Give me a simple text-based shopping list!
Have just been forced off the old SmartShop app with its lovely simple shopping list feature onto the Sainsbury’s app and its “smart list”. No, I am not old, I work in IT and use AI technology for work, but for god’s sake, just give me the old simple list in the old app, or at least an option to use a simple list rather than the smart list. I don’t want to have to select every single veg I may or may not buy on a day. I just want “vegetables” generic which I’ll choose when I get there. I will choose my cheese when I get there. I will choose my pie and my pizza and my flour when I get there. Please just give me a feature like the old lists where I can put “Cereal, eggs, frozen stuff, tea bags” as an aide memoire to be ticked off as I pick them up and saved to select and use again the next week. I don’t want a screen full of pictures. I just want a screen with my generic items list on it.
Excuse me, I’m off to write a paper shopping list.
Excuse me, I’m off to write a paper shopping list.
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New smartshop intergration to sainsburys main app slower than old standalone app.
Moving smartshop from its own standalone app has now made it much harder to use smartshop functions. After it forced me to switch I was stood in the store trying to work out where to access smartshop as it wasn’t immediately apparent until i swiped left on the shopping / delivery options which then brought the self scan option into view. My main gripe is how much slower my shopping experience was due to my phone camera not being able to focus properly on the barcodes (something that wasn’t a problem in the old standalone smartshop app). Then the camera stays open draining my battery unless you manually click back onto the basket. It felt like more buttons to press for basic functionality and the new interface seems clunky and poorly thought out. If wifi drops out (which my local Sainsburys has dead spots in) it causes some confusion as to whether the item has scanned or not. Finally, I found getting to the new smartshop option a sensory overload with so much information on the landing page. To be honest its put me off using it. It definitely doesn’t feel like an improvement.
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Response from developer
Hi, thanks for your review and sorry to hear of your experience using the Sainsbury’s app. I will share this feedback with the relevant team. Should you require additional support, please navigate to your profile page in the Sainsbury’s app and visit the ‘Need help?’ section. Alternatively, you can reach us at https://help.sainsburys.co.uk/help.
Shopping list: where art thou?
I’ve downloaded and set up this app after the on-screen SmartShop prompts, but as many other reviewers have noted, where has the shopping list gone? It’s a vital feature for so many users. It’s constantly added to at any odd moment, and now I’m switching between the SmartShop shopping list and scanning with this app which seems an unnecessary hassle. If it’s possible, the ability to swipe/toggle between the basket and shopping list - or open a horizontally split screen within the app - is the solution.
UPDATE The idiocy of this app never ceases to amaze. For the second time, I’ve been using the SmartShop function and have had reason to Google an item which I’m sure is available in Sainsbury’s. When I click on the Sainsbury’s website link in the Google results, it doesn’t go to the website but immediately opens the app - and my full trolley of scanned shopping is lost in the process. I’ve therefore had to rescan the entire lot again at the till. On the first occasion, a staff member kindly assisted as I vented angrily about this infuriating glitch. Fix it, please.
SECOND UPDATE You’ve now closed off the SmartShop and I can’t retrieve my shopping list items from there. You’ve handled the process of switching from one app to another so inanely and frustrated countless customers.
UPDATE The idiocy of this app never ceases to amaze. For the second time, I’ve been using the SmartShop function and have had reason to Google an item which I’m sure is available in Sainsbury’s. When I click on the Sainsbury’s website link in the Google results, it doesn’t go to the website but immediately opens the app - and my full trolley of scanned shopping is lost in the process. I’ve therefore had to rescan the entire lot again at the till. On the first occasion, a staff member kindly assisted as I vented angrily about this infuriating glitch. Fix it, please.
SECOND UPDATE You’ve now closed off the SmartShop and I can’t retrieve my shopping list items from there. You’ve handled the process of switching from one app to another so inanely and frustrated countless customers.
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Response from developer
Hi, thanks for your review and sorry to hear of your experience using the Sainsbury’s app. I will share this feedback with the relevant team. Should you require additional support, please navigate to your profile page in the Sainsbury’s app and visit the ‘Need help?’ section. Alternatively, you can reach us at https://help.sainsburys.co.uk/help.
Beware of overcharging in smart-shop.
I have been prompted to switch to the Sainsbury’s app from smart-shop several times, so I thought I’d better get used to it. I’ve tried it a few times now and it’s worse than useless.
