Making life taste better...and making my life easier (sainsburys.co.uk)

Member Name: kelr101

Product:	sainsburys.co.uk
Date:	25/03/06 (5329 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Ability to browse and search for items, can edit shopping trolley once checked out

Disadvantages: Delivery charges, substitutions

Since 2004 I have been a regular user of several online food sites, in particular Sainsbury's because I benefit from their Nectar Reward Points scheme, making them my main choice of online shopper. I have also used Ocado, and Tesco but have found overall that Sainsbury's is the most consistent with its delivery times, service, and provision of the goods I've ordered.


*Website Login*

Sainsbury’s home delivery service can be found at www.sainsburystoyou.com. The actual website used to be very slow when it was first introduced, but the pages now load a lot quicker, bringing to your attention Sainsbury's latest promotions and offers.

If it’s your first time using the home delivery service – there is a postcode check, to ensure that they are able to deliver to your home. Once this is confirmed you need to create a customer login in order to purchase items from the store. Your customer login includes your delivery address and your nectar card number to ensure you receive nectar points on your order.

Otherwise, on the right hand side is the customer log in, where as normal your username and password are required.


*Delivery details*

Although delivery is something you would normally consider at the end, Sainsbury’s recommend booking your delivery slot before you commence your shopping, so as to ensure any promotional offers are still valid at the time your delivery is made. The time slot is reserved for 2 hours, although I have known this to be extended once I've started actually putting items into my trolley.

The standard delivery charge is £5; although at present there is an offer for free delivery on a Tuesday/Wednesday or Thursday if you’re shopping is over £70.00

*Home Page*

Once you account has been created you are directed to your “homepage”. Here the website is personalised to your own shopping needs.

Immediately you are presented with either a list of your usual purchased items (if you have used the site before) or a link to shopping for your groceries, by exploring the aisles and shelves.

To the right you are advised of the status of your account, showing the items in your trolley, booked delivery times and any scheduled orders you are waiting for.


*Find a Product*

If you are having difficulty finding a particular product then the top right section of the screen has a search field. The search function is actually very good, and tends to find alternatives as well as direct results to your search.


*Your Usual*

This was my favourite part of the website…The “Your Usual” selection lists all the products you have recently bought from Sainsbury’s. This is designed to help you shop quicker by selecting from a list of products that you would normally buy, rather than searching through the “Aisles”.

I had 11 pages, of previously purchased items, and was pleased to see that where I had previously purchased a product, that was unavailable now, an alternative item was now listed.

In order to select the items you wished to purchase, you need to change the quantity from zero to the required amount, by pressing the plus and minus signs. If you scroll through the list before pressing Add, you will notice an “Add all selected items” button at the bottom.

Please note though, that I have experienced several errors on this page. If you select the “Add all selected items” and then realise you have missed something on that page, you are unable to go back and add it. Currently you need to re-search for that item.


*Aisles and Shelves”

Basically all of the Aisles currently in Sainsbury’s stores will appear listed down the left half of the web page. They range from Bakery and Cakes, to Dairy – Cheese, to pickles, Preserves, Oils and Spreads, to Vegetables and Salads. The list is very detailed.

If you click on the “Aisle” you require it will bring up another selection of items in that Aisle. For example if you chose Meat, Alternatives and Poultry, the list is broken down into the different types of meat available.

Once the subsection has been selected, the list of products will appear. Here you can select your products, again by changing the quantity and adding them to your shopping list.


*Your Trolley*

A reminder of the items you have selected, is constantly on the right hand side of the web page. As you add products to your trolley they are displayed here, with an estimated price, and an estimated total is shown also.

You can select items in your trolley, and amend the quantity or just delete the items from your list, if you prefer. The total cost is then updated automatically.


*Recipes and Ideas*

This section is ideal if you are preparing a particular Sainsbury's recipe meal, and wish to purchase all the required ingredients. Here you have that option, and once a recipe has been chosen, you can select the option to purchase all the ingredients on the list, or just select the chosen items


*Check out*

Checking out is easy to do once you have confirmed your shopping details. You are asked to enter your payment details and confirm your password for security measures. Once the system has registered your shopping, you are sent an e-mail confirming the details of your shopping, the booked delivery time, and a reference code if you have any further queries.

If you find you have forgotten something once you have checked out, you have a limited time period to go back into your trollery and add items. Please remember though that you will need to check out again for this to go through.


*Delivery*

I have never had any problems with delivery, and have even received a £10 voucher when my delivery man was late by 5 minutes. He was perfectly reasonable and apologised for being late.

Occasionally products I had ordered were unavailable on that day, but Sainsbury’s have always provided alternatives, although not always to my satisfaction. You can either accept your alternatives or arrange for them to be returned and your account credited.

Once you have confirmed any alternate selections, and ychecked your receipt, the drivers will deliver the shopping direct to your doorstep.


*Surprises*

I have been pleasantly surprised with the online service, as I was a bit sceptical at first but over time use the service almost very reguarly. I've received additional products that I had not ordered, mixed in throughout my shopping, products that if purchased would have paid for the delivery charge.

I’m not sure if this will always be the case – but talking to friends and family has revealed that they also have received similar priced products within there shopping.


*Summary*

Sainsbury’s to you is a good service, especially for the elderly or people who are unable to reach a supermarket for their shopping, or for people who are just too busy.

The website used to be very slow and time consuming but Sainsbury's appear to have resolved this issue, and now everything is fine.

Value for money is also good – especially with the additional free extras that happened to cover the delivery charge, and I was able to choose from the same special offers that were available in store. I also found it particularly useful having the option to purchase the same products every time by the compiled “Your Usual” lists.

Although online shopping is a luxury thing for many people, I do occasionally prefer it. I can spend time in my own home selecting my shopping, and then arrange for someone to deliver it for me. I don't miss out on special offers, and have always received excellent service.

Recommended.

Summary: An easy way to browse and complete your weekly shop