sainsburystoyou.co.uk (sainsburys.co.uk)

Member Name: Hope

Product:	sainsburys.co.uk
Date:	10/09/00 (995 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Vast selection, reliable delivery time

Disadvantages: Site very slow, need to check goods and receipt very carefully

A voucher for one free delivery encouraged me to try home shopping via www.sainsburys.co.uk, with mixed results.

Firstly, the Sainsbury's to You section is very slow as in effect it loads all the products in the shop. Once this is done, however, selection of goods is relatively easy if time-consuming. Further visits to the site should make this easier as it is possible to save previous lists and favourite items for future quick selection. My only other gripe about the site is that I did not find many special offers (although that could have been because I was trying to cut down on time).

There is a choice of delivery times, within two hour slots, and I was pleased to see that these are available seven days a week. Quite a few slots were already taken however, and I presume that this depends on where you live and which store is going to deliver. If your area is not yet included in the scheme you will be advised when you try to register.

So far so good, my shopping was ordered, paid for by credit card, with points to be awarded to my reward card and all I had to do was wait for the assigned slot, which in my case I chose to be three days later.

The shopping arrived at the stated time, and was nicely packed up in bags with stickers on them to indicate whether the enclosed items needed to be kept frozen, chilled or at room temperature. All the items were in good condition and the frozen food still frozen. Along with the till receipt was a customer information slip which indicated one or two substitutes replacing the requested items. These were very close to the originals, such as the same item in a different size. One product was out of stock and I was not charged for it.

However, on closer inspection I found three items to be completely missing even though they were included on the receipt and totalled £7. I also noticed that no reward points were shown on my receipt, so I telephoned the store with these two que
ries. Again I am sure this will vary with individual stores and staff, but I was greeted by a very friendly, helpful and apologetic voice. I was offered a choice of a voucher or a reduction on my next home delivery but I suggested that I might not use the service again! I was then offered the alternative of having the missing goods delivered that day. I am not sure that this would always happen but I was lucky in that the driver was in my area, and again I was given a two hour slot. The goods arrived with further apology and overall I was satisfied.

With regard to the reward points, these are apparently added to the customer's account after delivery and completion of paperwork. They should then be automatically included in your total, which can be checked at any time via the freephone number shown on the back of the reward card, or on the website. Personally, I would prefer to see the points on my receipt.

I do think that home delivery is an excellent idea, and that the usual £5 delivery charge is reasonable if you can order a lot of goods at the same time, and preferably rely on them all arriving. I think with the market the way it is, Sainsbury's service is bound to improve over time and I hope to read more favourable dooyoos in the future.

Summary: