Should stores compensate for not bothering to substitute

[Lovelybitofsquirrel3]

This is not AIBU.
Imagine you’re disabled and can’t get to a shop and you rely on home deliveries.
you’ve just used the last of what’s left in your account to pay for that home delivery for two weeks of shopping (not the stores fault, but relevant)
you choose budget versions of items.
when you get your shopping, there are items that haven’t been substituted and are not available.
A relative goes to the same shop on the same day and more expensive versions of the items that were unavailable in your shopping are available.
isnt the store supposed to substitute? Can you get monetary compensation for this kind of scenario?

our tescos and asda substitutes are omg according to some, so it seems no substitutes is the better option

Of course not?

If you order the budget items, sometimes through luck of the draw you get the more expensive ones subbed in. You're not entitled to the more expensive item because the cheap one is unavailable! Shops would go bust with that logic.

I think they should tbh

Being disabled in 2025 shouldn't be this difficult. It should be mandatory to provide some sort of substitution, even if it's more expensive

Stores should offer special support for the proven disabled in the form of phone calls during the shop to assist - they could prove this with a partnership with pip/dla

They won't of course, too good an idea

Also, I think it's disgusting that Asda have taken off so many smart price items off the app so you're forced to spend more money.

Just disgusting all around

Are you sure the online groceries come from the shop?

I get mine from Morrisons and despite the shop being about a 15 minute walk away, the groceries actually come from a warehouse further out.

They always used to, at their cost but now I find they don't. So eg. I order 1kg chicken breasts at £9 per kilo. Previously they would have subbed with 2x500g and reduced the cost to the price of the kilo. Now they send the smallest available pack so I get eg 300g chicken at £12.50 a kilo. Or o order a mid range, they send me a tiny branded item so I get smaller amount for more money.

Or they send nothing. Or something random like chicken sausages. 🤷‍♀️

I'd love to know if the subs are selected by the picker or if they are suggested by the machine/handset that they use? The handset tells them the item/aisle/shelf so it makes sense they could also suggest a sub.

I've had the supermarket offer to drop missing items (not out of stock) around in the next delivery slot they have available due to my disability. Might be worth asking. Also Id ask if there's some way to flag on your order that you have a disability and can't make it to the shops so have to go without of they don't substitute. The cheaper brands tend to be more often sold out, if theyre having to substitute with more expensive brands a lot that could have become uneconomic.

This, I complained once because I had a missing item I really needed and walked over to the shop and they had loads, but was told my online order came from somewhere different.

It's hard to go buy that because when your aunt went isn't the same time it was picked. Also I have set no substitutions on my online orders- is yours defo on?

I'd ring and complain (don't mention your aunt) and say you're left in a bad situation now and is there anything that can be done going forward to avoid this? Be conciliatory and friendly and they're more likely to help.

What's available when the online order is picked won't necessarily be what's available when you go in several hours later - and that's assuming the online order even comes from that store to begin with.

Subs are suggested by the handset but the memember of staff can select bad sub and change it if necessary

No. It's a business. Sorry to sound harsh.

I don't think they should. I'd rather have monetary compensation for the absolute shit they substitute for when I forget to tick "no substitutions" next to every single thing. I mean a pack of AA batteries is all well and good, but not when I was expecting a chicken to roast!

And that's a joke, no one should get compensated for substitutions or lack thereof. It's a free market, everyone can shop elsewhere, corner shops do 1 hour deliveries in most areas these days and no one dies if they don't get a loaf of bread with their Tesco order.

corner shops do 1 hour deliveries in most areas these days

Really?! There are certainly no corner shops who do deliveries near me, let alone in an hour. We don’t have Deliveroo or anything like that here.

We don't have Deliveroo either, but our local independent shops still do sane-day delivery.

How can you be sure your delivery is coming from the same store? And there might have been none available when your order was made up but available later?

That sounds useful. None of the ones near me do.

Substitutes seem to be hit or miss. I've had bizarre subs, and then no subs for quite run of the mill items (no eggs? At all)???
On Tesco you can put a note for each item. Plus say whether you want it substituted or not.
But to your question of compensation - no, I don't agree with that, no matter how frustrating it is.

I said most areas not "everywhere". 🤷‍♀️

I know. I was just surprised that ‘most places’ do, considering I live in a perfectly average place, that’s all. I wasn’t doubting you!

It's really taken off over the last couple of years! I'd never heard of it before we moved abroad but since we've come back I've really noticed the signs and banners around corner shops all over the place.

No, of course not.

Supermarkets cannot guarantee that they will have every item every customer wants in stock. They cannot possibly compensate customers, whether they are disabled, have home delivery or have driven several miles to do their shop, just because the item they want is out of stock.

No, I get it's frustrating, but if a product isn't available, then it's not available, for home delivery or in store. You don't get monetary compensation for that, it's just life unfortunately. Sometimes you'll get a more expensive brand subbed for the same price, but that's not a given and shouldn't be expected, and wouldn't be seriously expected if you were visiting the store, although people do try it!

And supermarkets have deliveries at all times, I've been twice some days because I've forgotten something, and when I've gone back, a sold out item is back in stock.
No business guarantees that all products are available at all times, they rely on suppliers, and they don't guarantee it either.

A way for the app to know what's in stock and available at the time of your picking would be useful, but pretty impossible I would think because it would create a lot more work (that needs paying for) to hold items between ordering and delivery.

I think it probably depends on who the online shopping is from and the nature of the missing item.

Last week we had an Ocado order with no loo roll. I struggle to believe that Ocado has completely run out of loo roll. I'd consider that to be poor service. If the item was niche, I'd be less bothered.

Yes, there was a long period when eggs were in short supply due to bird flu. Lots of standard items are in short supply recently and empty shelves in store are common.
There are 2 Sainsbury's near us, one is massive and does the online shops so has a wider range of products but only a few of each and is often picked clean by the staff. The other has less range but more of each item as they are catering to the walk-in market.