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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think supermarkets should have a bit on their online shopping that lets you donate to food banks?

45 replies

KenAdams · 07/10/2014 18:51

I only really shop online so I can't do the instore donation that they sometimes have.

It'd be great if supermarkets let you buy something and just click a "donate item to foodbank" box to tick. It would work so well when things were on offer too and make it so much easier.

Then they could take a bulk delivery every week or so to local foodbanks.

OP posts:

MonoNoAware · 07/10/2014 18:52

Great idea. I'd do it!

Smilesandpiles · 07/10/2014 18:55

In theory yes, but it will be an administrative nightmare for the supermarket.

How can you be sure the food you ordered for the food bank has actually gone to them?

How can you be sure that any of the food was picked up at all and the supermarket hasn't just pocketed the money?

There's loads of ways that can go wrong. Picking the food up yourself and either taking to a food bank or putting it in a trolly that will be collected by the food bank os the only way you can be sure, what you have bought is actually colleted and used by the right people.

Pimpleminds · 07/10/2014 18:58

I think it is a great idea.

Pimpleminds · 07/10/2014 18:59

Ocado could probably do it to a foodbank near them. But then I guess people like this donation to be made in their community.

OneInAMillionYou · 07/10/2014 19:00

I think this is genius and would sign up in a heartbeat.

InfinitySeven · 07/10/2014 19:01

It takes a really long time to set up online shopping for a supermarket, and it's so expensive that Morrisons pay hugely over the odds for Ocado to handle it for them.

So while it's a fantastic idea, it'll take until maybe 3050 for anyone to be able to do it.

And then you'd have the issues that Smiles has mentioned - proving that the food got there, how they'd deal with delivery, getting accused of giving food that is just about to go out of date...

Moghedien · 07/10/2014 19:02

Our local tesco does an instore collection but an online one would be brilliant. Maybe we could all write to our local supermarket via the head office and suggest it?

QueenYnci · 07/10/2014 19:02

That's a really good idea. We do all our shopping online and I'd love to have the option to do this.

Moghedien · 07/10/2014 19:02

X posted with infinity. Some good points there.

coldwater1 · 07/10/2014 19:04

Great idea! I would also donate a few bits each week, i don't go to a supermarket so always miss collections.

AndHarry · 07/10/2014 19:05

Sounds like a goodidea to me. Every supermarket round here has a collection box/trolley by the checkouts so surely donations would just go straight in there once the picker had finished each time slot? Or in a separate box 'out back' so that it could be spot-checked.

MehsMum · 07/10/2014 19:12

Excellent idea. It surely wouldn't be hard for the supermarket to automatically collate everything in each area each week and do it that way - so many crates of this, so many boxes of that.

You'd have to trust your supermarket though!

Ragwort · 07/10/2014 19:16

Great idea but obviously needs some work to ensure it is done properly - but it can't be impossible to work out - most supermarkets seem to have a link with either Trussel Trust or Fare Share.

I always round up my shopping in Sainsburys to the nearest pound for charity (this isn't widely publicised but is available) - I just assume it goes to the right charity, I haven't really any way of knowing .

AuntieStella · 07/10/2014 19:18

I think I'd trust them to do it (imagine the reputational fallout if caught ripping off a charity!)

There used to ba a (quasi) official Ocado bod on MN. If you're still here, I hope you're reading.

halfdrunkcoffee · 07/10/2014 19:22

If it could work, I think it's a good idea.

One thing I wonder about food banks is whether it would be better just to donate money to them, which could enable them to buy wholesale food at cheaper prices rather than relying on shoppers' food donations at supermarkets.

bleedingheart · 07/10/2014 19:23

That would be great.

Momagain1 · 07/10/2014 19:25

It would probably work best to donate a bit of cash, round up your change, or 50p or £1. Donating goods would require storage space in the store, and anyway, it is very yseful for the charity to have cash with which they can buy, at wholesale, whatever they lack. They get more goods that way, in the end.

Waitrose gives online shoppers a ' click and we will donate £1' option on a national level for 3 charities a month, just as they do the green tokens in each store for local charities.

FishWithABicycle · 07/10/2014 19:27

I think this is an excellent idea too and I've been thinking of suggesting it myself. It would indeed be a nightmare for pickers to pick specific items to go to foodbanks but I reckon it would be much better to have an option to add an amount of cash towards foodbank credit at the checkout - say £5 or whatever - and then each supermarket could let their local foodbank know that they had £100 credit (or whatever) of these donations which they could spend on whatever they need - they could then take advantage of multibuys and special offers and probably end up with more!

Original poster

KenAdams · 07/10/2014 19:28

But that's surely the same as trusting them to give it to the food bank from the online donations?

Obviously every products wouldn't be suitable, so they could discount all fresh and frozen products straight away, then it's just what's left really.

OP posts:

DiaDuit · 07/10/2014 19:34

Its a great idea however i imagine the supermarkets would want their staff's time paid for (it would take time to pick the separate items, box them and deliver them)

A better idea would be to have a donate fund for your local foodbank in say asda or wherever is nearest them so there was a fund in that store for the foodbank to but what they need rather than random people buying what they are guessing is needed.

DiaDuit · 07/10/2014 19:35

Xpost with several people!

TheLovelyBoots · 07/10/2014 19:37

They should definitely offer rounding up, i.e. if your shop is 72.45 then they can propose you donate .55 to charity and send you a bill for 73.

Suggesting 1/3/5/20 pounds is a good idea, too.

Buying food for a food bank is inefficient, much better you give them your surplus or cash.

TheLovelyBoots · 07/10/2014 19:38

Surely there are audits to ensure that organizations follow through on charitable donations. Ebay does this, by the way.

Nomama · 07/10/2014 19:44

No! I would NOT do it.

Because a lot of the food donated would be wasted. Rounding up your shop or donating a little bit of money is far better - then the food bank can purchase whatever it is running short of.

I say that as someone who donates time and ingredients to a Single Fathers Cooking group - run through a local foodbank. The food they sometimes have to throw out is embarrassing, bread can be a pain - though we did make some pudding out of the last surplus. But the lack of some basic things is also a pain.

So I'd vote for small donations.

DoJo · 07/10/2014 19:45

Could you not have an online shop delivered directly to a local foodbank? I don't think you have to have it delivered to your address, just to a recipient who is over 18. Or give them a ring and see if they would prefer to click and collect from a supermarket?

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