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.

@CheeseCakeSunflowers

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.

You should sub as close to the ordered number as possible, as otherwise it just looks like the company is trying to avoid the price promise! That's what other shops do.

Morrisons subs with more expensive goods, unlike Tesco and Asda.
that is why i stopped using them.

After being a loyal Morrisons shopper for years I swapped to Tesco early in the pandemic.
Morrison’s charged extra for substitutions and there was at that time no where to select “no substitute “

You're wanting to "warn people to keep an eye", yet most people know to click the "no substitutions" box.

🤷🏻‍♀️

Asda doesn't charge extra for subs. Quite often the sub will be a similar value but if it is more expensive I still get charged the cheaper price. My shopping comes from the larger superstore a few towns away and thankfully subs are rare. When I used my smaller, local Asda I had lots of subs so switched to a bigger store.

Change who you shop with.

I’d not realised Morrison’s charged for subs so I’ve just checked my most recent order and they definitely haven’t. Ie I ordered 2x toothpaste on special offer at £1 each. It’s subbed for expensive toothpaste at £4 each but they’re not on my receipt. Also the cheese was substituted but it’s not on my receipt at all 🤷🏼‍♀️

In fact on closer look I had a total of 15 substituted items and none of them are on the actual receipt

OP didn’t even say washing up liquid. People just read it wrong.

washing liquid that was £3.50 swapped for £8 one

@Skipsurvey That's not my experience at all with Tesco. Most weeks I have a sub and it's always the more expensive option. I tend to buy 'mid range' items so they could easily be subbed for the cheaper bargain items but they never have been. They don't charge extra either.

I wonder if it's different area to area?

tesco and asda dont charge more, it is morrisons that substitute with a more expensive brand, and then charge you the more expensive price! @MacDuffsMuffcd

I’ve been truly impressed with Sainsbury’s. I stopped because it was impossible to get a slot with Tesco except by sitting up until 2am and pressing refresh every ten minutes.

They’ve not had too many substitutions. I can reject things at the door but sometimes get told to keep items and get a refund anyway - soft avocado for example.

Where I’ve had substitutions I know in advance because they email to tell me and I can reject at this point. I get a voucher where the substitutions are more expensive than the original item.

Good customer service and cheerful drivers too.

@Skipsurvey Yes that's why I use them, I used Morrisons twice but wasn't impressed with their subs or the fact they charged extra for them. They sent me doughnuts as a sub for quiche! I mean I love doughnuts but ... 🤣 I've been using Tesco deliveries for 15 years and have always been pretty impressed.

oh i love their donuts @MacDuffsMuff

that reminds me i have relented and have a morrisons order coming this weekend - doh - still doing 10% discount for NHS workers.
will have to look carefully at those pesky subs

OP, sounds like you've got yourself worked up about this.
Firstly have a cup of tea and take a deep breath
Then look at switching to a supermarket that doesn't charge more for subs (Tesco are great for subs)
Ideally try to book home delivery rather than click and collect (realise you may have to book a few weeks in advance for this)
With home delivery you can then accept or reject each sub.

Which supermarket charges you for the higher price substitution though?

It’s not Ocado, as the OP refers to her friend going to the supermarket.

Tesco and Sainsbury’s definitely don’t.

OP are you sure you were charged for the higher cost? What supermarket was it?

I’m always delighted when my subs are ‘posher’.

Ah I think having googled, Morrison’s is the only one.

I think you need to either

1 change supermarket or
2 accept that you have to read the email which lists the substitutions as part of the process.

Tesco are amazing. I’ve sometimes had £10 refunded back to me in upgraded substitutions as you only pay the price of the original item you ordered. They are always sensible subs too. I’d go with them if I were you.

you can reject the subs too

I do the Amazon prime online shop with Morrison’s and they text you that day to say what’s not available and what they suggest as a substitute. You either accept it or reject it within xx minutes.

Free delivery too. And so far not much trouble getting a slot.

Asda and Tesco don't charge for subs.... though they sometimes do random subs! But sometimes you get lucky and get a more expensive item for the cheaper one you paid for. Definitely change supermarkets.

Your order was probably picked before the day's delivery arrived at the store. The staff picking don't have time to go back and check if your missing items came in the delivery. Happens to me regularly however I collect early enough that the store isn't busy so I can nip in and see if they have anything I'm missing on the shelves or pick a sub myself. Still quicker and less contact with others than doing the full shop myself. Offers often sell out.

@BigTallyWacker

OP didn’t even say washing up liquid. People just read it wrong.

washing liquid that was £3.50 swapped for £8 one

Probably a bigger size of the same product.

I think people dont realise how picking works tbh. I dont work for a supermarket, but did run a hub that did online orders. We genuinely hate having no stock the customer orders. We weren't even allowed to sub items so felt even worse. If the stock files are wrong (sigh, whole different story!) And it says we have something, then I have had time where we have ripped the warehouse apart trying to find it (again, replenishment team...sigh) sometimes we do, sometimes we dont. And if we dont pick that item for that order, so the stock file still says we have it, then another order comes through for the same item! Argh! So we 'short pick' this item for loads of orders. Very frustrating! And yes, we pick up to 6 orders at a time, not just one. each time there is an item missing that we have to look for it affects our picking times and kpis. It is not just a stroll around the store casually doing someone shopping that people imagine!

Worse is when like pp have said the items then come on the morning delivery and we look at the cages like aaarghhhhh we needed that a few hours ago 😂

I think before anyone places their first online grocery order they should have it explained to them exactly how picking works.

A friend got a job in a supermarket and it's been a revelation. I only recently found out that someone's whole order isn't picked by the same person. And when you see a picker they are doing maybe 8 people's shopping on the one trolley. And they are on the clock!