Major UK supermarkets provide updates on delivery services
Several of the major UK supermarkets have issued statements in response to the growing volume of website traffic; providing updates for customers hoping to get food and drink dropped off on their doorsteps.
As it turns out, the great Scramble For Delivery Slots of April 2020 wasn’t just an infuriating flash in the pan, after all.
Six months down the line, we’re all back at square one: Staring at the delivery pages on supermarket websites and hitting the refresh button with one hand whilst crossing our fingers with the other.
Joy.
As cases rise and restrictions increase, more and more people are turning back to home drop-off services – whether its due to isolation, shielding, or to avoid social interaction with others wherever possible.
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Several of the major supermarkets have issued statements in response to the growing volume of website traffic, offering updates for customers hoping to get food and drink dropped off on their doorsteps.
Here’s what some of the major brands have had to say so far.
Same-day delivery isn’t available from Tesco right now, but at the time of writing there are slots available with three to five days.
Tesco is prioritising services for customers in isolation – and there’s an option to let the driver know you’re isolating so you don’t have to come into contact with them.
Tesco shopping doesn’t arrive in bags as standard anymore, “so you’ll need to choose to get your shopping in bags when you check out.”
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The bag charge is 40p.
The supermarket stated: “We know that it’s difficult right now to get a delivery slot for online shopping. We’re at full capacity for the next few weeks, so if you’re able to shop in-store safely instead of booking a delivery, it would be a great help. This will allow us to start freeing up more slots for the more vulnerable.
“We’re looking at every opportunity to increase the number of slots available. As we increase our capacity, we’ll also set aside more of these slots for our most vulnerable customers.”
At the time of writing Asda still has a number of slots available for delivery in Manchester – but they’re filling up pretty quickly.
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The Asda Delivery Pass service is currently not available to new customers due to high demand.
The supermarket added: “Unfortunately we cannot guarantee delivery slots to existing Delivery Pass customers either, so if you do not save money on your delivery pass, we will refund the difference automatically with an eVoucher.”
Asda has also stated that in certain circumstances they will place limits on certain products – likely in an attempt to prevent that toilet roll fiasco in spring from happening all over again.
Sainsbury’s is continuing to distribute food to homes – prioritising delivery slots for vulnerable customers.
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“We have been working hard to expand our service across home delivery and we are now able to offer home delivery slots to many of our customers,” the supermarket stated.
“We’re continuing to prioritise access to home delivery slots for vulnerable customers, and are releasing new slots regularly.”
There are apparently as many as 700,000 weekly slots available across stores.
New customers can also register online for both home delivery and click and collect slots.
Morrisons delivery slots are looking pretty packed out in the city right now, but it’s still worth trying your luck as drop-offs may be more widely available in certain postcodes.
The supermarket also does pre-packed food boxes (meat and veggie) – which are great to order either for yourself or send to a family member/friend who might be isolating.
There’s also some rationing going on – with items like toilet roll and disinfectant limited to three items per person to prevent stockpilers grabbing all the goods.
Co-Op appears to have a number of slots available – although this may change as demand is expected to increase further over the coming days.
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The minimum spend is £25, and drop-off prices vary depending on where you’re getting your items dropped off.
You’ll need to sign up and register an account to arrange delivery.
The supermarket stated: “We are restricting all delivery orders temporarily to 30 items per shop, so everyone has the opportunity to get hold of those essential items they need.”
Entertainment union Equity makes £1 bid for Manchester Pride to protect workers from ‘further exploitation’
Emily Sergeant
Performing arts and entertainment trade union Equity has made a £1 bid for Manchester Pride.
You may remember that, back in October last year, Manchester Pride – the charity / organisation that ran the Manchester Pride Festival – entered into voluntary liquidation, and news emerged last week that the assets were being sold off to the highest bidder by liquidators.
By offering a ‘symbolic’ £1 for the assets – which include the Manchester Pride brand name and associated domain names – Equity says its bid has been made to give workers the opportunity to ‘decide the future’ of the event.
The bid is also said to have been made to prevent a repeat of 2025 – which apparently left Equity union members more than £70,000 out-of-pocket in unpaid fees.
Equity’s variety organiser, Nick Keegan, warned that selling the Manchester Pride brand to a commercial buyer risks ‘undermining the values’ of the event and the community that built it.
He worried it could also leave performers and workers ‘vulnerable to further exploitation’.
“Manchester Pride is not just a city-wide party,” Mr Keegan explained. “Its roots in protest are as important today as then.”
He added: “Manchester Pride was built by the LGBTQ+ workers of Canal St and beyond who provide a space and a community for LGBTQ+ people all year round. The event should not be treated as a commodity to be bought and sold off to the highest bidder.
“The cultural workforce are at the heart of Pride, without them, there is no festival.
“After what happened in 2025, with members left tens of thousands of pounds out of pocket, we don’t want to see history repeat itself.”
Equity says that if its bid is successful, the workers will have control over who the ‘asset’ goes to.
“Our bid is about protecting Pride as a community asset, not a commercial one,” the union’s statement continued.
“Allowing the people whose labour was used to build this ‘asset’ to decide how the trademark of Manchester Pride is used in the future will help protect them from further exploitation, as well as preserve the values and the longevity of the event itself.”
Featured Image – Manchester Pride (Supplied)
News
New police hub to be set up in Piccadilly Gardens to help reduce anti-social behaviour
Emily Sergeant
A new police hub is set to be established in Piccadilly Gardens.
In case you missed it, it was announced last week that council tax in Greater Manchester could be increased to help fund improvements to policing, and that a consultation on it has been launched – with local residents urged to have their say.
The police precept helps Greater Manchester Police (GMP) to build on a range of improvements, including the speed of answering 999 and 101 calls, road and transport safety across Manchester city centre, and bringing more sex offenders to justice, among many other things.
Greater Manchester council tax is set to be increased again to help fund improvements to policing, and a consultation is now live. 🏘️🚔📝
But on top of this, Mayor Andy Burnham has also pledged to deliver a new police hub in Piccadilly Gardens as part of a wider drive to improve policing.
GMCA says its ‘top priority’ is to build strong communities where people feel safe, and it is Mayor Andy Burnham and his Deputy Mayors’ responsibility to enable GMP to be an ‘effective and efficient’ police force.
Local leaders say their ambition for 2026 is to maintain a ‘high-performing’ police service by tackling crime and anti-social behaviour, and protecting residents and businesses along the way – and part of this ambition is to increase police visibility in Piccadilly Gardens, which is a much-maligned part of the city centre, by launching a new ‘prominent’ police hub.
The increase in the police precept is also being touted to help increase ‘hot spot policing tactics’ in town centres and other key locations to help drive down theft and other violent retail crimes.
A new police hub is to be set up in Piccadilly Gardens to help reduce anti-social behaviour / Credit: Gerald England (via Geograph) | Rawpixel
“We need GMP to be properly funded if it is to continue to deliver an effective and responsive service for people in Greater Manchester,” commented Mayor Andy Burnham. “The cost of running a modern police force is going up and this is at a time when our city region has become the fastest-growing economy in the UK, with visitor numbers increasing year after year.
“So much is happening here and that includes a number of major and complex incidents over the past year, including a terrorist attack. These incidents added significant pressure to police resources.
“We recognise the ongoing impact of the rising cost of living and do not take the decision to increase the precept lightly. But right now, this increase is our only option to ensure GMP can continue delivering an effective police service that ensures that people feel safe in their own communities.”
The Manc -
8th October 2020 
