Countdown says the demand for online shopping has been unprecedented but it is working hard to ensure it meets the needs of as many people as possible.
Marlene Bennetts, an 82-year-old St Martins resident, is disabled and relies on Countdown's online shopping service to get her groceries.
She is on a list for people whose online shopping is supposed to be prioritised during the lockdown and she needs essentials like fruit, bread and milk.
However, she was up past midnight on Sunday trying to make her grocery order, until she gave up.
Mrs Bennetts had to wait about three hours that same day trying to get through to Countdown's online shopping helpline.
She was instructed to try at midnight every night until she is successful and said the earliest she will get her groceries is Sunday, April 5.
Said Mrs Bennetts: "I've got to do this every midnight if I want to get through.
"This was for next Sunday I put in for because that's all there was, it's all booked up until next Sunday.
"As for the priority list, it's not even worth going online to get on to it.
"Why have a priority list when we're treated just the same as the others?" she said.
She said she is worried there will be people in similar or worse situations than her who shop online also struggling.
"I'm just thinking there are other people out there like myself, maybe even worse condition than me.
"There are lots of people who, at my age, aren't computer people, so that's what I'm really mainly concerned about," said Mrs Bennetts.
Said Countdown communications adviser Charlotte Mee: "We’re really sad to hear about our customer and her experience.
"Last week we had 100,000 people register for online shopping and nearly 29,000 people who applied for our Priority Assistance service (more than 16,000 customers have now been accepted for this service since it launched on Wednesday).
"I can assure you and our customers that we are working as hard as we possibly can to increase the number of personal shoppers we have in stores, the amount of trucks on the road and the number of delivery windows we have.
"Hopefully you can appreciate the unprecedented demand we’re dealing with and how incredibly difficult it is.
"The reality is that we are not going to be able to reach every single New Zealander but we are trying," she said.
She said Cowntdown's message to customers is those who can shop in person should, so online shopping is easier for people who need it most, like Mrs Bennetts.
