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Old 14-03-2020, 18:50   #483
Chris
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Re: Coronavirus

Quote:
Originally Posted by nomadking View Post
Even in normal times, having set up an order doesn't guarantee the products will be available at the time. The items are picked off the shelves the same as for any other shopper.


A lot of people should now have enough set aside to ride out a period of self-isolation. It should now mostly be a matter of normal routine buying to keep going.
I don't think that was quite the point he was making. If the app is offline, there is no way of booking a new delivery. If you've already set up recurring deliveries for a few weeks ahead then you will get deliveries even without the app being live. At the time items are picked, they will substitute unavailable items for something similar.

I must admit I went and had a look at the Asda app this afternoon after learning about Ocado. It is still working (though there is still no pasta or bog roll to be had), however the booking pattern looks more like the Christmas holidays, with all available slots booked for several days ahead, presumably, also like Christmas, by people who don't normally get home delivery.

As we pretty much rely on it, there being no supermarkets within a half hour drive of us, I have already booked our regular weekly delivery for next Friday. As I can usually predict what we need to get delivered week to week I will probably go back in over the next couple of days and set up some subsequent deliveries too.

The trick with Asda, at times of high demand, like Christmas, is to try to get the order right first time if you possibly can. If you order something that is unavailable at time of picking, they will substitute it. If however you reopen the order to amend it and the algorithm thinks something you already have on the order is now not likely to be available at time of picking, it will remove it from the order entirely. To guard against that happening you have to get the order complete first time and then leave it alone.
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