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AIBU?

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Original poster

Asda Delivery Man Refuses to Deliver Shopping To Door of Help Heavily Pregnant Woman

102 replies

ChocolateOrIDie · 01/10/2018 12:42

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6226495/Pregnant-mother-forced-haul-200-weekly-shop-two-flights-stairs.html?login#readerCommentsCommand-message-field

My opinion is that you pay for the shopping to be delivered to your door, and therefore leaving her shopping at the bottom of the stairwell was wrong, let alone her being clearly heavily pregnant and with a crying child in her flat (you can hear him crying in the video)

Im surprised to see a lot of the comments saying it 'wasn't his job to take them up the stairs' - surely it is if thats where her front door is??? would love to see the reaction if this person was disabled/elderly, i could imagine it would be different.

AIBU and what do you think?

OP posts:
ParanoidGynodroid · 01/10/2018 13:19

I have always used Tesco and found them to be helpful and polite. They always take the crates into my kitchen. Occasionally used Sainsburys, they are the same.

I used Asda once and the shopping arrived with two men. Shopping was dumped on the doorstep. One man said "We won't help because our boots are a bit wet". I cant lift those crates, at least not from ground, so I took things in (they were not in bags) a few at a time, leaving the men outside in the rain. It was a huge shop and took ages. I didn't hurry. They were getting wet and pissed off. Serves them right. I won't be using Asda again.

LeftRightCentre · 01/10/2018 13:20

I don't think any of them should have to come into a person's home. That makes drivers very vulnerable. Plus, it eats into their time, they're a delivery driver, not a personal servant.

GunpowderGelatine · 01/10/2018 13:23

Regardless of policy, it's a bit off not taking them to her flat door - what happened to a bit of kindness?

lavendargreen · 01/10/2018 13:23

It may be that he didn't HAVE to help her, but any decent person would have helped, if someone who was struggling asked for help.

And people need to bore off with the 'she is only pregnant, not ill' bollocks. It's boring, and it's old, so just keep your predictable and obnoxious comments to yourself.

leiaskye · 01/10/2018 13:27

If it's in their policy, then their policy is wrong, but looks like ASDA have apologised so it was just one awkward delivery jobsworth driver.

I used ASDA once, when I was pregnant.

Although there were no stairs, they left the shopping at the front door. I asked if they could carry it to the kitchen, but he refused. Saying he was not insured and if he fell, he would have to sue me.

HAVE to? What on earth for? Not looking where he was going??

I never used them again.

Sainsburys carry the shopping up 17 steps to my front door (moved house since the ASDA situation), and would take them into the kitchen if I asked, but I've no need for them to now.

AdoraBell · 01/10/2018 13:31

No idea about Asda, but Sainsbury’s delivered to my sister, third floor without a lift. And Waitrose website says to tick the carrier bag option if you live in a block of flats.

As for-she’s pregnant, not terminally ill. Pregnancy can cause problems with the woman’s hips, or back. Sometimes these become permanent. So yeah, not terminally ill but not necessarily able bodied either.

tillytrotter1 · 01/10/2018 13:31

Giving champagne to a pregnant woman, brilliant Asda hmm

From the 'can't do right for doing wrong' series!

Why is she classing being pregnant as a disability?

wink1970 · 01/10/2018 13:43

I've just had my Sainsbugs delivery; they always faff about for ages but then offer to bring it right in. Tesco don't faff and also offer, as do Ocado (I alternate). I tip £2 and I prefer they leave the crates at the door, as I can then dump the bags in the right area of the kitchen and unload at my leisure.

He should have offered to help her, pregnant or not, good for Asda for apologising.

LavendarGreen · 01/10/2018 13:46

@AdoraBell

As for - she’s pregnant, not terminally ill... Pregnancy can cause problems with the woman’s hips, or back. Sometimes these become permanent. So yeah, not terminally ill but not necessarily able bodied either.

Yeah this. I get so pissed off with this, and it makes me wonder how cold and unfeeling you have to be to say it. Hmm

LavendarGreen · 01/10/2018 13:49

@Wink1970

Sainsbugs?' Grin

DerelictWreck · 01/10/2018 13:52

But she wasn't asking them to come into her house. She was asking them to bring them to her front door, which is their policy!

