About Sainsbury's substitutions?

[nemno]

Just got a delivery. I don't use their service often but do like some own brand things. I knew they don't price match substitutions. Now am I wrong about the following? In which case IABU.

The 2 subs they made were on items in multi buy offers. They did not sub with other things in offer (I think they could have). Of course I could reject the subs, they were in a blue bag to identify them easily. I asked the delivery man what happened to the other offer items. He wanted to be helpful but didn't know. The only way to find out was to go online and compare the offer price on there with my actual receipt. Obviously he had to go so I did this afterwards. Sure enough the other items reverted to their single higher prices. So I ended up paying more than the offer price for items of lesser quality than I ordered (subs were basics range). Have I understood this right? I think that if they do this then all the items from the offers should be in blue bags so that they can all be easily rejected?

I have written to them but don't expect a reply soon.

[nemno]

That is a rubbish excuse Speedos. There were so many other things in the offers I got this morning that I could have chosen from in store.

[Buzzardbird]

I got 'sub'd' cheese sauce (lazy I know but for emergencies), I got sent cumin seeds! I could not for the life of me make a connection.

[AlwaysSleepingBeauty]

I've just made my first Sainsburys online order tonight just before seeing this thread, I'm scared now! I've used a £15 off when you spend £60 on a £62.50 order, I'm worried that the voucher will no longer apply if they make subs that bring the cost down.

[nemno]

I wouldn't worry Always while I don't know for sure what their policy is (and I think the voucher has already been applied and locked in) I am confident one phone call would reinstate your discount if they don't honour it.

[StainlessSteelCat]

the money off voucher will stand even if thecost of shopping dropsbelow £60. Any delivery charge will also stay at lower price if applicable. well, that's what has happened with my orders like that.

[DingbatsFur]

Just call then up! I've found Sainsbury's customer services are very reasonable. You get this problem witg Tesco's too. Twice I have ordered their dine in for 10£ offer. Twice I have lost out through subs but a call to customer services puts it right.

[LayMizzRarb]

Vote with your feet. I have had too many subs problems with Sainsbury. One Sunday morning, they delivered the obvious components of a roast dinner (meat, veg, stuffing, yorkshires etc) and the pots I had ordered were not available. They did not even bother substituting. Really? You had no potatoes available in the store anywhere? Cue frantic rushing to shop 10 miles away before guests arrived for lunch.
I cannot praise Ocado highly enough. They rarely have to substitute as they know exact stock levels at any given time. If they do, they send an email and text message a few hours prior to delivery. And if you shop with care, they are just as cheap as Tesco, and cheaper than Sainsbury.

[AlwaysSleepingBeauty]

Thank you everyone, that's reassuring. We are moving tomorrow so the idea is that it will make it easier and we will have some food in without having to go shopping after a long day. Fingers crossed!

[nemno]

I agree with LayMizzRarb Ocado is the best in my region by a mile. I have a pass for them and use them weekly with barely a problem. Their packing needs attention when it comes to soft fruit type products, though it is so easy to tell them online.

I guess I would find it preferable to shop instore when I really needed the products I prefer from Sainsbury's.

[IloveJudgeJudy]

I work for one of those grocers mentioned above as a picker.

Ocado probably are the best, but they don't deliver anywhere near the volume of some of the others.

You may not realise, but I don't pick one order at a time. I pick 6 different orders at the same time. I don't know any other items that you have chosen. The computer doesn't tell me. I only know what particular item I am picking. I can see about 6 items ahead, but I don't know for which customer.

Buzzard don't understand that sub, either. Computer suggests a sub, but I can override.

Sock, the picker prob didn't know that you had already chosen chicken pies for the reasons mentioned above.

When I first started I could see why certain problems arose. We also have a very high picking rate that we have to attain so don't have time to think

[nemno]

Ilove that is interesting. So you have say 6 customers shopping in a trolley and then someone else out back divides it up? I wonder if the computer could try a choose a sub in the offer or at least tell you it is an offer item?

[LayMizzRarb]

ilove that is really interesting ! Lord,they really do squeeze the most out of every worker don't they. I had visions of a picker doing my order individually
I also have an Ocado pass, so don't pay delivery everytime, and very often do two smaller shops dithered of the week. Their fruit and veg are better quality than Sainsbury in store and I have ordered expensive joints of beef (£50+) and fish, and the standard is always superb. Customer service is faultless. I once had a pot of cream arrive cracked, and it slightly leaked on my hall carpet. They refunded the cream and gave me a voucher code for a bottle of wine with my next order.

