Chaos at Sainbury's in Sixfields as Northampton shoppers face missed deliveries, abandoned trolleys and empty cash machines

Shoppers at Sainsbury’s in Sixfields experience chaos, missed deliveries, abandoned trolleys, empty cash machines and more over the weekend.

Customers were left unable to pay for shopping and petrol, and many had deliveries cancelled on Saturday (March 16) after the national chain became the latest to experience widespread technical issues.

The supermarket giant was said to have not been able to contact customers about their deliveries on Saturday due to the issues. Shoppers also reported extreme stress levels for in-store employee.

What happened?

On Saturday, Sainsbury’s posted on Facebook: “Due to an error with an overnight software update, we are experiencing issues with contactless payments and will not be able to deliver the vast majority of today's Groceries Online orders. Our stores are open as usual, accepting chip and pin and cash payments.

"We are unable to contact customers directly but our online ordering system is working as normal and customers can place a new order now for delivery any time from tomorrow. We apologise to customers for the inconvenience and are working hard to fix the issue.”

This was followed up by a further post just after 6pm on Saturday confirming contactless payments were back up and running.

Sainsbury’s CEO Simon Roberts then made a statement on Sunday (March 17) apologising for the issues.

The statement said: “I’m writing to update you on the technical issue that has affected our Groceries Online deliveries and some services in our stores this weekend.

"Firstly, I want to apologise to you and every customer that has been affected by the issue and to thank you for your patience and for bearing with us. I really understand how important it is for everyone to be able to shop with us conveniently and easily, whenever and however you want to, and I am sorry if you have not received your usual service from Sainsbury’s this weekend.

"I am pleased to confirm that all the affected systems are now back online. Our stores continue to be open as usual and in-store payment services, including contactless, are fully operational.

"Our online ordering system is still working as normal and any customers whose Groceries Online order was not delivered can place a new order now for a delivery any time from tomorrow. We will automatically add a voucher to your online wallet in the next few days to apologise for the inconvenience.

"Our contact centre teams are working very hard to do everything they can to help customers who have been affected by the issue and need further assistance. Thank you for bearing with us while we work to answer any specific questions you may have as soon as possible.

"I would also like to thank all our colleagues who have worked so hard to resolve this issue and support our customers. I’m proud of the way all our team have stepped up to manage the unexpected challenges that we know so many of our customers have experienced this weekend.

"On behalf of everyone here at Sainsbury’s, thank you for your patience and understanding and, as always, thank you for choosing to shop with us.”

No further issues have been reported since.