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The organisation I work for has small 'kitchens' where the people we work with - those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness - can make themselves a tea or coffee and grab a simple bite to eat. It is my responsibility to make sure the kitchens are kept stocked. The wholesaler who used to supply the organisation increased its minimum order about the time I started so we can't use them any more. Anyway, I've done a price comparison and discovered that they are very far from being as good value as they say they are.

For about two months I have been trying, whenever I have time, to research other sources. I filled a large online Tesco basket, went to pay and was told they couldn't deliver to 'commercial premises'.

It was urgent. A colleague went out to buy things from the local, more expensive Tesco.

About three weeks ago, when stocks were low again and I still hadn't found a decent source, I cycled to the ring-road Sainsbury and brought back a backpack of cereal bars, packet soups and instant meals.

This Monday I tried to do an online Sainsbury order. I was optimistic because our organisation already has an account so presumably they do deliver. But before I could complete the login I was told they'd be sending a security code I must enter - to a  phone that no-one now has. The second of two extremely frustrating and barely audible calls to their callcentre resulted in them saying they'd change the phone number within 24 hours.

By Tuesday Sainsbury hadn't changed the contact phone number so I created an account at Iceland and filled an online basket. They didn't need me to have a phone number but they had no delivery slots at all. Not one, not any time I logged in. My basket sat in the ether. I had two more extremely frustrating calls with Sainsbury, one of which told me I had to contact Nectar instead (I was put through to Nectar despite saying I didn't have a Nectar card and of course they couldn't help) and the other of which told me I needed to be escalated to IT.

By yesterday Iceland still had no delivery slots, Tesco still wouldn't deliver to commercial premises, Sainsbury still hadn't changed the the contact phone number and we had run out of cereal bars. So in the evening I cycled to the ring-road supermarket and overloaded myself.

I cycled the whole lot into work this morning then, out of curiosity, logged into Iceland again and found they had a delivery slot for next week. I flung my online basket into it and they even accepted the organisation's credit card.

So assuming they turn up, by next Wednesday we will be over-stocked. Just for the fun of it I'll try to log into Sainsbury again to see whether I've yet been escalated to IT. But I think I'll have a weekend off first.