Tesco, the UK's largest supermarket chain, was hit by a major technical failure that brought its online shopping service to a standstill. Thousands of frustrated customers across the country found themselves unable to access their digital baskets, complete orders, or manage existing deliveries.
The outage began in the morning and persisted for several hours, creating chaos for those relying on scheduled grocery deliveries. Social media platforms, particularly X (formerly Twitter), were flooded with complaints from shoppers unable to finalise their purchases or even log into their accounts.
Customer Frustration Boils Over
Many users reported seeing error messages instead of their full shopping carts, while others were unable to proceed to checkout. The timing proved particularly inconvenient for customers with booked delivery slots, who faced uncertainty about whether their orders would be fulfilled.
One customer tweeted: 'Absolutely fuming! My Tesco order has vanished right before delivery. How am I supposed to feed my family now?' Another wrote: 'Tesco website down completely. Had a full basket ready to checkout and now it's all gone. Not happy!'
Tesco's Response
Tesco acknowledged the issues through its customer service Twitter account, responding to numerous complaints with a standard message: 'We're aware that some customers are having issues with our website and are working hard to fix this. Thanks for your patience.'
The supermarket giant later confirmed that the technical problems had been resolved and the website was functioning normally again. However, they did not specify the exact cause of the outage or how many customers were affected by the service disruption.
This incident highlights the growing dependence on online grocery services and the significant disruption caused when major retail platforms experience technical difficulties. For many, particularly those with mobility issues or caring responsibilities, reliable online shopping services have become an essential lifeline.
