Vulnerable and elderly shoppers are having to stay awake until the early hours of the morning to access online slots for home delivery.
The news comes as Tesco announced an additional 600,000 weekly home delivery slots and revealed it’s working with the government to prioritise those most in need.
However, some at-risk Brits have revealed they are having to “wait till 3am” to nab a home delivery slot for basic items such as bread and milk.
This is because other shoppers are grabbing them as soon as they go online.
Tesco CEO Dave Lewis is one of the supermarket bosses who has urged those who can to shop in store to do so.
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This would free up home delivery slots for those in the at risk and vulnerable category.
I don’t have time to wait on hold for hours or stay up past midnight for a slot.
Last week, Labour MP for Edinburgh South Ian Murray, revealed he had been inundated with calls from vulnerable constituents unable to book delivery slots.
“Heartbreaking”
He told the Daily Mail: “My office has never dealt with so many heartbreaking cases, with scared, isolated and vulnerable residents struggling to receive food deliveries.”
One woman, Christine Appleyard, revealed how her six-year-old daughter Evie is on the government’s vulnerable list due to a series of health issues.
However, she is still struggling to place orders – despite checking supermarket websites hourly.
Christine revealed she finally got a Tesco delivery last week after waiting up till midnight several nights in a row.
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However, she now has to wait two weeks for another.
“I don’t have time to wait on hold for hours or stay up past midnight for a slot. I need to take care of my daughter. We are having to plan our meals very carefully to ensure supplies last,” she commented.
Relying on neighbours
Pensioners Patricia and Geoff Cravitz are relying on neighbours and volunteers for their essential groceries because they can’t get a regular delivery slot.
They’ve been self-isolating for almost six weeks, but it was only by waiting up until 2am that they finally managed to get a Sainsbury’s slot.
Patricia, who is 80, said: “It has been very hard work. Getting a slot becomes your life. Supermarkets should be offering different time slots for different categories of vulnerable people to give us all a chance.”
Worried shoppers were commenting on Twitter, too.
No home delivery for my elderly parents from any Supermarket for the next 3 weeks. No way to log that they are vulnerable.
Not even slots for click & collect for me to pick up & deliver outside. What happened to ensuring grocery supplies for the vulnerable? #CovidUK @sainsburys— Heather Peto (@heatherisone) March 17, 2020
The average wait for a home delivery or click and collect slot is 3 weeks !!!! Outrageous. My heart brakes for the elderly that have to struggle to the shops and put themselves at risk. Yes the supermarket corporations are raking it in
— triplegoddess #NotMyGovernment (@hashish62) April 22, 2020
@lucyfrazermp The off-list elderly trying to do the right thing and stay safe cannot access supermarket home delivery slots. Many slots going to people who could go to the store. This is the time for Government to step in and provide a lifeline for the increasingly desperate.
— Bad Boukra (@BadBoukra) April 11, 2020
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