My Supermarket ship of love has sailed or more correctly it has been cut loose. I’ve never used my blog to name and shame but there is a first time for everything! I am cross so excuse me if this post turns into a bit of a rant, but hey my voice, my outlet, my blog!
For the last three years I have been a loyal Ocado shopper. I was a good customer of Ocado, although clearly not good enough. I shopped at least once, often twice a month and on occasions more often, I have recommended them to friends a number of whom have become regular Ocado customers too. I tried their “On Demand” product when it was new and I filled in their surveys. This Christmas in return for my loyalty, Ocado gave their new “On Demand” customers first dibs on the Christmas slots leaving nothing after 22nd December available for everybody else.
I wouldn’t have had a problem if my helpful friend, Ocado, had been open and honest back in November. Honest that he wasn’t going to be able to be there for me this year. If he’d said “no availability after 22nd December” for non On Demand customers, instead of saying Christmas slots “coming soon”, he’d have managed my expectations. If he’d told me in time I could have made a plan, I’d have appreciated it, I’d have understood and we’d have caught up in the new year. But no, Ocado didn’t do that. Ocado dumped me at Christmas with a toddler & a new baby. Ocado flicked the V’s at me, how ever jolly and holly laced the email bringing the news it’s still rude! My money clearly isn’t good enough anymore for Mr Ocado so I am off in search of the “better fish in the sea!”
I am sure there have been many suited & booted meetings at Ocado to discuss their Christmas strategy. No doubt these started back in the heady days of Summer and the big wigs and their commercial teams truly believe this is the right thing for their business, but is it really? I have a new baby and toddler and it doesn’t take a genius to work that out from my shopping basket – new baby sized nappies, infacol, Annabel Karmel ready meals for Lil’ H, chocolate & lots of it in all the varieties for me. Using data to power businesses for maximum profit is the stuff I have done exceptional well in my professional life before babies! Mr Ocado, my household just got bigger by one, that means our consumption and spend just got bigger too. Lancaster Towers became a better potential household overnight and you Mr Ocado didn’t have to do anything, didn’t have to spend a single penny for our basket size to get bigger. What’s even better is it just got 20 times harder for me to even get out of the house so the frequency with which I shop online just increased too. What’s amazing is that it was all yours, there was never even a question mark over it, until you decided you wouldn’t help me when I needed you the most. Short-sighted? I should say so, because in the same way I told people to use you I will be telling many, many, many more people not to and how you treated me.
I can’t write anymore as right now I have to load my toddler and 9 week old baby into snowsuits and into the car and start my food shopping in the snow. I will be doing the same again tomorrow and Thursday – Merry Christmas to you too!
