Sainsbury's hit by major tech failure with thousands of customers' orders impacted

Online shoppers have been left without their orders

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Solen Le Net

By Solen Le Net


Published: 16/03/2024

- 09:34

Updated: 16/03/2024

- 10:34

The supermarket said it will be unable to fulfil the 'vast majority of today's Groceries Online deliveries'

Sainsbury's shoppers have been left perplexed after the supermarket giant was hit with a wave of technical complications, causing chaos with online orders.

A “vast majority” of online shoppers have been left without their orders after Sainsbury's said it was “experiencing some technical issues” affecting various stores.


Shoppers have also claimed they are struggling to pay for their goods at tills, with some complaining that their local stores are closed.

Sainsbury’s said in a statement: “We're experiencing technical issues affecting some stores, our Groceries Online service and our ability to contact customers. Unfortunately, we will not be able to fulfil the vast majority of today's Groceries Online deliveries.

Sainsbury's

Sainsbury's shoppers have been left without their orders

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“We are working hard to fix the issue and apologise to our customers for the inconvenience. We will contact customers proactively to rebook orders as soon as we can.”

One customer enquired about getting a refund for their shopping, claiming they would no longer need it if it arrived late.

They asked: "Will we be able to return the items we no longer need (as they were needed for this weekend) and get a refund because we've had to go and re-buy them elsewhere? A pretty big chunk of my shopping was for events this weekend."

A spokesperson for Sainsbury’s responded that the shopper’s order would be “cancelled” while adding that “no orders” would be delivered today.

They stated: "No orders will be going out today and once the systems are fixed, your order will be cancelled. Please place a new order from Monday onwards."

Others have requested further information about the technical problems. One person wrote: "Can someone please tell me what is happening with my order and delivery! waiting on baby formula with this order!"

One shopper complained: “Well thanks Sainsbury's. What a disappointment. sat here like a plum since 6.55 and just seen this. I'll be off to @Tesco in that case.”

Another person wrote: "Eerily quiet at my local Sainsbury's this morning where a ‘technical issue’ means it’s cash only at the tills. This car park would normally be rammed on a Saturday."

The supermarket’s X page has also been inundated with complaints from customers experiencing technical issues at tills, with some saying they were only able to pay by cash.

A faulty update with Sainsbury’s software is believed to be the cause of the technical issues, a spokesperson told GB News.

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Man shopping in Sainsbury's

Shoppers claim they have had to pay at till with cash

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They said: ''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.

“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.''

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