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Original poster

Aghhh - Tesco substitutions

105 replies

Bellyblueboy · 23/12/2023 11:44

I know - I should have expected it. Did my online Christmas shop as soon as the slots opened. It’s coming tonight.

unavailable with no substitutes -

mince pies, custard, brandy cream, Parma ham, raspberries, smoked salmon, just roll cinnamon swirls.

know I have to go out again after doing the marks and Spencer shop at 8am.

ordering system sucks. How can Tescos have run out of all these popular Christmas foods on 23rd December!!!!!

the rage I feel seems disproportionate 😂😂

OP posts:
WhichIsItWendy · 23/12/2023 18:37

We did a Tesco click and collect today, so that if there were substitutions, I could nip in and get something. Yes, substitutions should be expected now, I mean, there's not really a lot they can do if they're not in stock and no equivalents. You may prefer click and collect or just going in person.

Fleur405 · 23/12/2023 18:39

Honestly starting to think I should just give Tesco a budget and see what random collection of stuff they bring me.

gingercat02 · 23/12/2023 18:41

Loads of subs on my Sainsburys order. Only 2 unacceptable.
Glacé cherries instead of black cherries in kirsch
Crap cookies instead of luxury chocolate biscuits
Need to go out for fresh sourdough in the morning anyway so canned cherries doctored up with some suitable booze will be fine and I'm sure there will be chocolate biscuits somewhere

IncompleteSenten · 23/12/2023 18:43

I had 19 substitutions and 1 item unavailable which was parsnips.
Of the substitutions only 1 has caused me problems and the rest were great. I ordered 2 bags of limes and they substituted with 2 limes. I had to send my son out to buy more so I could make the lime curd.

caggie2 · 23/12/2023 18:45

Tesco subbed my cauliflower today with cauliflower wings. It was for cauliflower cheese 😂

NameChangeToday80 · 23/12/2023 18:48

I got my Tesco order on Wednesday and it was largely fine (different pack of parsnips as a sub).

But my ocado order today was more like: give ocado a budget and see what they turn up with... in the main it'll work out, but I was surprised how many subs there were (in a relatively small order).

ThreeRingCircus · 23/12/2023 18:50

This is exactly why I stopped online food shopping a few years ago (after a laughably ridiculous delivery from Asda that was totally wrong and two hours late.)

This year I did one shop a few weeks ago for all the cupboard/freezer food and I picked the fresh stuff up yesterday at 9pm and it was lovely and quiet and I got what I needed. I totally understand for people with health issues that online deliveries are a godsend but I used to spend so much time placing orders and receiving short dated or substituted items and having to rush to the supermarket anyway it totally defeated the object!

BoobyDazzler · 23/12/2023 18:54

“I bought 48 pugs in blankets and panicked😂”

Niche 🤣

Daffyyellow · 23/12/2023 18:56

Ocado last night, ordered in September but they still had plenty of unavailable or substitutes.

Extra wide tin foil - 3 moths notice and they still couldn’t supply.
No Yule Log or satsumas.
Lemonade substituted.

Time to cancel delivery pass.

MotherofCats22 · 23/12/2023 19:21

Ordered all vegetarian party food, 10 substitutions - 5 meat subs and the rest were spring rolls and bahjis 🙃

QueenOfThorns · 23/12/2023 19:23

No substitutions in my Tesco delivery this morning, just one item unavailable (cinnamon sticks, which I didn’t need urgently anyway). However, I did have to pop out to Asda because Tesco’s idea of a red cabbage was more like a glorified purple Brussels sprout, which wouldn’t have gone very far among our ravening hordes Grin

Stopthatknocking · 23/12/2023 19:30

I ordered a turkey crown, said it serves 6 people. I have 5 to feed, so perfect.
They substituted it with a large one, serves 10.
2 people dropped out, so now have enough turkey for 10 and only 3 people to eat it.

:(

lovelyjubbly888 · 23/12/2023 19:32

Not sure about the rest but just been to my local Tesco and there’s stacks and stacks of smoked salmon!

alrighthen · 23/12/2023 19:37

Incredibly we only had one sub! Salmon en croute became normal Salmon with a lime marinade! And I only booked the shop yesterday. I’m feeling incredibly lucky on all counts.

