u/SeniorMoonlight21

Hey folks, starting st sainsburys soon as a driver and just had a few questions. Worked at a few other supermarkets before and was working at Ocado until last week, so not new to this work.

Main questions are

1. how long do you get to complete checks before going out on route? Always found in other work places it was like 10 mins which is a bit tight. Probably will come in 15 mins early to give a bit of breathing room even though its unpaid.

2. if you are running early, are you allowed to deliver early to a customer with their permission? Is there a time range? For example, at Asda it was no more than 15 mins, ocado was 1 hour early.

3. how are the managers if you end up running late while out on route? Not something that stresses me to much. Shit happens and id obviously inform customers/store and finish all the drops, but could do without a little Gaddafi back at store hounding me about it. Guess it probably varies between store?

4. How many drops is average per shift?

Just got a job with a company as a home delivery driver and its been good so far. Still training and was issued uniform last week. Everything is good apart from the trousers. The trousers they use are a cargo/work style which is fine but its 65% polyester 35% cotton. It feels absolutely fucking awful. Its scratchy on my skin, my legs feel hot and its so tight and stiff. It just feels alien. While my other own bought cargos are 98% cotton and they feel perfect. I have not had a fabric sensitivity issue like this since I was a kid when I'd rip all the labels out of my underwear lmao.

Does anyone else struggle with polyester clothes?

I have just bought a pair of cargo in a similar colour to the issued trousers just slightly lighter. I don't think anyone will notice but if they do I will mention autism and material hypersensitivity issues I have with the issues trousers. I just worry about rocking the boat since this is the best company I have worked for so far and I do not want to fuck it up.

Looking for good bakeries in the city. I tried BEK sourdough earlier today since I know its fairly popular but I was not very impressed, enough so that I won't be back again. Got a piece of the sourdough focaccia which was hard, chewy and not like focaccia at all, also was labelled incorrectly. Also got a jam donut which had hardly any jam and was more in texture of a bread roll with sugar on the top, genuinely had better donuts from supermarket bakeries.

There was one called wonderbakes that did nice cakes/cookies/etc but I believe they are closed down now.

Looking for a good place I can get some work trousers taken up, ideally by next weekend if I drop them off tomorrow. The only place I know is Sew Quick in Asda in town since the guy that runs it has been there years since I was a kid. Are there any other good suggestions?

Hey folks,

Am currently registered with an NHS dentist, but not entirely happy with them so wondering if there any any other practices taking on NHS patients at the moment

I want to make clear that the issue with Asda home delivery isn't the driving itself, that was the part I actually enjoyed. The frustration comes from everything around the driving: unrealistic timings, poor equipment, operational issues and systems that make the job harder than it needs to be. I’m not new to vans, supermarket deliveries or multi-drop work, and this has been the most frustrating delivery operation I’ve worked in.

Departure times are extremely tight. At my store, there isn't much time between starting your shift and being expected to leave the yard. That might be manageable if everything ran smoothly, but it doesn't.

The loading equipment is worn out, with dollies and rollers that don't track properly, making it harder to move stacked totes safely..On top of that, vans often aren't ready when drivers arrive, so even turning up early doesn't necessarily help because you're waiting for vehicles to have a PDC done. Don’t get me started on the big brains that stack the orders from back totes on the bottom and front on the top, more time you have to spend fucking about to sort that out instead of being able to just load the van easily.

The Microlise/Palm navigation system has been the biggest frustration.

I've had it tell me I've arrived when I'm nowhere near the address, struggle badly on new-build estates, and on one occasion it routed me several miles up the motorway only to bring me back to the same roundabout I could have reached directly. The customer call function has also been unreliable at times.

I ended up using my own phone with Waze alongside it because I found it more dependable. Often the ones in my store do not have working sim cards either. I refuse to use my own phone to ring customers which cause more grief from them when I arrive late. 

When loading delays and navigation issues combine, you're often trying to recover lost time that wasn't your fault.

As you all know, drivers aren't supposed to deliver more than 15 minutes before the start of a customer's slot, so if you do manage to get ahead, there's limited opportunity to build a buffer for later in the route. I have heard there are ways to put this through on the microlise early and it not flag up, but nobody has shown me how to do that. 

