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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

wibu to kick off in tesco?

290 replies

jellybelly701 · 01/09/2014 16:18

Ordered my weekly shop yesterday, just groceries and baby food, nothing that is age restricted. The delivery guy wouldn't let me sign for it as I have no proof I'm over 18. I am almost 22 with a 10mo baby. We have no food at all so I can't even cook his dinner.

I am furious!! Why on earth do I have to prove I'm over 18 to buy a chicken and some veg? Especially when I could go in store and purchase exactly what I have ordered and wouldn't even need to be 16 never mind 18! So thanks to fucking Tesco both me and my son will be going hungry tonight. Arseholes.

I'm in two minds of carrying ds to Tesco to kick off a bit, how can they let a baby go hungry like that for no logical reason? I'm actually in tears I'm so bloody angry!!! Ughhhh!!!

OP posts:
YouTheCat · 01/09/2014 22:06

I remember one time getting a delivery from Sainsbury's but the driver was early by 15 minutes and I was on my way home from work. As I was a regular customer with my online delivery back then the driver left the shopping with my dd (who was 16 at the time) and waited for me in his van so I could sign for it, which was very good of him.

ICanSeeTheSun · 01/09/2014 22:16

If not mackerel, then something else.

I'm not judging, I mean as parents and humans we can't get every thing right.

Just pointing out that when someone has a child then there should be an emergency supply of food.

Janethegirl · 01/09/2014 22:23

Emergency supply of food = takeaway in my book.

ICanSeeTheSun · 01/09/2014 22:26

Jane me to, thank god for justeat.co.uk :)

For the DC it's those little tins of pasta shapes in tomato sauce, they are not a lovers of Chinese or an Indian.

Janethegirl · 01/09/2014 22:32

Just eat is always the saviour in these circumstances, tho it's not too good in very rural areas.

PastaBow · 01/09/2014 22:43

janetthegirl I've had Ocado leave my delivery before. They are fab.

Signal failure made me 3.5 hours late. I was able to speak to the driver personally and explain how to open my gate and he left everything by the back door.

The other alternative would have been everything going back for a refund. Can't say fairer than that really.

ihatethecold · 02/09/2014 06:00

I really rate ocado.
Never had an issue with them.
My ds14 often deals with the shopping when it's delivered.

parallax80 · 02/09/2014 07:17

Who knew mackerel was so divisive?! There should definitely be a poll for this.

^However - these 2 sentences don't really sit together :

"we can't afford to have an ever lasting stock of pantry foods, we can only buy what we absolutely need to feed ourselves for the week."

and

"it's their loss because we easily spend £120 per week with them."^

Keep what you like in your cupboard! Or not. I was just agreeing with the poster above.

DownByTheRiverside · 02/09/2014 08:04

That was the point I was trying to make, that if you have a dependent, either a young child or someone you are caring for, you really can't afford not to plan a few basics. It's irresponsible.
Not overflowing cupboards, not expensive, but enough to cope for a couple of days. Even if you have nothing for yourself.
I'm a vegetarian, no mackerel here.

Bunbaker · 02/09/2014 08:22

Sorry you are having a hard time of it, but you really need to buy a few items to keep in the cupboard for emergencies. Surely you must have some pasta or tins of beans or something? What if it snows and you can't get out?

You don't need to be rolling in money to buy a couple of extra items with your shopping each week just to keep in your cupboard for emergencies.

Original poster
jellybelly701 · 02/09/2014 09:31

We usually do have packet meals/tins in the cupboard but we used them before we stayed with MIL. I didn't predict Tesco being such arses about my shopping else I would have picked something up on the way home on Sunday.

When I said we can only afford what is necessary to feed ourselves I mean we can only afford the ingredients we actually need for our meals that week. DP likes to get decent meat which is quite pricey and takes up a lot of the budget which leaves little to buy all the other bits and pieces to go with it, as well as nappies and wipes. It annoyes me a little because if we brought home brand items our shopping would only be about £60.

OP posts:
BackforGood · 02/09/2014 19:01

truffle - however, the OP said she's been going to clubs since she was 14........

RiverTam · 02/09/2014 21:03

well, I'd start eating less meat then! No problem with getting good quality meat but if it costs twice as much eat it half as often! That's a lot of money to spend but you still end up with empty cupboards.

Downamongtherednecks · 02/09/2014 21:24

jellybelly I think you are right to be furious. If a young woman with a babe-in-arms opens the door to her home to sign for the delivery, then I'd say a quick common-sense check and a look at what was in the delivery, would suggest she is, in fact, old enough to sign for it. He was an idiot. PS tinned mackerel sounds utterly vile, and if I had it in my house it would be as emergency catfood.

wingcommandergallic · 02/09/2014 21:42

I think I'd be asking Tesco some very pointed questions about why their deliveries require an over-18 with proof of ID whereas any Tom, Dick or Harry could buy goods in the store, provided they're not age restricted. Absolutely ridiculous terms and conditions.

It is not a legal requirement in this country to have official ID but the way a lot of companies are acting, it might as well be!

