Tesco has apologised to its online customers unable to get on its website as the supermarket seeks to cope with high demand for Christmas bookings.

11 hours ago Across the country, the four big stores - Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons - have no delivery or click and collect options from December 20.

Supermarkets have seen overwhelming demand for online delivery slots, with rival Ocado already running out of slots due to the spike, although more may be made available in early December. A Tesco spokeswoman said: “Demand for online slots over the festive period is high, and we have more slots this Christmas than ever before.
Tesco Home Delivery ‘Your slot has expired’? I actually asked Tesco via Twitter what time of day they release slots and was told no specific time. No slots available.
So that we can help as many customers as possible, our priority delivery slots will have an 8-hour delivery window – either from 10am-6pm or 2pm-10pm. If you’re a vulnerable customer booking a priority slot, please make sure the mobile number in your account is correct.
How to get a Tesco home delivery slot. Tesco recently announced a vast expansion of its fleet of delivery vans and drivers, following a hiring surge over the past week. That means there are now more Tesco food delivery slots available than ever before: 780,000, to be precise, up from 660,000 to weeks ago.

The UK’s largest retailer has had to install a queuing system online to help it to manage the demand.

Some customers complained to Tesco that they had been waiting hours to get onto the supermarket’s website.

“We’re sorry if things take a bit longer than usual,” Tesco said on its Twitter account.

“A lot of customers are using our website and app at the moment.”

Tesco said it was “using a virtual waiting room to help us manage the flow”.

Supermarkets have been overwhelmed with demand as people start to plan for Christmas, and rival Ocado has already sold out of slots after “huge” demand.

One Tesco customer said on Twitter: “We use delivery saver because we have 3 young children and both parents work full time – I’m currently stuck in your queue while trying to get the children ready for school before I have to work full time to book my usual weekly slot. I’ve been staring at that screen for an hour!”

Tesco said that by late morning the waiting room had been removed and slots should be available again.

Tesco No Delivery Slots Twitter Number

A Tesco spokesperson said: “Demand for online slots over the festive period is high, and we have more slots this Christmas than ever before.

“We experienced high volumes of traffic to our website and groceries app this morning and temporarily limited the number of customers using it.

“We’ve now removed the waiting room and customers will be able to log straight on. We’re sorry for any inconvenience this caused and would like to reassure customers that there are still slots available for home delivery and Click+Collect over the Christmas period.”

As most of us have discovered, bagging a supermarket delivery right now is on a par with winning the lottery – the booking slots are snapped up straight away, meaning many vulnerable customers are struggling to find a solution to getting their food shopping. The government has provided stores with a list of clinically vulnerable people who qualify for priority booking, however, some are still unsure of how to book their delivery slots. We contacted Tesco to find out exactly how these customers can book online shops…

A spokesperson for Tesco told HELLO!: 'We have been working hard to increase the capacity of our online delivery service to help more customers gain access to this service when they need it.'

Tesco are prioritising their vulnerable customers

How many vulnerable people have Tesco contacted?

Tesco's CEO Dave Lewis said: 'On Thursday, we were given an initial list of 110,000 clinically and socially isolated people by the Government. From these, we were able to match 75,000 existing customers and we’ve already contacted them to let them know we’re making home delivery slots immediately available to them. As we receive more data from Government, we’ll make even more slots available.'

How do I book a Tesco delivery slot for a vulnerable person?

To book a slot for a vulnerable person, you need to go to tesco.com/groceries and log in. Vulnerable customers can book a priority slot with an eight-hour window for delivery.

MORE: Waitrose launches e-gift card for self-isolating customers during coronavirus

What if I don't have a Tesco account but am a vulnerable person?

If you don't currently have an account with Tesco but have received a letter from the NHS because you're classified as clinically vulnerable, you can create an account on their website or call Tesco on 0800 917 7359. The store can then check if you are on the government's list.

Is Tesco adding more online delivery slots?

Tesco CEO Dave Lewis said: 'We have increased our online delivery slots by 145,000 in the last two weeks with hundreds of thousands more due to become available shortly; but we know it’s still difficult to get an online delivery slot at the moment due to high demand, and we ask those who are able to safely come to stores to do so, instead of shopping online, so we can start to free up more slots for the more vulnerable.'

Is Tesco recruiting more delivery drivers?

The supermarket is in the process of adding almost 200 new delivery vans and has recruited 2,500 new drivers and more than 5,000 pickers.

MORE:How to secure a Sainsbury's home delivery slot for a vulnerable person

Tesco Pick A Slot

What are Tesco's shopping times for vulnerable customers?

The Tesco website states: 'We want to help everyone through these uncertain times, especially those who need extra help. So all our stores (except Express stores) will be prioritising the elderly and most vulnerable for one hour between 9am and 10am every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.'