It is shocking that drivers are on the exact same basic hourly rate as in-store colleagues (minimum wage), despite the additional responsibilities of driving, vehicle checks, road safety and manual handling as well as being trusted to enter customers' homes, many of which are vulnerable. 

This is only my experience at one store, so I can't say every Asda operates this way. Perhaps I am just unluckily and got a bad store/catchment area. I've decided to move on after about a month to a much more organized company. Still grocery home delivery but better systems, vans loaded for you and better pay including paid breaks and still paid to the end of the shift when you are done. I have a lot of respect for the drivers who stay because, at least in my experience, they put up with a lot of unnecessary operational frustration.

Given the issues I experienced, it’s no surprise that Asda appears to struggle with driver retention. The actual role is not the problem. The driving and customer interaction can be enjoyable but the way the operation is set up creates avoidable pressure.

Had 45ish minutes the other day to clock in, walk across store, collect paperwork/keys, do my van check, drive it round to the yard, and then load the van. To me that felt quite tight and although I was able to get it done and leave a few minutes early, it was one of those shifts where I couldn't build time and was just trying to catch up all day. Have had even shorter times before where they expect the van to leave within 30 mins of me starting.

How long do you like having to do all of this before leaving store?

Just wondering as I joined the company last month and can't find the details anywhere on workday about when the pay date is and when cut off dates are.

Have an eye issue that flares up off and on and has just started a flare up. Have been at Asda for a few weeks as a home delivery driver. Likely going to have to call in sick at the weekend as I can't drive or work properly and it worsens when I am outside. I do have an appointment with both the optician and Dr over the next two weeks though.

Will they just get rid of me since I am pretty early into the job?
Also, whats the best way to report it? Do I just phone the online/home shopping manager or is there a dedicated absence reporting line?

A few weeks into my role as a driver and just was wondering how it works with drivers taking out new drivers on their buddy runs. Does a driver have to sign up to be a trainer/buddy/etc? or is it a case where they do not have a say and just told by the manager they are taking out a new start? If it is a choice, are there any benefits like slightly higher pay for doing so?

Hey folks,

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Posted a little while ago asking some questions about how the job works since I have a new job as a home delivery driver. Just finished all my buddy runs recently and stuff like using the PDAs and loading the van is no bother. Quite enjoying the job apart from some other members of staff lmao

When I done my buddy runs they all ended up being all day runs though. I understand that asda also do split runs where you come back to store and reload.

My main question is, do you have to take your break in store when on a split? Break wise I prefer just taking it on the side of the road somewhere. So id much prefer to just come back to store when finished the first run, and if my next load is ready get it loaded up and get back out again then just park up somewhere and take my break as normal.

What I find a little annoying is I am having people tell me different things. Like 4 different mentors on the buddy runs and they all say 4 different things about everything lmao. One guy did say when he does splits he just loads as soon as he's back and goes back out again

Tbh dont want to moan but its a little frustrating. Feels like asda ignore stuff when it suits them and expect you to do stuff that breaks their own policies, then other days they are moaning for doing stuff that was acceptable the day before.

I know you do have to be careful about driving time in regards to breaks since IIRC this type of driving comes under GB domestic rules.

Seen him about doing it for a few years, often in Shirley and town but seen him elsewhere as well. He is often in really short skirts and wearing reveling tops, sometimes wears different fancy-ish headwear as well. He is middle age/50s. Sometimes has glasses and leggings on as well. Always make me pause for a second when I see him lol.

Not looking to use the post to attack or make fun of him, just like knowing about the more eccentric side of the city. From what I have seen he seems pretty chilled out and relaxed.

Went in for my induction today and had my first buddy run (just a few drops in about 2 hours). Was okay but tbh a few things I don't like such as the loading system, PDAs. Also really dislike not at all being able to deliver more than 15 minutes early even if the customer is in and would accept it. Driver I was with said you have to be really careful parking up round the corner to wait as well since it could automatically trigger you are early on the system and get pulled into the office when you are back at store. Also can't park up if you finish a run early instead of going straight back to store since they will sack you for it.

