Question about doing supermarket orders for someone else.

[BalloonSlayer]

Sorry if these are stupid questions.

My elderly Mum has finally agreed that she might, only might, you understand, consider me ordering a Tesco shop for her.

She does not and will not use the internet herself.

She asked me today if I can get a list of what they sell so she can decide what she might like. Oh-kay . . . What could I say? I said I would do my best.

How the feck do I get a list of all that Tesco sells?

The best way round this would obviously be to take her to do one shop and then the stuff she likes will come up on our favourites and I can print that off. However there's no way I'll be able to get her to come to Tescos with me (for various reasons, all maddening to under 85s)

She would never have the patience to scroll through my phone with me at her house (too small, too confusing etc etc)

What do I do? Anyone else got round this problem?

Also, is it easy to get stuff delivered to someone else's house? I presume that once you put the delivery address in it automatically assigns it to the nearest Tescos to them. I pay for it don't I, not her, and she just signs to say she has received it?

Oh by the way I have used Tesco as an example as it's the only supermarket I have ever done online shopping, but it could be any supermarket.

Any help or advice for setting this up for a dear, yet profoundly awkward, old Mum would be very gratefully received.

Best thing I can think of is make a list of very thing in her cupboards. Go to the online shop and add all to your cart (but don't checkout). Print out the shopping cart.

I’d write a list of things that you think she would like based on what you know about what she eats now with a couple of choices and give it to her.

Sliced ham
Smoked sliced ham
Cheddar cheese
Double Gloucester
Tetley teabags
Yorkshire Tea
Chicken pie
Beef and Guinness pie

She's only 85 presumably she has seen a Tesco before. Just tell her they sell everything so she can have what she usually does.
I would get it delivered at a time you can be there though for the first couple of goes. If she isn't confident dealing with substitutes might worry her

I do online shopping for my older parent too - you can easily add a different delivery address, and have the payment still come from your card.

Would she make you a list of what she needs if you were going to do an ordinary shop for her in person? My mum tends to give me a list of about ten things, and then I need to divine what the other things are through guessing her favourite snacks and meals, suggesting my favourites, and prompting for stuff like toilet roll / toothpaste / cleaning products. Inevitably there will be something where I can't get the precise type of breakfast cereal or something (thus proving the whole internet is flawed obviously ) but generally the more times we do it, the better I get at sensing what might be needed. I find it's safer to select "no substitutions" but your mum might be different!

Might be helpful to use a different supermarket from your usual. That way you'll always know what you are buying for who!

I'd get her some basics- eggs cheese butter bread milk tinned tomatoes, add a few treat items, then see what she complains you have forgotten!

Tell her they sell everything she just needs to tell you the kinds of things she'd like and you'll sort it.

On the delivery side - I regularly get Tesco deliveries sent to a family address that isn't my own. Iirc, I might have had to do the first order to the address on the CC - might be worth checking. But yes you pay (or if she wants to, you'll need her CC details) and then the receiver just, well, receives.

How does she shop now? Tbh, I'd take her shopping list and just duplicate that if you possibly can OR give her a list of the core basics, and talk about any where she has a strong brand preference/dislike.

She needs to write you a shopping list, anything that is brand specific must be noted.

Then you sit in the same room as her and do the shop quietly, ask her about any anomalies or queries there and then. The first shop is important as it baselines your favourites and makes the next ones easier, so get the first one right the other weeks should be easier!

If she finds making the list hard maybe help her make a meal plan, the shopping list writes itself then. It's what I did with my gran for a while to help her get started online shopping.

Thanks. That's some great ideas.

I suppose I could set up a fake shop, with all the things I reckon she might like (tinned marrowfat peas, sheep's hearts, scotch), print it then not take it through to the payment stage and let her choose from that.

Knowing my incompetence I will probably click the wrong button and have to live on sheep's hearts, tinned peas and scotch for the next six months, shudder.

Where does she shop usually? If she has a nectar card, for example, already then you could register a new online account with her loyalty card details and then be able to see all the things she usually gets by looking at what is in her favourites.

I’ve had online shops delivered to holiday cottages all over the place so I don’t think you have any worries regarding delivery to your mum’s address.

If budget is not an issue I’d be tempted to go with Ocado because the choice is wide and includes lots of tempting items plus all the standard brands. Delivery will be within a one hour slot and the delivery drivers will be very helpful in terms of taking bags right into kitchen etc. Substitution and missing items are rare compared to Sainsbury or Tesco in my experience.

In terms of how to tell her what they have I can’t think of anything better than going through the high level options and asking what dairy, are there any biscuits she especially fancies, does she need hot drinks etc etc. Once it knows you the app does a fairly reliable instant shop but it will be painful to get started!

I'd agree with mysteryshopper on ocado if you can afford the slight price difference - super helpful drivers ime, always arrive on time; very few substitutions - although they do seem to have stopped giving lovely free stuff now, I got a decent amount of free chocolate and booze in the early days....

mysteryfairy - sorry!

Has she shopped in Tesco before and have a club card? If she does all her regular stuff with be in her favourites if you create a login for her linking her club card number to it