Storm Eunice has disrupted grocery deliveries across the UK with Tesco coming under fire as Getir, Gorillas and Deliveroo pause operations as a result of the Met Office’s red warning.
“At Getir, the safety and wellbeing of our employees come first, and we will continue to assess the situation and follow the latest guidance before resuming operations,” said Getir’s regional general manager Turancan Salur.
“We apologise to customers for any inconvenience caused by this momentary pause and look forward to resuming operations once it is safe to do so. All couriers, and other employees affected by closing for the storm, will continue to receive their full pay.’
The news comes hours after the delivery service announced it is creating 4,000 new jobs as it doubles size in the UK this year.
READ MORE: Getir creates 4,000 new jobs as it doubles UK size
A Deliveroo spokesperson told Grocery Gazette that its service is not available in London, the South East, Wales and the South West at the moment, in the “interest of keeping riders safe”, during the red weather warning and adverse conditions.
It said: “We will continue to monitor the situation and remain in close contact with our partners and riders to let them know when we plan to reopen these areas.”
The announcement comes as Tesco has come under fire from angry social media users after having their deliveries cancelled due to the storm, without any warning by the Big 4 grocer.
One user tweeted: “Waiting in for 10-11am delivery slot. 11am email advising order is cancelled?!? WTF!??! What’s going on??? If deliveries aren’t happening ADVANCE notice would be useful”
@Tesco waiting in for 10-11am delivery slot. 11am email advising order is cancelled?!? WTF!??! What’s going on??? If deliveries aren’t happening ADVANCE notice would be useful (and polite)… 🤷🏻♂️
— Alan Riches 💙 (@ariches68) February 18, 2022
Another added that their delivery was “cancelled without any notification” and after their one-hour window, money was refunded.
@Tesco delivery cancelled without any notification and after my one-hour window and money refunded (in 3-5 working days). Customer Service 0/10
— Diana (@TheDiege) February 18, 2022
Another added: “Absolute piss take from Tesco today. Take my cash at 7am for a 9am delivery then don’t turn up. Cancel it without even calling me to tell me. Will take 5 days to get my cash back. Absolutely raging.”
Meanwhile, Sainsbury’s told Grocery Gazette that it is “not experiencing any major disruption” but insists that “safety is our highest priority” and says it is “monitoring the situation closely”.
As a result of the storm, grocery delivery app Gorillas told Grocery Gazette that it has closed all the UK warehouses until 4PM today when “the wind is due to calm down”.
A spokesperson told us: “All scheduled riders will of course receive their hourly wage until the end of their regular shift. The safety of our teams, especially the riders, is our top priority at all times and although we equip all riders with the latest protective gear and functional clothing, we didn’t feel comfortable keeping warehouses open following the Met Office Red Weather warnings.”
However, despite its riders being provided with the latest protective gear, including thick winter jackets, rain jackets and trousers, gloves and rain boots, helmets, goggles, neck warmers and mobile phone holders, and being trained on how to behave safely on the road in all weather conditions, Gorillas said once the Met Office announced the weather warnings, “we decided to close all warehouses in the UK to make sure we’re prioritising our riders’ safety”.
Grocery Gazette has contacted Tesco for comment.
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1 Comment. Leave new
Deliveries could have perhaps been delayed and of course we would understand, although I cannot knock Tesco for duty of care to their amazing drivers. Since receiving cancellation notice I had 5 texts from them telling me my delivery was between 1 and 2! Confused.com. Since 2020 I’ve had deliveries from Tesco every week and not been inside a supermarket. Fortunately unlike some other Supermarkets Tesco have not removed priority slots, but we have to wait until Sunday for one.