OT: Is it just me or are people getting thicker? (2025 Update)

Jul 11, 2020 Last reply: 10 months ago 33 Replies

Conversation between me and two Tesco folk by email in the uppity titled "Tesco Customer Engagement Centre":



Me: The 4 hour slot option is not working, virtually none are available, yet the whole day can have 1 hour slots free. Almost every delivery I get, the driver tells me that he's been given deliveries in an inefficient order. If you fixed the 4 hour slots and people used them, the system could make his route in a more efficient way.



Tesco person 1: I'm sorry you couldn’t get the delivery slot you wanted. Our stores have a limited number of delivery slots which are available on a first come, first serve basis. Once all the slots have been filled, we can't accept any more orders for that day. You can book your delivery slot before you start placing your order. This guarantees you a slot, rather than being disappointed after adding all your items to your basket. Here’s how to book your slot first: [snip]



Me: I don't have a problem booking a slot, I just select one of the 1 hour slots. I was just pointing out that the 4 hour slots are not available when they should be, since the 1 hour slots are available for the whole day. If this problem was fixed, drivers could get more sensible routes, as the customers could be placed at any time within the 4 hours. A number of the drivers have told me they're getting very inefficient routes.



Tesco person 2: I've had a look into this and unfortunately all the 4 hour slots have been booked up. I'm afraid this is not actually a website error. As my colleague advised previously our slots are subject to availability on a first come, first served basis. We know that, during this incredibly challenging time, it’s been hard to find home delivery and Click+Collect slots. It’s down to a huge increase in demand for online deliveries across the whole country.



Me: Sorry but that doesn't make sense. If the one hour slots for 6-7, 7-8, 8-9, and 9-10 all have a free slot, then it should be possible to pick 6-10, and the system will put me in whichever slot ends up free.


Ah, yes not a new problem I think, its only been shown up due to the increased demand. The people you speak to cannot change the way the we site decides, and the errors are not so obvious when its not being used as much as it is of late. I suspect a bug, but you have a terrible time getting to speak to a web designer who can in any way alter the system. Nobody is going to alter it and risk more problems in the middle of this pandemic, so I guess the drivers and the efficiency of deliveries and fuel usage is not going to change. It would be interesting to know if other supermarket system share the same weird preferential slot allocation algorithm? Brian

I don't know about the others, since I prefer Tesco. More variety, better stock levels, and no limits on how many of each thing you can buy (these all refer to pre-virus conditions).

I just checked Morrisons and Asda, and they don't have a 4 hour slot option.

Perhaps you should chat with them to discuss why they don't have a method that doesn't work for tesco

Don't Sainsburys offer an "eco" option which is supposed to group deliveries together based on area? ie it flags up those slots which already have a delivery "nearby" as eco.

It sort of works, sometimes you get a 4 hour slot. Anyway I'm not interested in Morrisons and Asda, they have less selection of food, and half of it is out of stock.

That sounds like a good idea. Not that I'd use Sainsburys as they cost a fortune. And is that "ecological" or "economy"? I do hate it when people shorten things and cause ambiguity. I wouldn't use it for environmental bullshit, but I would to save money.

It's "sold" on enviromental grounds and I think there is a price difference as well but not sure which way. GIYF.

Is this a UK thing? I have no idea WTF you are talking about.

Just get your arse to the shop and stop whining.

All the major UK supermarkets offer on-line shopping and home delivery of those orders which since the pandemic lock-down has seen a massive increase in demand.

This is the 21st century, the shop comes to my door.

Don't you get home deliveries of food over there? Don't tell me you still have to drive to the shop? How time consuming!

That's me out then, I refuse to use anything "green".

G spies on you. DDGIYF.

They clearly read what I wrote. If 50 people tell me stupid things and 1 tells me something sensible, I'm going to spot the sensible one.

Yes, Tesco staff are thick.

At least the one's in North Wales [Broughton], who couldn't seem to understand my objection to having to actively refuse the offer of a plastic bag whenusing their self checkout device.

They could not comprehend that

  1. I did not want goods forced on me. I should not have to decline goods as a condition of purchase.

  1. Even if I was being forced to decline goods, there were other things in the store that I would have found more useless and "decline worthy".

The look of total vacancy as I explained this fundamental peice of logic was glorious.

One of the more amusing pastimes I encountered while having the usual wait for Airbus to sort my security status out.

AB From the well pummelled keyboard of Archibald Tarquin Blenkinsopp Esq

The ones I use in Asda ask "how many bags did you use"? To which I reply "0" whether I used some or not. I ain't paying 5p for something that costs 1p to make.

It's ok, I've now got about 5000 (proper strength that doesn't fall apart with one bottle of wine) bags from Tesco home deliveries.

If you really want to annoy them, buy the most expensive breakable thing you can (eg. a large bottle of whisky which also makes a mess), and at the checkout ask for a standard 5p carrier bag. Please the item in the bag allowing it to rip and smash the goods on the floor, then don't pay as it was their fault for making flimsy bags.

I make a point of not flying, it's too damn complicated. I don't have that problem with a train or a bus. What's so magical about planes?

My point was, that as a condition of purchase, I had to put zero in, this was the decline part.

I know why they do it, but some time in the future some marketing bod with too much time on his hands is going to see this as a means of unloading hard to sell garbage.

I do like annoying Tesco's, they are underhand in their tactics at the best of times. I left a pile of cleaning gear at the checkout once after a site catastrophe in Essex, they did their usual trick of putting highly priced goods in the "wrong" place and oddly enough at the checkout I remembered the price it was tagged at. I normally don,t

I don't use them. They are devious and underhanded.

You are so right! I wasn't flying though, I was playing with pumps and PLC's and things.

But I fully agree, flying is a pain and there is no chance that you can win an argument with security. My last being how unsuitable a crimping tool would be as a weapon! They confiscated it!

Anyway, my flying days have stopped totally, there is no way I would get in an aluminum pipe with likely covid sufferers.

I can pinpoint a few flights where I caught things from other passengers, easily done in my case as I travelled and worked alone usually.

From the well pummelled keyboard of Archibald Tarquin Blenkinsopp Esq

They get you there a lot faster when its not just some turd of an island off the coast of europe.

I put a sign on my door saying "leave parcels in the shed if I'm out". 95% obey the notice, the other 5% leave it with the first neighbour they see that's in.

Odd, since I thought they stopped the signup process when it started. I had luckily signed up about a month previously.

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