Click and collect: can it save you money?

Supermarkets like Tesco, Asda and Waitrose are spending money to make 'click and collect' services easier. But is it worth switching from home delivery?

Online grocery shopping is big business and set to more than double to £11.4 billion by 2016, compared with £5.1 billion just two years ago, according to the Institute of Grocery Distribution. 

Right now you can do your food shopping online with Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Waitrose which all offer home delivery, as does Ocado.  But if you don’t want to pay for delivery and wait in for up to two hours, then you can ‘click and collect’ your supplies at Tesco, Asda or Waitrose. 

Sainsbury’s currently only offers ‘click and collect’ on ‘non food’ items; a service retailers like Tesco and Asda offer in addition to food collection.

But is it worth it?

How does ‘click and collect’ work?

You still load up your trolley online but instead of opting for home delivery choose the ‘click and collect’ option to arrange a day and time for collection.

But even with ‘click and collect’ you may have to pay for the privilege, commit to a fixed timeslot, find a place to park if you’ve got to go into the store, and take along ID to prove you’re collecting the right shopping order. 

Depending on the store you use and the day and time of collection, you can save up to around £5 a time. But as not all stores offer a collection option, you could find you’re having to drive some distance to a store hub rather than popping into your local outlet.

How do those ‘click and collect’ services stack up?

Tesco

Click and collect is available on food at 150 locations, with plans to increase to 300 over the next year.

Unlike its competitors it’s not a free service and costs £2-£3 with collection available seven days a week. Orders must be booked and checked out online by 11.45pm for next day collection.

As with home delivery you need to commit to a two-hour timeslot which you choose on booking. Collection is done via a drive through ‘pod’ in the store car park, although there are some locations where customers will need to collect in store.

Home delivery costs from £3 for a midweek timeslot. While Tesco claims you’ll never pay more for the ‘equivalent’ delivery slot compared to clikc and collect, depending on when you choose to collect your shopping you can still pay up to £3 a time.

Waitrose

Click and collect is free and available in 157 branches where you collect your bags from the in-store customer service desk during branch opening hours.  

Two-hour timeslots must be pre-booked online and orders can be updated until 11.45pm the night before collection.

Waitrose is currently trialling a ‘drive through’ service in Cheltenham with further outlets planned. And it’s also trialling remote temperature controlled lockers for a potential national rollout. The idea here would be that post ordering, customers get a text with a PIN code which can be used to access the locker and collect shopping.

Asda

Free next day collection service from 177 locations including Asda stores, petrol stations and ‘Asda Living’ locations with plans to increase this to 250 by the end of the year. This is also a two-hour timeslot arrangement which can be updated until 11pm the night before collection.

Is it really convenient?

While fixing a home delivery may be easy enough, depending on where you live ‘click and collect’ can prove time consuming.

While I can easily order an Asda home delivery, my nearest store doesn’t offer collection. That means I’d face a 20 mile round trip to another store for grocery pick up which could take around an hour.   

Store collection times can naturally be more restrictive than home delivery. Ordering a home delivery with Asda means I choose from 10am–10pm on a Sunday, yet store collection is only available from 10am–4pm.

And while my nearest Tesco collection point is just six miles away, with opening hours of 8am–8pm and 10am–4pm on Sundays,  if I opt for home delivery I can choose from slots from 8am–11pm. 

Does it save money?

This all depends on when you want your shopping. 

Weekend deliveries with Tesco can cost £6 a time, and £3 midweek. But using its 'click and collect' service can also cost you up to £3, which can mean zero savings or even coming home out of pocket thanks to petrol costs.

As it's only the bigger versions of the supermarkets that offer this service, depending on where you live you could face a trek to collect, unless you can time collection for your way home from work or on the school run as you pass the store.

Several supermarket chains now promote discounted ‘delivery passes’ which can also mean even those free click and collect services just aren’t worth the effort. Read Asda launches pay-monthly delivery pass.

What form of ID do I need for collection?

In most cases you’ll need to produce your order number or payment card, though Tesco says your Clubcard is proof enough. Without any form of photo ID you may be unable to collect your shopping depending on the store and location.

More on food:

Asda launches pay-monthly delivery pass

How to slash your supermarket delivery costs

Quidco's ClickSnap supermarket shopping tool reviewed

Top Cashback's Snap & Save supermarket shopping tool reviewed