Online supermarket shopping

[Bears1969]

As situation is and like many others been forced into online supermarket shopping.

I've just managed to prove and confront a large supermarket on this.

So ordered shopping week ago delivery date arrives arrange someone to collect as I can't drive. Due to time and illness (not Covid) I could not go through email and ring friend to reject sub'd items. Some I don't mind if reasonable.

Once shopping home went through it all - suspicious at some of items that had been swapped. Like on offer cheese swapped for non offer, cheap store brand jam replaced with top range, washing liquid that was £3.50 swapped for £8 one. Lots more items.
So another friend who was visiting said supermarket for when it opened checked for me if the store had said items sure enough majority of items they had and nor looked like it just been totally restocked and certain items not those that are sell outs.

So my shopping collected at 08:30 and store opens 10:00 friend goes in as it opens.

So feeling confident we have enough evidence that not all of items were genuinely required subs - supermarket contacted.
They don't price match sub'd items so you get charged more, they first refused to take items as they been in my house 'Covid'.
Discussion that all items could be wiped down and how many people in store as to someone shielding etc finally agreed all items could be wiped down. Agreed to refund if I took items back so agreed to ask friend to do within couple days. Nope they wanted that day.
I then questioned fraud that if items in stock why send subs. No denial or defending of statement put to them. Then said about discrimination which they questioned why it would be discrimination explanation given to them no further comments.
They then said they would refund before call finished they refunded £17.36
I asked that the allegations of the fraud and discrimination to those who can't or choose not to shop in store investigated so that it stops. I will follow up as I feel this will not be done.
But please check and challenge because if they do £20 per customer or see it as way to shift items not selling it is not appropriate.
That money could be the electric for someone, a child's lunches, money to pay a debt. What if this is someone who is confused or has someone order shopping for them.
I've not named as yet as I'm sure they are not only the only ones.
I stopped with one supermarket as they kept sending close to use by/eat by dated food.

Thankfully I use local smallbusinesses for meat, veg and milk/eggs.

Supermarkets have done very well during this awful time they don't need these tactics to increase profit.

This is not a dig at any staff - staff in supermarkets have worked to hard and put themselves in high risk situations. I doubt they see increased profits in wages!
Thank you.

Managers and CEO's of supermarkets you are responsible - lo

ok after your staff and customers.

Totally, check again next time.
We can select by item but it's done near the check out stage.
So I can set to accept subs for milk for example but no subs for something else.
You tick the ones you will accept subs for in basket at check out

@Willow2017

If you have a morrisons nearby they do specific vulnerable people shopping (well ours does) You get on thier list and phone in your shopping list. Someone picks exactly what you want. If its not in stock you can chose something else or they won't sub it. Worth a try.

Thank you that's helpful to know

@Kitsmummy

Bloody hell, your poor friend has to collect for you AND then return subs for you because you didn't select no substitutions??! I doubt you'll have a click and collect issue again because if I was your friend there's no chance I'd be doing you a favour again!

My friend did not return items nor would I of asked that person to make a special trip. As stated I don't mind subs generally

@MintTpls can you explain how to select no subs at Morrison’s? I’ve just gone through the whole checkout process and can’t find any way to do that.

@WellIWasInTheNeighbourhoo

I find Ocado awful with subs, always more expensive and they charge you for it. They also routinely deliver much higher weight products at more cost than what you ordered. And the amount of bashed about food or clearly verging on rotten that arrives is shocking. I can sympathise OP with it feeling like fraud. One of the many many things I am looking forward to at the end of this pandemic is getting rid of them.

Thank you - I more wanted to just warn people to keep an eye.

@LaMarschallin I'm a picker for Waitrose. Subbing is a last resort, but if we do we have to sub up :) so you should always get something 'better' if your items out of stock

Morrisons don't price match their subs, and this is one of the reasons I've stopped shopping online with them.

