Morrisons customers say Christmas deliveries and discounts down

Morrisons has expressed regret following technical issues that impacted discounts and online delivery services throughout the UK.

Customers faced issues on Monday morning, as they couldn't use the discounts on their loyalty cards, and their Christmas deliveries were unexpectedly delayed.

Morrisons announced that they are looking into the problems experienced both in stores and online, but they haven't provided any details about what caused the disruption. According to the BBC, all stores had returned to regular operations by Monday evening.

To address the issues at the checkout counters, the supermarket chain has introduced some loyalty discounts for all shoppers.

It is setting the standard price for all customers at the same rate as the top 100 More Card prices, regardless of whether they are part of the loyalty program.

Additionally, more Card customers will receive a 10% discount on their entire purchase as a token of apology.

Morrisons announced that both measures will remain effective until the close of business on Tuesday.

Morrisons announced that customers who made purchases on Monday, prior to the introduction of the 10% discount, can return to the store to claim their discount.

The company has stated that certain home deliveries might be delayed, and customers who choose click and collect should wait for an email confirmation before heading to the stores.

However, several customers have informed the BBC that their online orders, which included their Christmas Day meals, have been completely canceled.

Some individuals have shared with the BBC that they have faced similar problems in the past, including over the weekend and during the past few months.

One customer mentioned that he lost out on approximately £20 worth of discounts.

"I tallied up my purchases while I was shopping, and the total was £70. With all the discounts and vouchers I had on my cards, I expected not to pay anything at the checkout," Steve Weatherby from Huddersfield shared with BBC News.

However, the final total came to £90. None of the discounts or deals available in the store, such as the 50p off offers, had been included.

"I had to make the payment since I was out buying groceries for our Christmas meal and other essentials."

He said, "The employees were feeling frustrated because they didn't know what was going on, and it's not their blame."

Another customer shared with the BBC that her online order was called off on Monday morning.

"I reserved it a long time ago, right when the Christmas delivery slots were first available," shared Moira Gray from Northumberland.

Confined to her home because of illness, she expressed that she was feeling quite anxious, especially since her order included turkey and trifle for Christmas Day.

"[Morrisons] mentioned that they were unable to help... They also stated that their systems were not working," she continued, adding that Morrisons provided a £10 voucher as a gesture of goodwill.

Another customer, Lorraine Calvo from Northumberland, had her delivery canceled in the morning. She stated that Morrisons informed her the cancellation was a result of an issue with their IT system.

"I checked my email at 8:30 AM and was somewhat surprised, as they had messaged me the night before to confirm the delivery," she explained to the BBC.

"I did all my grocery shopping for the week to prepare for Christmas, including food for my cat and other essentials."

After this story went live on the internet, Morrisons reached out to Ms. Gray and Ms. Calvo, assuring them that their orders would be delivered on Monday at no cost.

It also challenged the assertion that these cancellations were caused by the primary systems problem, informing the BBC that they were unrelated issues that were handled by customer service.

However, they mentioned in a statement: "Should there be any occasional cancellations, our team will reach out directly to address them."

Morrisons had been promoting significant price cuts in the lead-up to Christmas, featuring certain vegetables priced at just 10p.

"Tech problems are never convenient, but experiencing one on what is predicted to be the most hectic day of the year feels like a nightmare," comments retail expert Natalie Berg.

"This will continue to diminish customer confidence and affect profits."

Retail analysts at Kantar have forecasted that Monday would be the busiest shopping day for supermarkets this year.

For the first time, supermarket sales are anticipated to exceed £13 billion this December.

According to Kantar, Morrisons ranks as the fifth-largest supermarket chain in the UK, holding an 8.6% share of the grocery market during the 12-week period ending on December 1, 2024.

"Retailers are increasingly offering more discounts through their loyalty programs, and if customers are unable to take advantage of these offers, they may feel deceived," stated Ronan Hegarty, the news editor of the industry magazine The Grocer.

The Morrisons website experienced some downtime in the morning, displaying error messages on certain pages that indicated there were issues with the servers, either responding incorrectly or with delays.