Sainsbury’s is battling a major IT meltdown on one of the busiest shopping days of the week and has left customers fuming after suffering an ‘error with an overnight software update’ that has prevented the supermarket from being able to fulfil online orders or accept contactless payments at the tills.
Stores across the UK are battling a major ‘technical issue’ that has left customers ‘disappointed’ and forced to turn to rival Tesco to complete their Saturday shop.
Frustrated customers say they cannot pay at the tills, while company bosses admit the firm is ‘experiencing issues with contactless payments’ and also ‘will not be able to fulfil the vast majority of today’s Groceries Online deliveries’.
Sainsbury’s said the shops will ‘contact customers proactively to rebook orders’, but customers are complaining of long telephone hold queues.
Around noon today. the grocer said its online ordering system was functional again and that ‘customers can place a new order now for delivery any time from tomorrow’.
Some shoppers have slammed the shop for ‘wasting an hour of my time’ this morning because they only learned about the inability to pay during check out.
Sainsbury’s is unable to fulfil online orders or accept contactless payments at the tills this morning after the grocery chain was hit by an ‘error with an overnight software update’ (file photo of a Sainsbury’s store in Edinburgh)
An apparent security worker stands guard at the door of the Sainsbury’s store in Lyons Farm, Worthington this morning
Customers are seen outside the Sainsbury’s store in Lyons Farm, Worthington on Saturday, where the shop is only accepting cash. Some appear to be withdrawing cash from the ATM
A Sainsbury’s in London is instructing customers that tills are ‘cash only’ after having suffered from IT technical issues overnight
Sainsbury’s has said it is experiencing ‘technical issues’ at some stores meaning it will not be able to fulfil the ‘vast majority’ of online grocery deliveries. The supermarket chain said on Saturday morning it was ‘working hard to fix the issue’ and apologised to customers affected
By Oliver Price
Tesco customers have also faced cancelled food deliveries today.
The supermarket told MailOnline that that the some online orders had been cancelled due a ‘technical issue’.
A Tesco spokesperson said: ‘We are working to fix a technical issue which has meant we have had to cancel some online orders that were due for delivery today. We’re sorry for the inconvenience.’
Dozens of Tesco customers complained online that their orders were cancelled or delayed this morning.
Customer Denise Salman said on Twitter/X this morning: ‘@Tesco thanks for cancelling my home delivery tonight with no proper notice.
‘On my way home from Gatwick Airport and not looking forward to going food shopping. I placed the order over a week ago so very shabby customer service!! Not happy!!’
Tesco outages reported on Downdetector
Another customer Claire Graham, said her order had been cancelled too, replying to Denise with: ‘Cancelled too – birthday party ruined… no food. No time to get food.
‘@Tesco just says “sorry”… not good enough.’
Another Tesco shopper, Mandy Friend said her click and collect order was cancelled this morning.
She said: ‘My Tesco click and collect just got cancelled. Poor lady who phoned me was very frazzled and not looking forward to phoning lots of angry customers!’
Reports on Downdetector indicate a peak of around 130 outages at Tesco at around 11am this morning.
It is understood that a small proportion of Tesco deliveries due today have affected.
Customers whose orders have been impacted will received an email to notify them and will not be charged.
Sainsbury’s says all its stores are ‘open as usual today’, but are operating with some limitations.
The grocer said chip and pin and cash transactions were working, but it is having issues with contactless and mobile payments, a spokesperson told MailOnline.
‘Due to an error with an overnight software update, we are experiencing issues with contactless payments. All of our stores are open as usual today, accepting chip and pin and cash payments,’ the spokesperson said in a statement.
‘Unfortunately, this also means we will not be able to deliver the vast majority of today’s Groceries Online orders and we are currently unable to contact customers directly, but will contact them as soon as we can to rebook orders.
‘We apologise to customers for the inconvenience and are working hard to fix the issue.’
A manager who was wandering around the supermarket’s Cromwell Road, west London location told MailOnline: ‘We’re the only Sainsbury’s store open round here at the moment.’
The Argos inside the Cromwell Road Sainsbury’s has temporarily shut its doors today, with a sign on the door attributing the closure to a ‘technical issue’.
A Sainsbury’s Bank cash machine at a store in London has run out of cash as customers were forced to make withdraws to pay for their shopping.
Customers are also facing long queues at the tills as they try to check out using only chip, pin or cash payments today.
The supermarket, replying a X user who asked about refunds, said ‘no orders will be going out today’ and that ‘once the systems are fixed, your order will be cancelled’.