[LayMizzRarb]

Dithered? - either end of the week

[IloveJudgeJudy]

Prices and offers are not on computer. Prices are on shelf, but you really, honestly don't have time to look!

Yep, we are picking 6 different orders at the same time. So, for example, you are picking 6 different lots of toiletries as they are all in the same aisle. Every shop/trolley is assigned to you. Computer tells you exactly what to pick and which trolley to put it in. When I say trolley, it's one of those green plastic boxes that they often use in the fruit and veg. Each one has a different sign on it. You pick the item/s, scan and put in correct trolley. As I said, if the item is not available, computer will suggest sub. Usually sub is appropriate. Sometimes it isn't. Sometimes there is nothing else appropriate available. If it's not appropriate, you can choose one yourself, but it's really difficult if you think about it. I don't know the customers personally, so what is right for one is not right for the other.

I suggest you put comments on the items you don't want subbed, or put other offer items only. We do read those and stick to them.

[curryeater]

Sainsburys are absolutely shit for this and I believe they do do it to avoid honouring the offer. It just happens so often. Or maybe they just have shit packers who can't be bothered to find the thing you asked for. Between this, and the time and trouble and expense of filling in for their generally shit packing resulting in a half-arsed shop, it is very poor value and no real net gain in terms of saving yourself energy.

Ocado don't do this and as a result they do work out better value. If you shop precisely you don't waste anything because you don't end up with missing ingredients for recipes, that then have to be expensively shopped for at a moment's notice; or stupid full price nonsense you would not have bought 3 of, if you knew you were not going to get a deal.

[BitchyRestingFace]

I used Sainsbury's once and not again for this reason. We rang them and did get a refund of the difference, but it's not worth the hassle really. Ocado and Tesco sort the pricing automatically, so I just use them now.

[curryeater]

Sorry, x-posted with judgejudy, very interesting!
I think the software you have is at fault - it could be programmed to manage the offers etc better and to give you better visibility

[MissStrawberry]

If Waitrose substitute they charge the lower of the two prices. You can specify subs or not on each individual item (not just yes/no on the whole shop) and you can also write notes to the packer.

[IloveJudgeJudy]

I think if we had better visibility there would be more chance of things getting muddled. It would be very easy to pack the items in the wrong place. Luckily, the computer kind of stops you doing that, but there is obviously only so much it can do without the whole thing becoming very complicated.

Really, when you're picking you're not really thinking about the person whose shopping you're doing. You're just concentrating on getting the job done as well and quickly as possible, using bags or not, depending on what the customer wants.

A little tip - have your shopping delivered as early as possible, then you should have fewer substitutions, ime. My picking is done in a warehouse, though, not in a shop.

[gobbin]

Sainsburys do have some weird subs e.g. the Warburtons white bread I wanted wasn't available so they substituted...nothing! What?! You mean there wasn't one, single boring white loaf of ANY sort available?

Tesco subs are usually sensible.

Sainsburys are great when you do have a problem though (e.g. Out of date tuna sandwich spread recently) and will always give you a refund and a voucher even without being asked (£7.50 in this case which was the delivery plus a bit extra).

Never thought Sainsburys were being sneaky with goods on offer, this has never been an issue for me.

[nemno]

This is still ongoing. I am being sent an evoucher today I think. But the generic response only talked about my disappointment at the missing stock and all about their difficulties and how they do their best. So I repeated about how poor their policy re offers is.

If in future, I put a note to picker that I want a sub from within the offer what happens if I then reject the sub because it is unsuitable? Do the other offer items go back up to full price, potentially increasing the overall bill even with the one fewer item?

[curryeater]

JudgeJudy has basically explained that the pickers can't think about your shopping sensibly in those terms, so in other words, you can't shop online to offers - you just can't select and shop that way from Sainsburys - I would say that if that is your modus operandi (it is mine) you can only shop online with other stores or instore with Sainsburys

[nemno]

JudgeJudy said "I suggest you put comments on the items you don't want subbed, or put other offer items only. We do read those and stick to them" after Buzzardbird wrote that Sainsbury's have this facility, which they do.

[nemno]

It got me doubting so I double checked (it involved me making up and starting to check out another order to almost the payment bit!) and no, Sainsbury's do not allow notes to pickers, just yes or no to subs. I think judge Judy works for Tescos , they do allow you to state 'only other item in offer only' (do Waitrose? Ocado don't).

[TheSkiingGardener]

Waitress let you write any note you want, which can be very useful!