Online shopping: which supermarket really delivers?
All the major stores now offer home delivery, but price, availability and range differ hugely. We weigh all the options
Screaming toddlers, long queues and heavy shopping bags – just a few of the reasons to avoid setting foot in a supermarket aisle and do the weekly shop online. But with Asda, Waitrose, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Ocado and Morrisons vying for our custom, canny shoppers can take advantage of the competition and shave pounds off delivery costs – and even demand free delivery in return for loyalty. Our survey of the services used by millions of families, however, also revealed a postcode lottery, with households in rural areas often being unable to place an order.
The worst way to play the delivery game is to book a weekend slot with the same supermarket every week, but fail to buy an annual pass. This alone could cost you £312 a year. But a shopper who, for example, ditches their weekly delivery from Asda and instead rotates between Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Ocado and Waitrose and Asda itself could knock £80 off £340 of groceries a month.