One social media user questioned if customer personal data has been impacted by the technical outage. But the company reassured that shoppers’ ‘details will still be safe and secure even with the issues going on’.
Sainsbury’s, in another tweet, apologised to a customer for the ‘inconvenience’ caused by the delay in their delivery.
While the company has not indicated when the issue will be resolved, they told the shopper: ‘We’re working hard to fix the issue ASAP. Please place a new order online from the current available slots.’
Despite the supermarket ‘working hard to fix the issue’, customers are furious that their weekend grocery shop is unable to be completed as normal.
Stephen Page walked down to his local Sainsbury’s in Guilford this morning to complete his Saturday shop after learning about the IT issues impacting ‘online deliveries’.
At this point, he claims, it wasn’t clear that card payments had been impacted by the tech meltdown.
‘After choosing my items from my shopping list, like many others, [I] queued to be served as all the tills were dead,’ Mr Page told MailOnline.
‘However, when I was finally served I was told that they were accepting cash only.’
Shoppers queue for the cash machine outside the Sainsbury’s in Lyons Farm, Worthington
The Argos inside the Cromwell Road, west London Sainsbury’s has temporarily shut its doors today, with a sign on the door attributing the closure to a ‘technical issue’
There are long queues at Sainsbury’s in Wandsworth, south London today as shoppers struggle to pay for their groceries due to technical difficulties
A Sainsbury’s Bank cash machine in London runs out of cash as the supermarket is suffering from IT technical issues
The ShopSmart handsets at a Sainsbury’s in Wandsworth, south London appear to be inoperable today as they all display the message ‘no internet connection’
He said he went outside to use the supermarket’s STM, but it was ‘also dysfunctional’. Mr Page added: ‘I returned to the counter the Sainsbury’s employee already knew that the ATM was not working but had failed to tell me.’
He then took a five-metre walk to the nearest ATM, withdrew cash, returned to Sainsbury’s ‘queued up and collected my shopping’, he said.
The shopper reiterated that he is not frustrated with store staff, but how Sainsbury’s management has handled the situation.
He argues the company is putting ‘their interests’ first and how the IT failure ‘impacts them commercially, as opposed to the interest of their customers’.
One shopper took to X to complain about their experience with the store’s online ordering system. They wrote: ‘Delivery expected between 8am-9am. No communication what so ever!!! Can’t get through Sainsbury’s by phone or messenger? Extremely poor service.’
Another customer echoed: ‘Why would I bother rebooking a delivery with food meant for this weekend on Monday?
‘I’m popping out to a different supermarket instead and will be cancelling the monthly delivery fee with you, I think the online shopping experience with Sainsbury’s not worth the hassle.’
Frustrated customers say they cannot pay at the tills and are ‘disappointed’ that they will not be receiving their online delivery orders. Others have claimed they are now forced to turn to rival Tesco to complete their Saturday shop
Another joked: ‘Good job I ordered this mornings delivery from Tesco then, eh?’
Some shoppers have complained that Sainsbury’s is providing ‘mixed messages’ to customers about their online orders.
‘Are any orders going out? I should have had a delivery yesterday but the driver had an accident so was rebooked for today,’ one claimed.
‘Your tweet said “vast majority” but your other tweet said all orders will be cancelled, so sending out mixed messages.’
Another shopper detailed their alleged ‘awful experience’ at the supermarket’s location in the London suburb of North Finchley this morning and even accused the grocer of being ‘happy to let old people starve’.
The customer said they were doing a £13 shop on behalf of a 92-year-old woman this morning when they were impacted by the outage.
‘Couldn’t pay by her contactless card and told to cross street and get cash out. Don’t know her PIN number so couldn’t do that,’ the shopper said. ‘Offered to come back later and pay but told that’s not acceptable. Happy to let old people starve.’
There are long queues at the Sainsbury’s in Wandsworth today as customers only can pay by cash as overnight software update is affecting contactless payments and are unable to deliver the online orders
Shoppers are struggling to pay at the tills at a Sainsbury’s in Wandsworth, south London today
However, some shoppers have taken a bit more of a lighthearted response to the inconvenience.
‘With the M25 closure chaos this weekend and now the Sainsbury’s tech issue looks like my shopping delivery isn’t going to arrive today,’ one said. ‘First world problems. We may have to resort to the pub for dinner.’
‘Boy and Girls, in the world of technology, things break, nobody is immune,’ another said, advocating for the supermarket.
‘Sainsbury’s are clearly in a situation where if they had the systems working to answer your questions, they would be able to deliver your orders. Show some support x.’
