Morrisons has issued an apology after a series of system failures left customers unable to redeem discounts on their loyalty cards and caused last-minute cancellations of Christmas food deliveries. The supermarket, which had been promoting heavily discounted holiday essentials through its More Card loyalty scheme, faced widespread criticism as shoppers reported disruptions both online and in-store.
The issues come at a critical time, as today is projected to be the busiest shopping day of the year for UK supermarkets. Retail analysts predict December grocery sales will surpass £13 billion for the first time.
Morrisons assured customers that it is investigating the problems, adding that as an apology, More Card members will receive an extra 10% discount on their purchases today and Tuesday. Despite this gesture, frustration remains high, with many shoppers left scrambling to replace essential holiday items.
One Northumberland customer, Moira Redhead, expressed her distress after her online order, which included a turkey and trifle for Christmas Day, was abruptly cancelled. Housebound due to illness and awaiting a medication delivery, she described the experience as really stressful, adding that Morrisons only offered her a £10 goodwill voucher.
Another shopper, Steve Weatherby from Huddersfield, recounted his frustration after realizing none of his discounts had been applied at checkout. I had to pay £90 instead of £70 as expected. The staff were getting upset, and it’s not their fault, he said.
Social media users also voiced their dissatisfaction, sharing images of error messages at self-checkouts and reporting issues with the Morrisons website, which was temporarily down earlier in the day.
Retail analysts say the timing of the technical glitch couldn’t be worse. For this to happen on what is expected to be the busiest day of the year is the stuff of nightmares, said Natalie Berg, a retail expert. She added that such failures could erode customer trust and impact profitability during an already challenging holiday season.
Morrisons, the UK’s fifth-largest supermarket with 8.6% of the grocery market, had heavily promoted discounts, including vegetables for as low as 10p. The failure to deliver on these offers has left many shoppers feeling “cheated,” according to Ronan Hegarty, news editor of The Grocer.
With competition fierce in the grocery sector and supermarkets increasingly relying on loyalty card schemes to attract shoppers, the mishap may prompt customers to reconsider their choice of retailer. While Morrisons works to resolve the technical issues, the fallout from the disruptions underscores the high stakes of retail operations during the holiday season.