Anyone using Ocado?
Apparently Ocado is the new kid one the block in online shopping. Ocado has developed software that can predict when you’ll need to replace household items and will add them to your order automatically.
I’ve been shopping exclusively online (for food and household items) since 2006 and have expressed its virtues before, but I just can’t decide if Ocado is the next step in efficiency or a ploy to have us purchase stuff we don’t need.
Who exactly will stand to gain most from this new software? Ocado co-founder Jason Gissing says in the Times “It should be like an order bought by your partner. It might not be exactly what you want , but it will be something you’d be happy to receive” Hmmm, when I send my partner to the shop he returns with cookies, donuts, bacon for sarnies and bottles of fizzy juice (on offer, of course) which is why I don’t send him, still not sure where the advantage is apart from making Ocado loads of money sending me stuff that I don’t need.
Jason goes on to say “we have got these clever propeller-heads who can work out what’s in your larder”, ah, well it all makes sense now, propeller heads, actually nope, still not getting it. So is there anyone out there that has used or is still using Ocado and can speak in plain English, who can explain Ocado in a way that doesn’t include talking about propeller heads.
What is Ocado? Why do I need it? Is it better than Tesco?
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Above is me with my beloved Ernie in Port Aventura and left with our love child in Florida.
Themocracy
The best thing about ocado is that they keep offering me £15 off vouchers and the food is waitrose – oh, and their vans are cheerful colours. Otherwise teskies is much cheaper …
um. i think what it means is that ocado has worked out a whizzy way to predict most of what you buy.
we did it last week and it got most of our shopping scarily right, but then we’ve been shopping with ocado for a year or so.
apparently, the instant shop/suggested order thing learns as it goes along, so it sort of calibrates itself, so the more you use it, the better it gets. or, so they say.
away from that, the service is usually faultless, and they now price match with tesco (and waitrose for fruit, veg, etc) so it’s pretty good value.
so, you don’t NEED it, but it saves us taking junior to the supermarket, and that’s worth a lot in itself.
DD – £15 off sounds good
P Withe – Hi, totally agree about not taking the littlies shopping, it’s why I started shopping online in the first place. Do they charge for delivery?
I use Ocado and pay a monthly delivery charge of £8 (I think) that means I can place orders as small as £40 and not pay any extra delivery.
I love waitrose but hate lugging loo rolls and nappies back on the buggy. This solves that problem for me.
Only thing I will say is watch out for use by dates (not on loo rolls) they have really improved on this mind. – Shows they listen, I suppose.
They do remind you when you have forgotten to buy chocolate – don’t know where I would be without them!
SM – £8 a month sounds ok.
Kat – Hadn’t considered that, starting to see the benefits now