Hundreds of thousands of shoppers joined insane virtual queues from dawn this morning to book a Christmas delivery slot from Tesco.
People said they were logged on from 6am when the supermarket giant released its delivery slots for the festive season.
But so many people scrambled to get one – with almost 300,000 people in the queue – that the website and app crashed, The Hoot reports.
Tesco has acknowledged that the website was receiving a ‘high number of visits’ once its festive bookings opened and that it was ‘working hard to fix it’.
Several people compared the virtual queue to book slots to the struggle to get Glastonbury tickets, or this weekend’s mad scenes when Peter Kay tickets went on sale.
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Tesco opened its Christmas delivery slots this morning. Credit: Ben Stevens / Parsons Media
Another wrote: “Also. How boring am I? Didn’t queue for Glastonbury. Didn’t bother with Peter Kay tickets. But Tesco Christmas food shop? There with (jingle) bells on. What a time to be alive.”
One person tweeted: “I’m at the stage of life where I don’t queue for glasto tickets but for Tesco delivery slots,” alongside a screenshot that showed them in a queue position of 182,618.
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I’m at the stage of life where I don’t queue for glasto tickets but for Tesco Christmas delivery slots. pic.twitter.com/X9EaeglC5R
Someone else asked: “Is Peter Kay performing at Tesco this Christmas?”
Some disgruntled shoppers asked if Tesco had opened the booking early, as they logged on right on time to find themselves at the back of enormous queues.
Someone said: “what time did the queue to book a Christmas delivery slot open, as we were only told slots available from 6am, so now I am 75000+.In the queue! If I was made aware a queue was open earlier, I would have joined earlier than I did.”
Another tweeted: “Thanks @Tesco for another Christmas delivery farce. ‘Priority’ slots released at 6. Joins queue at 5.45am. Get to number 70000 something, app refreshes and kicks me out. Now 150000ish. Glad I’m paying for the privilege of delivery saver.”
One person wrote: “Truly unbelievable @Tesco.You send me an email informing me that Christmas Delivery slots open up at 6am so I log in 5 minutes to 6am only to find a queue with 112,000 people in it already. As a disabled person who relies on a delivery, why do it like this?”
One asked: “Is anyone actually got passed this point in the @Tesco queue? Finally getting through after being 100,000 odds from before 6 and now getting this. Wonder what the point in delivery saver is when you can’t get the slots sorted at Christmas.”
Is anyone actually got passed this point in the @Tesco queue? Finally getting through after being 100,000 odds from before 6 and now getting this. Wonder what the point in delivery saver is when you can't get the slots sorted at Christmas. pic.twitter.com/lfEQ0s5S1Q
Tesco has said: “We’re sorry that you’re experiencing an issue with our app whilst booking your slot this morning. We’re currently seeing a high number of visits to our Grocery & Clubcard app and some customers are temporarily having difficulty logging on or placing orders.
“We are aware of the issue and we’re working hard to fix it. In the meantime, we’d recommend using the website to place your order.”
Featured image: Flickr
Christmas
Science and Industry Museum to transform into immersive ‘Light Lab’ as part of 2024 festive events programme
Emily Sergeant
One of Manchester’s most popular museums will be transformed into an immersive ‘Light Lab’ for the festive season.
As the temperatures begin to drop and Christmas creeps closer, this is your chance to escape the cold and brighten up the winter holidays with an adventure though light and colour, as the Science and Industry Museum has now unveiled its upcoming festive events programme.
You can also explore a gaming extravaganza, and be engrossed by festive-themed science shows at the city centre-based museum this December.
Back by popular demand, after enchanting visitors of all ages in previous years, the museum’s free Light Lab will be making a return for 2024 – with everyone invited to discover the secrets of light through illuminating activities, special shows, and immersive experiences.
The Science and Industry Museum will transform into immersive ‘Light Lab’ this winter / Credit: Jason Lock (via Science Museum Group)
As Greater Manchester is known for its grey winter days, a series of illuminating experiments will bring colour to your lives in the interactive Light Lab, where you can explore a hall of mirrors, discover how to bend light, and even take a dance break in the rave room, before taking a journey from the Sun back to the Earth during special science shows led by the museum’s team of expert Explainers.
You’ll be able to discover how light travels through our atmosphere, explore the science of solar flares, and even marvel at a mesmerising display of the Northern Lights – with real NASA footage of the Aurora Borealis.
If all that exploring has got you tired out, then you can slow things down in the Recharge Retreat and get comfortable with a picture book, or explore the relationship between colour and mood and why nature is so important to our health.
You can escape from the cold, and learn a thing or two while you’re at it / Credit: Science Museum Group
But if you’re looking for a change of pace, you can also enjoy the museum‘s ultimate gaming experience, Power Up, to immerse yourself in a whole host of different digital worlds by working your way through five decades of video games, or learn about how what we eat can have a huge effect on our brains and bodies at the Operation Ouch! exhibition.
Then, for something a little different all together this festive season, you can grab a ticket for the first of the 2024 Royal Institution Christmas Lectures being screened live at the museum on Tuesday 10 December, ahead of the broadcast on the BBC.
The Winter Holiday Programme at the Science and Industry Museum runs from 14 December 2024 through to 5 January 2025.
Find out more about everything happening on the museum’s website here.
Featured Image – Science Museum Group
Christmas
You can be a part of Christmas movie history by travelling on The Polar Express near Manchester
Thomas Melia
A stream train experience inspired by one of the biggest Christmas films of all time is happening just outside of Manchester.
Released back in 2004, The Polar Express is the seventh highest-grossing Christmas film of all time, and is packed with a star-studded cast, including Tom Hanks voicing multiple characters, and the Elf Lieutenant and Elf Singer both fronted by Aerosmith lead singer, Steven Tyler.
The love for the film has only grown stronger over the years, amassing worldwide acclaim – with train rides inspired by the film taking place in Canada, Grand Canyon in the US, and now, not too far from Manchester.
You can be a part of Christmas movie history by travelling on The Polar Express near Manchester / Credit: Publicity Picture
Churnet Valley Railway is clearly as big of a fan of the film as the rest of the world, and is bringing the steam train ride to children and adults alike, offering both a standard and premium class tickets.
Passengers who purchase standard tickets receive a free hot chocolate, a freshly-baked cookie, and a silver sleigh bell.
Guests who are considering the premium ticket are treated to an exclusive souvenir ceramic mug, while groups will get a train ride goodie bag to share, as well as hot chocolate, cookie, and silver bell.
This steam railway might just win the award for biggest the Polar Express fans ever, as they have an online blog dedicated to fun little quotes from the characters, biographies on the main cast, and breaking down key scenes directly from the film.
There’s even an article dedicated to pyjama etiquette and it encourages guests to wear their bedtime gowns too, So go on, put your best comfies on and hop on this old-school steam train.
Daisy Jackson -
15th November 2022 
