Delivery drivers have jokingly suggested a Tesco employee who gives an old friend a lift in the new Christmas TV ad would’ve been sacked if she had done the same in real life
The fictional driver who helps out an old friend on Christmas Eve has been made fun of by former delivery drivers on Reddit. The Christmas ad which was meant to inspire heartwarming festive cheer, has instead been labelled “a training video on what not to do” by many drivers on social media.
In the advert, comic Roisin Conaty plays a Tesco employee who agrees to meet a customer, actor Anna Maxwell Martin, halfway after she orders her Christmas food shop to the wrong address.
The two turn out to be old friends and after Maxwell’s character experiences car trouble, the kind-spirited driver agrees to give her pal a lift home, earning her an invite to Christmas dinner.
But what was meant to be a heartwarming tale of Christmas cheer has become a source of comedy for former delivery drivers because of the number of “sackable offences” shown in it.
Such offences include messaging with a customer from a personal phone, driving without a high-visibility vest, and allowing a customer to take a lift in the passenger seat.
One delivery driver poked fun at the ad, saying they would never meet a customer halfway because they didn’t check “their address when they ordered, that’s an instant fail!!!”
Another explained how the ad risked giving customers unrealistic expectations for their drivers: “I feel they should do a part 2 after Christmas all the phones ringing at head office with customers complaining this didn’t happen.”
In a statement made to the Daily Star a Tescos spokesperson said, “Our Christmas ads aim to capture the magic of Christmas and employ a bit of creative licence to allow the storytelling to be as impactful as possible.
“This year’s ad features a heartwarming interaction between two old friends which takes place when a Grocery Home Shopping order doesn’t go to plan.
“In real life, our delivery drivers play an essential part in helping the UK to get their all-important Christmas shopping and the safety of our colleague and customers will always come first.
“We provide clear guidelines to all of our colleagues on how to fulfil their roles and if a customer does need any assistance with an online order, our customer services team will be happy to help.”