Click & Collect should be renamed to Click, Pause, Wait, & Collect

On Friday 7 Feb I placed an order for Click & Collect because I did not have time to do the shopping myself the following day. On the website it stated that the order is ready within 2 hours after placing it. There was no update on the website, so I phoned in the afternoon to confirm whether my order is ready for collection. The person confirmed it is ready and I can collect first thing in the morning.

When I went to collect, I told the lady that I just need 5mins to quickly buy something from the shelf, then I will be back. I filled in all the paperwork and showed my ID (which was odd, considering tech these days). When I got back, my order was not ready and she told me they are busy "preparing" it.

I was in a rush as I had another appointment, which is why I went to the Click & Collect counter first before buying the items from the shelf. I'm not sure what "preparing" means, but if they only pick my order when I get there, what is the point of Click & Collect in the first place? I can then just go and pick it myself? Unless of course they provide me with a comfy couch and complimentary coffee while I wait (you have to stand and wait, but I'm actually just joking here).

In the staff's defense, they handled my impatience really well and I really appreciated it, but I did not appreciate the way in which they tried to make me feel bad by saying they are busy preparing other customer's orders first. They were missing the point completely.

When I have a collection order at Takealot, I arrive and sometimes stand in a queue (which I don't mind at all), scan a QR code, and then less than a minute later they bring my full order. No documentation to sign, no further "preparing" that needs to be done.

Keep up with the times Leroy Merlin, or rather just don't offer this very inconvenient service.