Second lockdown: Which supermarkets have delivery slots available?
On Saturday 31 October, Boris Johnson addressed the nation to announce that from Thursday 5 November, there would be a national lockdown.
It’s in a bid to combat a sharp rise in cases despite regional lockdowns, but won’t be exactly the same as the first lockdown in March.
As explained in our guide to the second lockdown, pubs, restaurants and non-essential shops will close, along with entertainment and leisure venues, including gyms.
Takeaways, food deliveries and click and collect services will be permitted, however mixing with other households will no longer be allowed unless it's within pre-existing support bubbles, and travel will only be allowed for work, education, healthcare, to shop for essentials and to care for vulnerable people.
However, schools, colleges and universities will remain open and people will be able to meet with one person from another household outside, as long as social distancing is adhered to.
As a result of the news, many have begun booking up supermarket delivery slots and some shoppers returned to panic buying.
In March, stockpiling meant shop shelves were half empty and many vulnerable people were unable to have access to essential everyday items.
Recently, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Tesco and Waitrose have urged people not to panic-buy as there is enough stock for everyone, as long as people shop sensibly and only buy what they need.
To help cope with this, Morrisons, Tesco and Waitrose have now reimposed some rationing measures such as limiting shoppers to three items each, for products such as toilet roll and disinfectant, to ensure there is enough to go round.
Online shopping became for many, especially those classed as vulnerable, the safest way to do a food shop, in a bid to keep cupboards stocked while safely shielding at home.
As a result, many supermarkets prioritised delivery slots and placed rationing measures on food and household items, which we detailed here.To keep you up to date with the latest changes from the supermarkets, we’ve compiled all the information you need to know to organise your next food shop.
You can trust our independent roundups. We may earn commission from some of the retailers, but we never allow this to influence selections. This revenue helps us to fund journalism across The Independent.
Iceland delivery information
Minimum spend: £25
Delivery waiting time: Iceland has removed its restrictions on home delivery, which is now available to all customers.
According to its website, the supermarket says: "We typically deliver Monday to Sunday, with two-hour delivery slots available between 8am and 9pm.”
It is currently showing available slots up until 8 November.
The supermarket has also announced its offering students £5 off a £40 online shop along with priority delivery slots if you sign up with a university email address, in order to support those affected by the new lockdown measures. You can shop its student food essentials here.
Only available to existing customers? No, anyone can place an order.
Delivery locations: You can check your postcode on the website.
Morrisons delivery information
Minimum spend: £40
Delivery waiting time: Morrisons offers one-hour delivery slots, seven days a week. There are currently slots open up until 5 November, however, all are fully booked.
Currently, Morrisons has reinstated rationing of toilet roll and disinfectant to a limit of three per customer, in order to avoid a repeat of the stockpiling seen in March.
It is also offering customers food boxes, which are accessible to all and if ordered before 3pm, will qualify for next day delivery. Starting from £16 they consist of essential food and household items for vegetarians, meat-eaters, gluten-free diets and families.
Alongside this, Morrisons also launched a British farmers food box for £45, filled with fresh produce including meats, vegetables, milk and cheeses. As many farmers have been unable to sell produce to the restaurant trade as a result of the lockdown, £1 from every British Farmers Food Box will be donated to British farming charities via The Prince's Countryside Fund.
Morrisons has also rolled out a "Doorstep Delivery" service, which if you call 0345 611 6111 and select option 5, you can place a grocery order and it will be delivered the next day. It’s available for anyone self-isolating and is free fro the elderly and vulnerable, £2 for students and standard delivery will cost £4.50.
Is it only available to existing customers? No, but you will need to register an account in order to shop online.
Delivery locations: It delivers across the UK, and you can check your postcode on the website.
Asda delivery information
Minimum spend: £40
Delivery waiting time: It is currently showing online delivery slots up until 15 November, with availability from 8 November.
Only available to existing customers? No, but you will need to register for an account to order groceries online, and new customers can still register.
Delivery locations: Asda delivers across the UK and you can check your postcode on the website.
Waitrose & Partners delivery information
Minimum spend: £40
Delivery waiting time: Currently there are delivery slots open until 9 November, with some availability from 7 November.
It is prioritising the vulnerable and elderly for both it's home delivery and click and collect slots, with 25 per cent of orders being committed to elderly and vulnerable customers.
Waitrose has brought back purchasing restrictions, only allowing two per customer on toilet roll and hand sanitiser and three per person on flour, pasta and household cleaning products when shopping online and in-store.
Only available to existing customers? You will need to register for an account to order groceries online and new customers can sign up.
Delivery locations: Waitrose delivers across the UK and you can check your postcode on its website.
Tesco delivery information
Minimum spend: £40
Delivery waiting time: It is currently showing delivery slots up until 22 November, however all are fully booked.
In-store, shoppers will be limited to three per person on flour, dried pasta, toilet roll, baby wipes and antibacterial wipes, while online customers will be also be subject to the same restrictions on eggs, flour and anti-bacterial products.
Only available to existing customers? You can register as a new customer on the website, and book a delivery slot when they are available.
Delivery locations: You can check your postcode on the site.
Sainsbury’s delivery information
Minimum spend: £25
Delivery waiting time: Sainsbury’s is still giving customers who are vulnerable priority access to its online home delivery service, with slots available from 3 to 9 November currently.
Due to the rise in coronavirus cases across the UK, Sainsbury’s have asked customers to only send one adult per household into store to enable them ensure everyone can safely socially distance and reduce queues.
Only available to existing customers? No, new customers can now register online for home delivery and click and collect slots.
Delivery locations: You can check your postcode on the website to see if Sainsbury's can deliver to your area.
Marks & Spencer delivery information
Minimum spend: £0
Delivery waiting time: The supermarket has currently limited its food delivery service to party food and pre-prepared meals such as meats, fish and bite-size treats.
Its groceries are now available to order through Ocado.
Only available to existing customers? M&S is taking orders, but you will need to register an account to order groceries online.
Delivery locations: The supermarket currently delivers across the UK, you can check if your postcode is eligible on its website.
Co-op delivery information
Minimum spend: £15
Delivery waiting time: At the time of writing, there are currently some delivery slots showing as available on 2 November.
Only available to existing customers? No, but you will need to sign up in order to arrange delivery of your shopping once slots are available.
Delivery locations: The service is currently available in some areas of London, Bristol, Brighton, Manchester, Southampton, Bournemouth, Manchester, as well as Leeds, Sheffield, Liverpool, Newcastle, Nottingham and Birmingham.
Ocado delivery information
Minimum spend: £40
Delivery waiting time: Ocado offers home delivery seven days a week between 5:30am and 11:30pm, with slots showing from 3 to 5 November, but all are fully booked.
It also now offers M&S food, so you can do you weekly shop directly with Ocado.
Only available to existing customers? No, but you will need to register an account before shopping online.
Delivery locations: Ocado delivers across the UK and you can check your postcode on its website.
For more information on the supermarkets that have teamed up with Deliveroo, read our guide
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