Waitrose online delivery

[KnackeredOldWoman01]

I had my online Waitrose food order delivered yesterday and as I was in a rush, I didn't look at the dates on any of the food as I placed it in the fridge

I've gone to pick something out for dinner this evening and have noticed that my whole chicken, two packets of mince & 3 quiches all run out of date tomorrow. I also ordered two pies that run out in two days time.

I telephoned the store where my food comes from and was told that it is acceptable for them to deliver products with only two days remaining before it's past its use by date. When the guy told me this, I didn't think it sounded correct, so I rang the customer service number. The lady I spoke to didn't think this sounded right either and contacted the store who said they would call me.

I have just had a call from the store and have been told that I was given the best dates they had and that online customers get the best dates as the pickers are choosing the food before the store opens to the walk in customers. Whilst very polite ( except the first guy, who couldn't be arsed to talk to me) all the people I spoke to at Waitrose have missed the point I was trying to make, which is that I'm now inconvenienced. I meal plan for the week, hence I do a weekly shop. I shop online to make my life easier, this is just a headache for me now. My DC has ASD so entering a supermarket is incredibly stressful. Waitrose don't even tell you in advance that they are sending you short dates in order for you to have the opportunity not to accept the products at the time of delivery.

It just feels like I'm getting sent the food with crap dates because obviously people who shop in store can make a decision and pick a product with a longer shelf life. It's so irritating and poor form. AIBU?

The issue is that Waitrose shops from.ghe shops floor. So if that is the latest dates, the options are to send that and you freeze or send nothing.

I have 3 DCs aged 4 and under so have noted for the pickers that I would rather have something than nothing and can freeze. If you need a certain amount itself life, note that and they will comply. The corollary is you could end up with nothing if the shelf life dates are earlier than your specification. So you would need to go to the supermarket.

I agree you have been refunded which - given the food is still all in date - sounds pretty reasonable.

I have always found Waitrose to be very good, Ocado let me down twice in a row (they didn't turn up at all), Sainsburys also has short dates...the only way to get exactly what you want is to go to the store.

Perhaps if the freezer is already full you didn't need to buy anymore food?

I just don't understand how you can expect to eat fresh food a week after buying it

I bought chicken breasts from M&S last Tuesday, with the date today, so 10 days. The sausages were even longer. I thought when you shopped at Waitrose online there was a big estimated shelf life label, so if they were saying 5 days and you got 2/3, that's grounds for complain.

I would be irritated by those dates OP and that's one reason why I don't do online shopping, but if I could freeze them, I would do just that, it doesn't make a difference to the quality of the food. But it's worth complaining so they are aware that you are not happy.

It's probably down to individual pickers. Some will pick the longest dates and some will just pick up the first things they see.

You've been refunded, you can cook some of it up and eat it. You can squeeze some of it in the freezer. You can give it away, you can do what you like with it...you have the money back. Let it go.

Compared to the hassle of trudging 2 grumpy kids around a supermarket baying for every crisp/biscuit/chocolate going, the online life problems are minor!

Can't you eat them after the two days? They don't explode and it's unlikely to kill you or cause serious harm.

Or freeze as others have suggested.

You've had a refund, they can't do much else. You can and move to a different online shopping provider.

And the food is far from fresh when you get it anyway. Eggs for example are up to two months old by the time they reach the supermarket. Frozen food can be anything up to 5 months and meat on the meat counter 3 weeks old.

They've refunded you but you still complain and give bad publicity online? Sounds like poor form by you and not them. You say you expect 3 to 4 days on fresh food, if it was delivered yesterday and you've got until tomorrow then that's three days!

Tbh you're better off shopping in store or buying only a small amount of fresh food online if you don't want to use quickly or freeze some, I wouldn't expect fresh food to last much longer than they've given unless it's pumped full of preservatives.

I think online food ordering varies wildly depending on where you live. I've tried most of them off and on and I stick with waitrose because they often give me short dated stuff for free as well as substituted items. Customer service always excellent. However if your aren't happy you should try other services local to you.

They've refunded your items so I'm not sure what else you expect to happen. If you had walked into the store, you wouldn't have been able to get food with longer dates. That's what they had in store. For what it's worth, you would have been faced with far worse dates at my local sainsburys. They can't magic food with longer days if they don't have it. As pp said if you need food to last a certain time then tell them that this product must last until x date or don't bring it.

A few years ago I bought a while Chicken on a Friday for Sunday lunch. Only to get home and find it was use by on the same day. I want impressed but if you aren't careful many supermarkets will try this from time to time.

Put it in the freezer. You would have had the same dates to choose from if you'd gone into the store so I can't see how you are inconvenienced.

I like my fresh produce, if I didn't I'd just buy frozen

It's not going to be fresh if you do one shop a week! So I don't understand your problem. If you like it fresh, do smaller more frequent shops. Waitrose can't magic up food that stays fresh longer!

Surely you must realise how unreasonable you are being op?

None of the items were out of date, yet Waitrose refunded you, and you are STILL complaining!

As others have said, freeze the items you are not using immediately.

There's no pleasing some people is there?!

I recommend Ocado - never a problem with dates as the website tells you how long things will last and on the rare occasion when something is wrong - e.g. an egg broken - an immediate refund for the whole box.

They are good dates. Seriously, you get what the customer shopping in store would get. Yabvu

No Ocado in Scotland

Ocado list the use by dates on the receipt print out so you can check at the door.

I challenge you to do the same shop in store and find food with a week's sell by date

It's not worth doing online delivery shopping for fresh meat/meals unless you have freezer capacity. I've tried lots of supermarkets and they all send short date food at some point. I would always put raw mince in the freezer unless using the next day anyway. There isn't much point you getting too cross about it. They did refund you after all. If you cook the mince and refrigerate it will last several more days. BTW lucky you being able to eat that diet. I'd be piling on the pounds with pies and quiche in same week....mmmmnn

My milk also runs out tomorrow, really not happy at all. Maybe I'll just buy a cow and keep it in the garden.

Iam - how unfortunate for you not to be able to consume a pie and a quiche in one week, do you have some sort of pastry rota going on?

Just another to echo pp's saying Ocado.

Their online shopping is so simple, straightforward and I've never had issues with dates.

We've tried all of the different supermarket online shops now and honestly the best one I've found to be consistently good is Sainsbury's. Ocado has been ok too, but I've had problems with all of the others, Tesco and Asda being the worst, followed closely by Morrison's!

I'm gonna switch, but it's a pain in the backside as it always takes ages to complete that first initial shop with a new supermarket as you have to select everything from scratch; I'm really busy at the moment so it's all very inconvenient. Ok, will try Ocado or Sainsbury's. Thank you for the recommendations.

Ocado or Morrisons for me. Their websites are identical and they use the same warehouse. The drivers tell me they rotate between the two brands. Excellent service for both and website and receipts are very clear re use-by dates.

KnackeredOldWoman01 - Iam how unfortunate for you not to be able to consume a pie and a quiche in one week, do you have some sort of pastry rota going on? Yes, and its almost as brutal as my cheese rota.. yet I still gain weight!

Life's too short, enjoy your cheese and quiche.