Sainsburys give a voucher, but they don't substitute the same quantities, and it definitely feels as though they are always trying to sub for something cheaper (so they don't have to issue a voucher) rather than an equivalent. I get really grumpy when I have say a 1kg pack of something substituted for a 250g pack of the same or lesser price with no voucher. In those circumstances I feel they should sub 4x250g packs for the 1kg and give a voucher for the additional cost - but they don't! They always always size down or downgrade the brand, never size up or upgrade the brand. That said, Sainsburys have been pretty good in general throughout the Pandemic, and its usually only one or two items a week that they have to sub, so I suck it up.

DitherFlicker

@LaMarschallin

You must tell us what the special meal-transforming tomato puree is called! grin

Well, please don't blame me if you don't find it as good (I'm very impressionable) but it was "Bomba" and describes itself as tomato puree with soffritto and red wine.
I think it makes a big difference; really hope it works for you

LaMarschallin I'm a picker for Waitrose. Subbing is a last resort, but if we do we have to sub up smile so you should always get something 'better' if your items out of stock

Well, so far I've been delighted with my subs, so thank you for all your and your colleagues' hard work

I would love to have a Waitrose delivery, but not a chance, there hasn't been a slot in my area for months.

I'm a Sainsbury's online picker, as others have said if you get a more expensive sub you get a voucher for the difference with us. I would like to know which supermarket this is.
In my store picking use to start at 4am but since covid the first pickers start at 2am, an order which is collected at 8.30am would probably be picked towards the start of the shift, the night shift who do the replenishment finish at 7am so its very likely that the order was picked before that days delivery was on the shelves, what you found at 10am is not really relevant as it would include that nights delivery which may well not have been there when your order was picked. Delivery of different items arrive at different times, some in the evening some throughout the night and some only shortly before the store opens. TheGreatWave bread is usually the last delivery at my store, often not arriving till 7am so thats why you often get bread subs.
You say this is not a dig at the staff, who do you think is picking the items and doing the subs, its certainly not the CEO!

@LaMarschallin

DitherFlicker

@LaMarschallin

You must tell us what the special meal-transforming tomato puree is called! grin

Well, please don't blame me if you don't find it as good (I'm very impressionable) but it was "Bomba" and describes itself as tomato puree with soffritto and red wine.
I think it makes a big difference; really hope it works for you

LaMarschallin I'm a picker for Waitrose. Subbing is a last resort, but if we do we have to sub up smile so you should always get something 'better' if your items out of stock

Well, so far I've been delighted with my subs, so thank you for all your and your colleagues' hard work

Bomba is great and I give it as a sub all the time!

@MintTpls

Totally, check again next time. We can select by item but it's done near the check out stage. So I can set to accept subs for milk for example but no subs for something else. You tick the ones you will accept subs for in basket at check out

How?

I shop at Morrison's and I've never seen an option for no subs anywhere in the shopping process.

Did they no have your tinfoil either?

Do you actually know what “fraud” means op? They must have had a right old laugh at you over that phone call.

It all sounds a little bit hysterical and dramatic and pls do tell us about your £8 washing up liquid... is it Method?

Can't remember who quoted me but Morrisons now pick from stores in some areas, ours came from a store.

We regularly either didn't get an item or they were subbed more expensive items that we were then charged extra for. They stopped allowing you to return items on the door step. We since switched to Tesco and haven't received that many subs overall.

When the OP said £8 washing up liquid, I assumed she meant the type to wash clothes not dishes.

You don't need to warn people who shop at most other supermarkets because this would never happen. I shop with Tescos and they always replace with equivalent or better, ie I ordered a 70cl of alcohol and they subbed with 2 50cl.

Also your shopping isn't picked and packed ten minutes before you arrive, it's done in the middle of the night and shelves would have been restocked some time after.

@SlippersForFlippers

Can't remember who quoted me but Morrisons now pick from stores in some areas, ours came from a store.

We regularly either didn't get an item or they were subbed more expensive items that we were then charged extra for. They stopped allowing you to return items on the door step. We since switched to Tesco and haven't received that many subs overall.

When the OP said £8 washing up liquid, I assumed she meant the type to wash clothes not dishes.