53rdWay · 01/10/2018 13:54

Why is she classing being pregnant as a disability?

Is she? Where?

AngelsSins · 01/10/2018 13:58

If you pay for something to be delivered, of course it should be delivered to your front door. It astounds me that a lot of people settle for such a low standard of customer service in this country!

longwayoff · 01/10/2018 14:00

They can bring it into my house or take it back with them and explain that. There are plenty of other stores with decent drivers, Waitrose.

Original poster
ChocolateOrIDie · 01/10/2018 14:31

Interesting points, although I’m still surprised to see that there are still people who think pregnant women are fully 100% able to carry heavy items up the stairs. And, after paying a company for a delivery, they shouldn’t expect a bit of common decency from the employee who was clearly in the wrong as Asda have admitted.

Chivalry is dead, comes to mind.

OP posts:
CliveIsAlive · 01/10/2018 14:32

My brother used to deliver groceries for ASDA. The drivers had to deliver the shopping to the entrance to the building. Be that the front door of a house, front door for a block of flats, etc. It was then at his discretion as to if he would take the items into the building (if asked).

Personally I would have taken the items up for her but I can understand why he refused. I think they have something like 4 and a half minutes per delivery.

EmperorTomatoRetchup · 01/10/2018 14:38

Regardless of policy, it's a bit off not taking them to her flat door - what happened to a bit of kindness?

When they have delivery targets to meet, bosses jumping on their case if other orders are late, only statutory sick pay if they put their back out in the process, all for poverty wages, kindness is in pretty short supply. I used to do a job on a casual contract where I was often asked to help carry pushchairs up the stairs, as it wasn't in my job description. I generally politely refused as if I injured myself I would be without pay, if the pushchair got damaged or the bosses caught me doing it, I'd be in the shit, so generally I told them where they could fold and store the pushchair if they couldn't carry it. I don't think I am an unkind person, but I had to think of my own interests as well.

DemocracyDiesInDarkness · 01/10/2018 14:46

I never said anything about pregnancy or disability, just pointing out the fact that alcohol is a shit gift for a pregnant woman! Pretty obvious if anyone had taken two seconds to think about it.

Original poster
ChocolateOrIDie · 01/10/2018 14:47

@EmperorTomatoRetchup

but why do other companies manage to deliver to peoples doors (and sometimes into their actual kitchens?) it was clearly an isolated incident which Asda have assured shouldnt have happened and that the driver was wrong.

OP posts:
wink1970 · 01/10/2018 14:49

@LavendarGreen - yes it's a Sarah Kennedy saying for those of us old enough to remember. That and 'bummocks' as a child-friendly swear word! Grin

EvePolastri · 01/10/2018 14:52

champagne is a nice touch actually....for when the baby has arrived, it keeps!

pumkinspicetime · 01/10/2018 14:52

Using asda was her mistake, Ocado are great, sainsburys is fine and a friend tells me that Morrison's works well.
The later stages of pregnancy are often physically disabling to a greater or lesser degree, I am surprised this isn't universally known to be honest.

sittingonacornflake · 01/10/2018 15:02

I remember one Asda delivery driver being a complete dick to me when he arrived to deliver my shopping. He phoned about 3 times before he made it to the front door because the access was difficult and he'd 'have to risk assess' it and he refused to believe his colleagues had delivered to my address multiple times before. (So accused me of lying - nice!)

I just said 'ok well once you've done your risk assessment I'll see you at the front door with my shopping'.

Ooh he didn't half huff and puff but he did deliver. It's stupid though, if he'd been nice instead of stroppy and rude I'd have gone out and helped him.

FishesThatFly · 01/10/2018 15:05

I don't class 4 months as heavily pregnant though. I get delivery so l don't have to lug it around so l think that between her and him they could both have taken it up the stairs

Neshoma · 01/10/2018 15:05

They didn't do delivery when I was pregnant. I just got on with it. Same when I was pregnant and had a toddler too. Toughen up people.

If she was really struggling she could have put it in the notes or got a friend/relative to help.