Though I am uncomfortably pregnant and have Covid so deserve a bit of luck coming my way! Big thanks Tesco!

WaltzingMatilder · 23/12/2023 19:53

Big shout out to all the pickers and the abuse they have to put up with this shitty time of year.

ramabanana · 23/12/2023 19:54

Subbed white rolls instead of sourdough, and no broccoli or cider
Other than that everything came through with Morrisons, I've found then to be pretty reliable for Christmas - first time in a couple of years that I've had any subs or missing items

WonderingWanda · 23/12/2023 19:58

I booked my shop for Friday morning to try and avoid the running out of everything but also went to the supermarket the previous Sunday and bought anything with a long date on including cheeses, cured meats, frozen pastries etc. I do think it's crazy that the online ordering can have things not in stock.

Jeannie88 · 23/12/2023 20:13

Guess it depends on where you live, my order was great, northeast. X

ConsistentlyElectrifiedElves · 23/12/2023 20:39

This is where Ocado is good with its live stock systems.

I had only one item unavailable (some foil trays) and one substitution (10 eggs instead of 6, when I actually wanted 10 but when I ordered the system only showed boxes of 6!)

I bought my veg last weekend. Carrots, potatoes and parsnips last. Everything else I bought and froze weeks ago.

NeonSoda · 23/12/2023 20:51

If you don’t want to risk subs then order from Ocado. It’s computer controlled and there’s obviously no in person shoppers for the online shopping orders to compete with.

i don’t think I’ve ever had a substitute in an order from Ocado and I’ve been shopping with them for at least a decade.

mind you, I went to my little Waitrose this morning and the shelves were full. The aisles were full of gormless men who clearly only go shopping once a year though. They all looked utterly baffled.

MadisonAvenue · 23/12/2023 21:12

KnottyKnitting · 23/12/2023 12:38

I had 7 substitutions but they are all reasonable. Double of smaller packs of stuff, back bacon instead of streaky, different type of white bread, different type of gravy- all fine.
1 unavailable was potatoes! This was with allowing substitutions!!! How on earth can a huge Tesco run out of potatoes 2 days before Christmas??

Just got back from our local Co -op to get the stuff I needed. The shelves were almost empty- looked like a plague of locusts had been through it!

Mine came with potatoes unavailable and no substitution this morning too!

The small soft white rolls from the in store bakery which I ordered were out of stock and I was sent humongous burger buns with sesame seeds instead. I returned those as from experience the prepacked rolls are usually dry and tasteless.

I went to a different Tesco this evening, it was so quiet in there, and got the potatoes and rolls which I wanted.

MuddledMadge · 23/12/2023 21:58

No potatoes here either or pigs in blankets. Oh well.

Metheven · 23/12/2023 22:04

WaltzingMatilder · 23/12/2023 19:53

Big shout out to all the pickers and the abuse they have to put up with this shitty time of year.

Thank you for that.

We really try to do our best, but sometimes the stock just isn't there, we can't magic it up out of nowhere. Add to that the shop is heaving by 6.30 in the morning and it isn't the easiest to get around.

PurpleBaskets · 23/12/2023 22:10

Ocado have been awful this year. I placed my order weeks ago for delivery tomorrow and yet I have just been sent a huge list of subs - including the turkey! I’m so annoyed!

KnottyKnitting · 23/12/2023 22:33

NeonSoda · 23/12/2023 20:51

If you don’t want to risk subs then order from Ocado. It’s computer controlled and there’s obviously no in person shoppers for the online shopping orders to compete with.

i don’t think I’ve ever had a substitute in an order from Ocado and I’ve been shopping with them for at least a decade.

mind you, I went to my little Waitrose this morning and the shelves were full. The aisles were full of gormless men who clearly only go shopping once a year though. They all looked utterly baffled.

I used Ocado one year -Delivery was 23rd December- half of the fresh stuff I ordered was out of date by 24th including the Turkey...

Haven't used them since.