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2 Bottles of Salt! Why?

145 replies

JustPassingThyme · 24/08/2026 10:34

Ordered a little grocery delivery via an app. I wasn't feeling well and needed a few bits. Opened the bag to find completely the wrong order. There clearly was a mix up where I got someone else's shop, and they got mine. So I was able to get a full refund thankfully, and was told to keep the wrong shop.

Went through the free shop, there were pretty typical items, not what I wanted, but can use:

  • 4l of semi skimmed milk
  • loaf of seeded bread (nice bread)
  • 2 packs of sliced chicken
  • 3 packets of fridge raiders
  • 3 packets of mini chocolate oranges
  • 2 large packs of anchor spreadable butter?
  • 2 large bottles of salt????

I'm sure whoever got my shop is equally disappointed about the wraps, mayonnaise, egg custard tarts and 2 cartons of cranberry juice I ordered.

I consider the delivery shops to be a sort of emergency top up interim type shop. What kind of emergency requires 2 packs of butter and 2 bottles of salt? 1 pack of butter, sure, 1 bottle of salt, ok? But 2? It's the salt that really puzzles me. Why so much salt? What do you get in an emergency mini shop?

Anyway I'm going to try fridge raiders for the first time in years, I seem to recall they are as dry as old socks.

OP posts:
PinkyFlamingo · 24/08/2026 11:35

luckylavender · 24/08/2026 11:34

So you got free shopping and you're on here bitching about it, Give to a foodbank.

Oh come on no need for that, it's light-hearted!

TwoLeftSocksWithHoles · 24/08/2026 11:35

When one gets that niggling feeling that one's arteries are too soft.

PinkyFlamingo · 24/08/2026 11:34

A slug infestation? 😂

AbsintheMakesTheHeartGrowFonder · 24/08/2026 11:34

I consider the delivery shops to be a sort of emergency top up interim type shop.What kind of emergency requires 2 packs of butter and 2 bottles of salt? 1 pack of butter, sure, 1 bottle of salt, ok? But 2? It's the salt that really puzzles me. Why so much salt? What do you get in an emergency mini shop?

Just because you happen to consider deliveries to be for emergency top-ups only, that doesn’t mean everyone does. People might have a million other reasons for using them.

Butter is a fairly staple item that gets used for all sorts of things - including baking, which uses large quantities. Or it might have been on special offer and they wanted to take advantage of that.

Salt has a zillion non-culinary household uses. Slug control or making weed killer, cleaning products etc immediately spring to mind for me but people also add it to bath water sometimes, defrost freezers with it, use it for adding to dyes, brining/salting/curing meat or fish, making play-dough and lots of other things.

luckylavender · 24/08/2026 11:34

So you got free shopping and you're on here bitching about it, Give to a foodbank.

Theresalittlebitofwitchinyou · 24/08/2026 11:33

Salt: Mummified apples/tomatoes
Slug/maggot control in veg patch
salt baked fish
salt dough
playdough
door and window protection
alter change for the autumn (clues in the user name for the last two and other uses I won’t add here)
One for cooking/eating one for any of the above

Butter for baking surely?

BrezhnevsLuxuriantEyebrows · 24/08/2026 11:32

Theresmagicwheretheflowersgrow · 24/08/2026 11:26

You can make your own weed and moss killer with water, salt and vinegar.

Not everybody would have any use for moss killer; but I imagine the home-made weed would be very popular!

BrezhnevsLuxuriantEyebrows · 24/08/2026 11:31

Probably to clear their path from all of this dreadful snow we've been having over the past few weeks.

bridgetreilly · 24/08/2026 11:30

Might have been an unwanted replacement for two bags of ready salted crisps.

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 24/08/2026 11:29

Gall10 · 24/08/2026 11:13

Am I the only person who didn’t know salt can come in a bottle?

I am feeling very old, what with this and the thread yesterday where dozens of posters claimed not to know you could buy dried parsley in a jar. When I was growing up this sort of salt was the only kind most of us ever saw, and fresh herbs were not the norm either. Wondering now how soon there will be a thread about sugar and someone will claim not to know what it is as they only use organic agave syrup.

Mcdhotchoc · 24/08/2026 11:28

Slugs.
Or they are my grandparents who have mystery high blood pressure

tinyspiny · 24/08/2026 11:28

We used to have a slushie maker that you had to use a lot of salt in .

JustPassingThyme · 24/08/2026 11:28

whoopdeedoo · 24/08/2026 11:13

I think the OP means a Deliveroo type small order that arrives alost immediately - not a full supermarket shop that gets delivered, both are perfectly valid and the order she received was clearly not the latter!

Yes, it was just one paper bag of shopping. The entire bag's contents was listed in my first post.

OP posts:
Theresmagicwheretheflowersgrow · 24/08/2026 11:26

You can make your own weed and moss killer with water, salt and vinegar.

NoCommentingFromNowOn · 24/08/2026 11:25

Anchor spreadable is on offer at sainsburys.

Loulou4022 · 24/08/2026 11:23

Sorry somehow posted twice! 🤦🏻‍♀️

Loulou4022 · 24/08/2026 11:23

Killing off weed
Killing slugs
fabric dying
Saltdough/ playdough

AprilMizzel · 24/08/2026 11:22

My first thought was fabric dying as we've had a lot of that to do recently- but also use a lot when making home made weed killer for drive - salt, cheap white vinger and washing up liquid.

WalkingThroughTreacle · 24/08/2026 11:22

I got an ingrown toenail removed last year. I had to bathe my foot in a salt bath every day for over a month to reduce the risk of infection whilst it healed.

Ellaelle · 24/08/2026 11:21

For weeds growing on patio

PaperScissorsBlock · 24/08/2026 11:20

I use that sort of salt in the bath. Much cheaper than special bath salts and does exactly the same job!

latetothefisting · 24/08/2026 11:20

IPM · 24/08/2026 10:43

There's a minimum spend so the extra salt and butter may have been for someone else 🤷‍♂️

Yes i was going to say that the only time ive used that sort of delivery was when there was a really good offer on (e.g. £8 off a £25 basket) so added random stuff that wasnt excessively marked up that I knew I would use at some point to get to the total amount. Its more likely they were doing something similar rather than a salt related emergency!

It is useful for cleaning though if youre struggling to use it, e.g. I use it to get stubborn tea stains off mugs rather than bleaching them.

mrsm43s · 24/08/2026 11:19

I used to use it to put in the caravan over winter to draw the moisture out of the air. Could be someone with a caravan/motororhome etc getting ready for overwintering. Or maybe crafting or preserving as others have said.

With 2 huge bottles, I think it's been bought for a specific purpose, rather than just to use as seasoning or general cooking.

SweatyWarrenBetty · 24/08/2026 11:18

Making sauerkraut? Fabric dying? Loads of reasons for salt. We wouldn't buy fake spreadable butter, but we go through at least two pats of butter a week with cooking and on toast.

Justploddingonandon · 24/08/2026 11:17

I quite often add non-perishable items that I will use eventually to my online shop to make it up to the minimum delivery amount. Admittedly I'd usually use something more expensive.