Why supermarket deliveries get turned away, and how to avoid it

If you supply supermarkets, you already know the receiving bay has its own rules. When a delivery is turned away, you pay for the trip twice and the shelf stays empty for another day. After running a lot of these deliveries, we've found the reasons tend to be the same few.

Arriving outside the receiving window

Most stores only receive stock at set times. If the truck arrives an hour late, it may wait until the next slot or be sent away. We plan routes backwards from each store's window, not forwards from when the truck leaves the depot.

Paperwork that doesn't match

If the delivery note, the order and the goods on the truck don't agree, the store will query it, and sometimes refuse it. Checking all three before the truck leaves takes a few minutes and saves hours.

Short-dated or damaged stock

Stores check expiry dates and packaging. Stock that's close to its date or has crushed cartons gets rejected. Careful loading and first-in, first-out picking at the depot prevent most of it.

Nobody knows what happened

When a store rejects part of a delivery, the supplier often finds out days later. That's why we record every drop digitally. You see straight away what was accepted, what came back and why, so you can fix it before the next delivery.

If rejected deliveries are costing you money, talk to us. We'll look at your routes with you.