to expect the large quantity of mince that has come in my sainsburys shop to have more than 2 days until best before date?!

[af2000]

Just had shop delivered from Sainsburys. DH ordered a load of meat, 2 big packets of mince and a whole chicken which have use by dates of 7th March. I know we can freeze them (and probably will if I can find some space) but AIBU to expect slightly more than 2 days before I have to use it? I am convinced that if I went into the store I could find a longer use by date on the same items

Somewhere in the back of my mind I thought the online supernarket shops were supposed to give you 3 days before a use by date on fresh stuff but can't find this info on the sainsburys website. Can anyone tell me if that's the case?

I am about to go back to work after maternity and we are going to have to start relying on online deliveries again.. This one has reminded me why I stopped using them! Grrrrr.

We tend to use Sainsburys for our weekly shop, and noticed just after Xmas that a lot of their chiller items - cooked meats and ready meals mainly - had very short dates. There were whole boxes of hams with that days dates on (and a few out of date items).

Initially we presumed it was a post-Xmas thing, but we've always looked at dates, (and done the "get some from behind" trick), and it seems there's a new fashion for much shorter dates .

Can't speak for other markets so much, but Sainsburys has always seemed to struggle with stock control - going back to when I worked there on a Saturday in the early 80s .

That's why I order from Ocado. I don't think it's any more expensive and they are infallible.
The worst that I had a fit about encountered is sometimes there is stuff unavailable after the weekend. But you know that when ordering, not when it's not delivered!

We send back short dated stuff or once got a click n collect Asda order and were told no substitutions but there were loads and loads of short-dates items so complained and got a lot of money back. Both Sainsburys and Asda have been pretty good at refunding when we have phoned in the past so it is definitely worth doing.

i have stopped using Sainsburys for this very reason. i do a monthly big shop online, over and over again i'd order about 8 different 'meats' and they woudl ALL have best before dates two days after the date of delivery. i complained once and they refused to do anything, saying two days was adequate / within their guidelines or whatever it was they called it.

they did deign to refund me for the mange tout that was black and slimy, only after i'd sent photos.

i used to spend about 300 a month there. not anymore - losers

Any meat that has been minced has a shorter shelf life than whole cuts.

Ideally, I'd like it minced on the spot by a butcher, but I wouldn't be happy buying mince with a use-by date 3 days ahead.

And rolls? Depends on the sort of roll, I suppose. But yesterday's crusty rolls would be stale, surely? In France, they bake baguettes several times a day. I've noticed several times recently that the croissant I've bought to eat with my coffee was obviously not fresh.

Otoh, the useby date for cream is usually a huge under-estimate. If it's stored properly, it stays fresh, even if opened.

I've noticed several times recently that the croissant I've bought to eat with my coffee was obviously not fresh.

Sainsburys cafes have a [little] notice by the counter that the pastries &c were previously frozen ...

Sainsbury's have a 3 day (including today) policy on their raw meats, but we always try to get better dates. Sometimes thats all that is available. If you were not happy you should complain, usually though these items are blue bagged so the driver can see whats about.

As for Rolls etc, they are usually baked that day and have to have (by law I think) todays date as a bbf. I think we all know they last longer than 1 day :P

Interesting about the people who check the fresh stuff upon delivery. anything with a close 'use by' date is not bagged separately by our delivery so the driver would have to wait while I unpack.. Normally he dumps the shopping and pegs it (another excellent part of the sainsburys service, doesn't even bring it into the kitchen.)

Thymeout I totally get what you are saying about the mince, the best mince I ever had was freshly done stuff at the butchers. Unfortunately I am going to be at the mercy of the supermarket shop a lot more now. In my ideal world I would get all my fresh stuff from local providers, it just isn't practical. I guess there is a crazy world of Internet shopping that I am about to become better acquainted with!

Never used the others, but agree with pps about Tesco telling you on the doorstep.

Yanbu

Asda did this to me recently with 3 packets of chicken breasts that all went out of date the next day. i could freeze them but if I'd wanted to do that I could have bought frozen chicken breasts a lot more cheaply.

Definitely phone them though, asda always refund if there's a problem, no questions asked so I'm sure sainburys will.

For a long time, now, they've had a policy of not telling you unless something only has about a day left. I agree it's a PITA when you're trying to do the shopping for the week.

Not everyone can afford Ocado.

Not everyone can get Ocado. That's why we use Sainsburys for online orders. It's that, Tesco, or ASDA. Or a £5-7 bus journey to either of the latter (which, if I'm going to do, I'd be more likely to take to M&S and the market)

I wouldn't sign for it until I checked it - I emptied each bag and checked the dates - driver can't peg it until you sign.

With Ocado, your receipt is arranged by sell by date, so you can see what runs out Mon, tues etc. this is emailed to you before delivery. You have the option of handing stuff back if you don't want it when the driver arrives.

Last time I shopped at our nearest Sainsburys store, I noticed that the dates on fresh meat were not as long as they are in other supermarkets.

When Tesco on-line shopping first started I had a similar problem so I stopped using it. I always take items with the longest shelf life when I shop in store. I do still use Tesco online for my DM occasionally but when ordering fresh items I put a comment in the box saying 'longest use by date please' to try and avoid this problem.

Thank you all (septing PatsEd upthread) thank you all again for making sure there's enough really good stuff in the "Reduced to Clear" sections/labels to keep me in better cheaper eats. Mucho appreciatos.

Asda have done this to me today. They have done it so many times in the past too. I've not thought to ring them before I've always shoved it in the freezer and hoped I remembered to take it out.It is annoying when it is a week's worth of meat that has 2 days to be eaten in.

I shall be on the phone in the morning and will tell them the driver was over an hour late because he was having "sat nav problems"!

Yea ring them. Similar thing happened with me. One item had 1 day on it. Got refund plus a voucher for a few quid

Ring them don't email. I always get fobbed off when I email

I use Sainsbury's and find this problem worse at the weekend, during the week deliveries tend to be better. I can only assume the staff are busier or possibly youngsters who haven't left home and have never had to actually do a supermarket shop and don't necessarily think to get the longest date products. I once ordered a chorizo to be used for dinner that night and was told there wasn't any chorizo or any substitute. Sent DP to Sainsbury's to find it stocked full of bloody chorizo!