Original poster
jellybelly701 · 03/09/2014 09:53

sorry, DP has been using the tablet to type up work so haven't had a chance to check back here until now.

Rivertam my cupboards were only empty because we ate our ICE meals before we Travelled to see MIL for 8 days and I used the last of our rice by putting it In a bottle for DS to shake. Usually we have enough pasta or noodles etc to keep us going for 2/3 days. If I had known that Tesco have such a ridiculous policy I would have picked up a Few meals on the way back from MILS.

OP posts:
Original poster
jellybelly701 · 03/09/2014 09:58

wingcommander

Oh no, according the lady on the CS helpline these rules apply in store too and I would still have to provide ID to buy my meat and veg, everyone does apparently. So I must have imagined the little boy of about 13 buying a bag of potatoes and some broccoli a few weeks back.

She was just as stupid as their idiotic policy.

OP posts:
RiverTam · 03/09/2014 10:01

yes, maybe but I'm struggling to understand how 2 adults and a baby can spend so much money every week and not always have a few packets of pasta/passata/beans/soup in the cupboards to knock up a meal. I spend at most that much, but usually less, and we always get stuff on offer, so 3 for 2 on packets of pasta etc, so never eat £120 worth of stuff in a week. But - we eat hardly any meat. And I batch cook pasta sauces so again, there's always something in the freezer

I think one lesson from this is that you and your DP need to budget and meal plan better. It is ridiculous for a family of 3 with that much money to spend on food to ever have empty cupboards. And yes, I appreciate you're not just buying food, there's nappies and washing powder and so on - same for me. Still not got bare cupboards, still a family of 3.

I have no idea if Tesco's policy is fair or not. But it is certainly not their fault that you seem to be so bad at planning. Again, when we go away there's always something around for a meal when we return, the only things we would have to get are milk and bread. And if you have a big enough freezer (we don't) you can freeze those.

Original poster
jellybelly701 · 03/09/2014 10:47

We already meal plan and we don't need to budget. Yes it would be nice for the shopping to be cheaper but I am HAPPY with the meals we eat and I'm NOT going to change my diet just because other people eat/spend differently. I am an adult and if I wish to eat meat everyday or even twice a day then I will. So I'm sorry but just because you batch cook and freeze does not mean everyone else has to follow suit and are wrong or 'ridiculous' for not doing so.

My issue is with Tesco's delivery policy, not my 'ridiculous' planning so shall we stick to the topic in hand instead of picking apart every detail of my posts and jumping on any opportunity to appear better than me?

Typical mumsnet.

OP posts:
RiverTam · 03/09/2014 12:26

you are blaming Tesco's for causing your baby to go hungry and wanted to go in all guns blazing to have a go at them. No - that is down to you. My point is that if you did budget and meal plan you wouldn't have empty cupboards or freezer!

But I won't bang my head against this particular brick wall any longer.

DownByTheRiverside · 03/09/2014 12:35

The two things aren't mutually exclusive though River. Tesco's rule is ridiculous for products that aren't age-limited and the OP needs to realise that she can't rely on others to provide for her child. Even if she ought to be able to, when the system gets FUBAR, the child is the one who will be unhappy, hungry or in danger.

wingcommandergallic · 03/09/2014 12:46

She's not relying on other people to provide food for her child!
She's relying on a company providing the service she's paid for, not realising that they have unrealistic terms and conditions.

Yes, you can all argue until you're blue in the face that op should have food reserves, batch cook, read t's & c's fully but the fact remains that a reasonable person would not expect to have to provide ID in order to receive a grocery delivery!
Why the hell should I have to prove who I am in order to get my spuds?
If it's a question of making sure the delivery has gone to the right address, this can simply be done by supplying an order reference number.

Gruntfuttock · 03/09/2014 12:51

"Oh no, according the lady on the CS helpline these rules apply in store too and I would still have to provide ID to buy my meat and veg"

Shock WTF? She claimed that the "Think 25" rule applies to fruit and veg? That's ludicrous and completely wrong. I can't belive anyone had ever been asked for ID when buying meat and veg. That's too ridiculous for words.

Gruntfuttock · 03/09/2014 12:52

"believe" not "belive" scuse typo.

RiverTam · 03/09/2014 12:57

but she was planning to go into a store and blame their staff for her child going hungry.

And I didn't attach it to the issue with Tesco's, I said that a lesson learned would be to be more organised so that you didn't have bare cupboards. With £120 on a weekly shop, the OP's family should not be living hand-to-mouth, but poor budgeting and planning mean that that has become the case. But I don't have much sympathy (so therefore I think her plan to go in and blame staff is U), unlike if, in fact, she was on a crazy tight budget with no means to ensure she had, at the very least, a stock of, I don't know, tinned tomatoes and pasta so at least something could be out on the table.

Getting annoyed with Tesco's for ludicrous T&Cs - fine, take it up with Head Office.

Getting to the point that you have absolutely nothing in the cupboards at all is ridiculous on the budget the OP has.