Thank you for being so common sense and yes I didn't mean to put the up in washing liquid. Sorry

I don't work in an actual supermarket store but I do work for a large supermarket in a hub that just picks; there are no customers.

I want to reiterate what PPs have said. The colleagues picking your order first of all aren't just picking your order at one time. They're picking parts of all different orders and putting them in separate trays on a trolley as that's the most efficient way to get around the store. They just follow the picking devices; they're on a sort of timer to get all the customers' orders out in time. They don't have time to substitute anything that is actually on the shelf as that's more time-consuming and takes longer; the ideal picking trip has no substitutions as that's the most efficient. The pickers don't even have time to see any names - it's just tray 1/2/3/4... on the trolley.

Where I work you get charged the lower price - what you wanted or the substitution.

We are all under so much pressure atm. We are picking 000s of orders per day, day in, day out. Picking starts at 2am where I work and finishes around 5-5.30 pm with no break at all.

We definitely all want to do the best job for our customers at this strange and challenging time. We want the customers to get what they've ordered but it is true that sometimes there may be no baked beans, for example, in our huge warehouse. It's incredible, really, but it does happen. If, for example, one kind of baked beans is unavailable or the delivery has been delayed for whatever reason, then other baked bean ranges /sizes of tins will be substituted and net result could be that we run out of baked beans. It's difficult to believe as we have so many pallets of baked beans delivered but it can and has happened.

I would just like you to understand, OP, that what happened to your order will not have been done maliciously. Your order that you received at 8.30 will probably have been picked at 2-3am. What you saw on the shelf at 10 am has no relation to what was on the shelf in the middle of the night.

Jeez oh. You didn't have time to check an email about subs but had time for all that palaver.

Do you live near any other supermarkets, or do you just have a choice of one? If you can get a different chain to deliver, I feel you would be less stressed.

@mrsm43s

Morrisons don't price match their subs, and this is one of the reasons I've stopped shopping online with them.

Sainsburys give a voucher, but they don't substitute the same quantities, and it definitely feels as though they are always trying to sub for something cheaper (so they don't have to issue a voucher) rather than an equivalent. I get really grumpy when I have say a 1kg pack of something substituted for a 250g pack of the same or lesser price with no voucher. In those circumstances I feel they should sub 4x250g packs for the 1kg and give a voucher for the additional cost - but they don't! They always always size down or downgrade the brand, never size up or upgrade the brand. That said, Sainsburys have been pretty good in general throughout the Pandemic, and its usually only one or two items a week that they have to sub, so I suck it up.

This really pisses me off about Sainsbury's. I either have to accept a smaller pack which works out dearer per kg / item and likely run out before the next delivery is due, meaning I have to go shopping (which I'm obviously trying to avoid) or, I have to reject the sub and go shopping (ditto).

On today's order, I'd ordered 2 x 8 Sainsbury's crumpets, total cost 70p. They delivered 1 x 9 Warburton's crumpets, price £1.25. So, yes, I'll get 55p back, but I've also received 7 fewer crumpets for the price.

I've also had times where I've ordered 2 x item and they've sent 1 x that item and 1 x sub. The subbed item is dearer than the ordered item, but they've listed it as 2 x ordered item subbed with 1 x sub. So the sub looks cheaper, when it's not.

If it wasn't for how many Nectar points I manage to save each year and spend on Christmas, I'd probably go elsewhere.

The thing is unless you are there at 3am or whenever your shop is being picked how do you know those items are available. Crumpets come in on the Warburtons lorry, yes even the own brand ones, at my store often not until 6.30am or later so many orders are picked before then. Your picker will be picking for many customers not just you. If the store is short of crumpets at that time is it fair that you get extra and other customers get none. It's fairer to share them out a bit. Anyway I'm about to start a picking shift now.

I think you need to read your order summary. You will usually find they don't charge the higher price if substituted or tick no substitutions. It's easy really!

I'd just switch to a supermarket that doesn't charge more for substitutions.