Waitrose grocery delivery: one in four food delivery slots reserved for elderly customers
Waitrose has set aside a quarter of its online grocery delivery slots for elderly shoppers as the company deals with an unprecedented number of online orders.
The retailer has revealed that 17% of its regular delivery slots have already been booked by vulnerable customers, and says it’s writing to customers who may benefit from the new initiative.
Waitrose says it’s using data from its loyalty scheme and existing customer accounts to prioritise deliveries; the government is planning to provide supermarkets with its database of vulnerable people, and Waitrose says it will also use that information once it’s available.
Waitrose is also planning to extend its Rapid delivery service, which delivers staple household items by courier within two hours, to 10 more stores, with the service expanding to more stores throughout April. You can check whether Rapid delivery is available in your area by entering your postcode at the website.
Historic levels of demand
Waitrose.com director Ben Stimson said elderly customers don’t need to call to arrange a slot and should wait to be contacted about deliveries.
“Over the last month we have delivered to more customers than we have at any point in our history,” he said. “We have far more demand than we have capacity for but we’re trying to reach our most vulnerable customers first to help support them at this difficult time.”
With online grocery delivery slots in higher demand than ever before, the news will be welcomed by older Waitrose customers who may have found it difficult to order their shop online, and anyone who’s worried about elderly relatives.
Waitrose has set aside a quarter of its online grocery delivery slots for elderly shoppers as the company deals with an unprecedented number of online orders. The retailer has revealed that 17% of its regular delivery slots have already been booked by vulnerable customers, and says it’s writing to customers…
