Sainsbury’s, a leading UK supermarket chain, has encountered significant technical difficulties affecting its online grocery deliveries and contactless payment capabilities. The issues began following a software update glitch, disrupting the shopping experience for many customers, particularly impacting those who expected deliveries on Saturday. Customers have experienced cancellations and delays, with the majority of online deliveries for Saturday unable to be fulfilled. The supermarket has acknowledged the inconvenience, ensuring that all stores remain open and are accepting chip and pin, as well as cash payments, although some shoppers have reported finding out about the contactless payment issues only at checkout.

In addition to the delivery and payment problems, a recent Which? survey highlighted the broader challenges faced by online grocery shoppers across the UK, including odd product substitutions from various supermarkets. Asda topped the list with the highest rate of substitutions, followed by other chains, including Sainsbury’s and Tesco. The survey revealed instances of notably mismatched items, such as mushrooms for tampons and cream crackers for Christmas crackers, underscoring the importance of accurate and appropriate product substitutions.

Sainsbury’s has apologized to affected customers, stating their commitment to resolving the issues swiftly and reassured customers that their personal data has not been compromised due to the glitch. The statement comes amidst customer concerns over data security, heightened by recent IT problems at other companies like McDonald’s. Sainsbury’s efforts are ongoing to address the technical problem and the supermarket plans to contact customers to rebook affected orders. Customers experiencing issues are advised to stay informed by reaching out directly to the company for updates on the situation, which remains under resolution without a specified timeframe for complete recovery.