 reviews, of which 44 of these (10.8%) were complaints about delivery, making it the best choice for Christmas food delivery.
- Co-op - The food retail company received 65 reviews, of which 11 of these (16.9%) were complaints about delivery.
- Aldi - Despite being relatively new to the home delivery service, of which home delivery isn't yet available nationwide, in some locations it's only click and collect, Aldi has received 134 reviews and 43 of these (32.1%) were complaints about home delivery.
Richard Price, director of Britsuperstore, reveals his top tips for securing a Christmas supermarket delivery slot:
- Plan ahead: "Planning ahead is key. Try to organise your grocery shopping before delivery slots open. Take into account the number of guests you plan to have over Christmas and the number of meals you expect to make. Knowing when you need a delivery slot and being able to act quickly can make it much easier to secure one when the time comes."
- Try to be flexible: "If at all possible, try to be flexible with your delivery preferences. If you can get to the shop, consider booking a click-and-collect slot instead, as these are typically more widely accessible. Explore different supermarkets. These may have more slots available. Buying at a local independent store is also a good option. These might be slightly pricier, but are likely less in demand.”
- Monitor queues: "During peak times, there might be online queues to book a delivery slot. Try checking early in the morning when queues might be shorter.”
- Look for cancellations: "Check the supermarket’s website regularly, as previously booked slots may occasionally become available as a result of cancellations. Some offer notifications.”
- Consider joining a loyalty programme: "By becoming a member of a loyalty program, you’ll likely be able to access a greater number of delivery slots, and with priority access, too. Act quickly, and ask in-store or visit a supermarket’s website.”
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