The last two times I have shopped in store, I have been charged for items I did not deliberately scan. When using smart-shop, the app defaults back to open scanner each time you scan an item, unlike the smart-shop app which defaulted to the shopping basket so that you could see and check what you had actually scanned. If you’re reaching for items on the shelf with your phone in hand, you can easily scan items without knowing.
It’s also difficult to access nectar prices and it seems that you have to “activate” them one by one, unlike in the smart-shop app where you could activate them all at once.
I have no interest in doing my grocery shop online and never will, because I don’t want fresh or dated items selected for me.
This app is needlessly complicated for smart-shop.
The last two times I have shopped in store, I have been charged for items I did not deliberately scan. When using smart-shop, the app defaults back to open scanner each time you scan an item, unlike the smart-shop app which defaulted to the shopping basket so that you could see and check what you had actually scanned. If you’re reaching for items on the shelf with your phone in hand, you can easily scan items without knowing.
It’s also difficult to access nectar prices and it seems that you have to “activate” them one by one, unlike in the smart-shop app where you could activate them all at once.
I have no interest in doing my grocery shop online and never will, because I don’t want fresh or dated items selected for me.
This app is needlessly complicated for smart-shop.
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Not as good as Smartscan
The scan function often doesn’t work which slows me down and increases checks at the till. It is simply not as good as smartscan even on a new phone
Seriously fantabulous
Fantastic
Smart App - Poor
The separate Smart App is able to focus on barcodes within a few seconds. Whereas the Smart App tool in this app is taking up to a minute to focus on barcodes.
This is a major inconvenience when shopping
This is a major inconvenience when shopping
Version 4.1.0 crashes on iPad
The app crashes whenever accessing online butcher or fishmonger options from the browse menu. It also did so in the version before v4.1.0. Hopefully this can be fixed soon, as no issues on iPhone. 13” iPad Air M4 running latest iPad OS (27.0.1).
Poor
No direct transfer from the earlier app, input all my information, pressed “Register” and …. nothing!
Had to cancel. 10 minutes wasted and still not “registered”.
What was wrong with the previous app?
Rubbish. So annoyed I might start shopping at Morrisons.
Had to cancel. 10 minutes wasted and still not “registered”.
What was wrong with the previous app?
Rubbish. So annoyed I might start shopping at Morrisons.
Unreliable all of a sudden
Sainsbury’s app is a great app and I’ve been using it for many years, but for the last few weeks, I’ve had so many periods of time where it stops working. It won’t let me book a slot, won’t add anything to basket. The only thing to do is come back later. It’s frustrating as I’ve paid for an annual delivery pass, so if I can’t make my order, I’m not getting what I paid for. Customers need reliability more than they need new features.
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Terrible for smart shop
I was instructed to move onto this app for smart shop instead of the standalone smart shop app but it’s terrible. It takes ages to load, the camera doesn’t focus and then it forgets my whole basket when I get to the checkout. Nothing was wrong with the other app.
Constant Issues
Always seems to be a problem. I can rarely checkout with the app shutting itself down or telling me there is an error. Tried to book an order earlier but couldn’t. Have managed to now but it shouldn’t take several attempts.
Awful integration of SmartShop App
As a big fan of the outgoing SmartShop app, I begrudgingly tried it on the Sainsbury’s app now that the shopping list function has arrived. Diligently created my shopping list - liked that it actually shows stock levels and aisle number. However, when actually in-store, the list isn’t accessible once the Scan function is live. I had to do my shop based entirely on memory. A huge backwards step.
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Problems with the app
What has happened to this app? I have used this app for years, but since I last updated the app and my iPad to iOS27 I have found my screen keeps freezing and I can’t get any where. Please sort this out before I try to book a Christmas delivery!
Prompt to save
Never understood why - when you have a deadline and you have the app open, that it doesn’t pop up and give you a 60s or 3 min warning or something. Multiple times I’ve missed the cut off time by seconds because I didn’t notice the deadline approaching and then will cancel the entire order. I can’t be the only person.
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Freezing
App looks nice but unfortunately it consistently freezes on my iPad, making it unusable.
Substitute button problems
Great app but you can’t always turn off the substitute product button it seems to interfere with the border and when you try to click it all it does is take you to the full product page, please fix 👍🏼
Useless app
Cannot link nectar.
September update
Since the update the App keeps freezing. IOS27.1
Smart shop blocks the rest of the app
Can’t use the product finder or shopping lists when using smart shop. I have to cancel the shop and start agin.