Enough of me moaning though, I'll at least get the buddy runs done and then a few normal shifts complete to see how the job is when I am doing it properly. I have done the home delivery before with morrisons so I know the general gist of what the job entails and what to expect, but I was just wondering if there are any asda specific tips to make the job go smoother?

https://x.com/i/status/2061551513856577642

Yes I know the person posting it isn't a great account to repost, but you can not view the video from the daily echo unless you are a subscriber and this is the only other person I found reposting it.

Hey folks,

Just passed my HGV theory tests, looking at getting my practical course booked now. I just wanted to ask about tramping work patterns.

I have always liked the idea of tramping, however since I need semi regular blood tests as I take warfarin, doing Monday to Friday is out of the question for me as I am not able to get these blood tests during the weekend.

As a new driver would it be easy enough to find alternate shift patterns where I would have a day or two of during the week but still be out for 4 to 5 days? I am quite lucky I live near a major port/logistical hub (southampton), so I figure I'd have more luck, but I just thought I'd ask here since I hate the thought of spending money on getting the license to find I cant get a suitable job.

Hey folks, bought the game yesterday and am having a lot of fun. Restarted a few times only a day in but now on my actually play through I am at day 3. So far I have just spent the time farming village for weapons/ammo/food/drinks so I have a decent little stockpile. Is this a good starting tactic or should I be moving to other maps sooner?

I plan to go to school next time I play.

How do you guys usually like to do things when you start?

Hey folks,

Life long warfarin user here due to APS. I have always wanted to learn to ride motorcycles. More specifically, the cruiser type not sport style bikes. Obviously more risk while riding on thinners but I am a young man and need to live my life, ill just ride more cautiously and wear more PPE.

Was just wondering if anyone here rides motorcycles while on blood thinners, espeically warfarin? How do you manage the risks?

That being said, before I think about motorbikes I need to relearn a standard bicycle, never really got around to learning as a kid. So any safety tips here would be appreciated as well

Tried some of the new M&S food ranges recently released and to be completely honest I am quite surprised with how bad/average they are.

First I was really excited about the burritos since burritos are one of my fave foods. One of my favorite things to eat is a M&S chicken fajita wrap air fried for about 10 minutes at 180 so I was super excited to see products more like this when I heard about the burritos. Never had an issue with the chicken fajita wraps (apart from a hard piece of plastic one time which they refunded me the wrap and gave me a voucher)

I tried all three and tbh the only one I would really rate and get again was the smoky halloumi one which was by far the nicest and most flavourful out of the three

The beef one had a nice flavour (sauce, rice and cheese) but it did not have a lot of beef imo. The beef was the worst part of it and the beef itself didnt have a great taste. I also found it very tough and stringy and when eating parts that had beef I found that this made the burrito have an odd texture in the mouth. It would have been better if it was a minced form of beef instead of pulled beef IMO which is more typical used in burritos. The cheesy meatball wrap was alright I suppose, but nothing really stood out and its not something I would feel the need to buy again despite loving meatball wraps/subs.

I was quite excited to try the detroit style pizza as well since I love this type of pizza. I got the cool marg one. Total crap. Base was like eating a cake and had no structure and wasn't crispy. Yes detroit style should be lighter and pillowy, but the base should still be nice and crispy. IMO the packaging was badly designed, when I took the pizza out of the packaging a lot of those lines of sauce/lemon mascarpone cheese just stuck to the plastic. Joke charging £7.50. Charging premium supermarket pizza prices for a subpar product when you could get a good premium supermarket/frozen pizza for a fiver at most.

Also tried the new custard cream doughnut. What a let down. Tasted nothing like custard cream and just tasted like a slightly stale bog standard doughnut. Going back I also found their easter selection this year pretty bad with that filled pistachio egg that was just overly sweet with no flavor. When they brought out the filled cookies and doughnuts in the bakery I also feel they were pretty disappointing and dry as well.

It makes me thing wtf are they doing in terms of product testing because I have seen similar opinions all over social media and talking to people IRL. Really seems now that all they are looking to do is make stunt food and food products that will go viral first with artsy looking packaging instead of actually focusing on the flavor and quality. Almost like they can really bring anything out and people will buy it since "its M&S so it must be decent" which doesn't seem to be the case like it was before.