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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think the Tesco 80 item limit is daft?

224 replies

Myfriendanxiety · 15/04/2020 20:34

Doing a weekly food shop for a family of 4, plus getting a few bits for my parents. I’ve easily hit the 80 item limit and so am now going to have to go to a shop to get all the other bits I need which defeats the object of delivery!

AIBU to think 80 items isn’t a huge amount for a family?

OP posts:
Fuchsake · 15/04/2020 20:54

If you’re going to the shop for a top-up then you’re obviously able to go to the shop. So leave the delivery slots for those who can’t. The 80 item limit is to ensure lots of families get some food and one greedy family doesn’t fill half of the van.

Original poster
Myfriendanxiety · 15/04/2020 20:56

@fuchsake please read up thread where I explained why I need the slot. It’s the first one I have taken in 3 weeks and I don’t plan to take another any time soon.

I can visit a shop, but it will be the next time DH gets a day off, which is fine for non essentials that can wait.

OP posts:
Mustbetimeforachange · 15/04/2020 20:56

We are shielding. Like I said, I've managed to get one delivery in 3 weeks. 80 items is nowhere bear enough when multi packs aren't available. We are supposed to be getting priority but haven't managed it yet.

12stepCAKE · 15/04/2020 20:56

Yes. We are a family of six. So one pack of bananas is 1 item. You want grapefruit...they are sold separately so if I want 3 that's 3 items. We are really struggling at the moment but self isolating and only place we can get a delivery!

lakeswimmer · 15/04/2020 20:57

Limiting the number of items means people with larger households will have to shop more often - which we're all trying to avoid. I recently went to a supermarket and could only buy one of each frozen item. With a family of five (three teens) one packet of 10 potato waffles won't even do one meal. DS (17) will eat six on his own!

ListeningQuietly · 15/04/2020 20:57

That is why I queue up and go to Sainsbury's.
Today's queue was less than 10 minutes and I got almost everything from my list (except mint sauce and yeast)
and no restrictions on how far I filled my trolley

youkiddingme · 15/04/2020 20:58

I agree, especially when small indivuidual items add up so fast. DH is asthmatic and DD and I are both disabled, so we are reliant on deliveries. Limiting it to 80 just means we have to try to get another delivery sooner which rather defeats the object and isn't easy to do. We are eking things out as well as we can. It would be better, imo, if they limited things that are low in stock, and things that are bulky in size which take up more van space. Having said that we just got our first Tesco slot since this all started so I'm very grateful to have got one at all.

ListeningQuietly · 15/04/2020 20:59

For those who are shielding ....
A poster on a different thread drove to the shop, her daughter cycled.
She sat in the car.
Her daughter did the HUGE shop.
Loaded all the food into the car boot.
She drove to the daughter's and dropped her part of the food
and then took the rest home.

It works.

abstardust · 15/04/2020 21:00

I know our local Sainsbury's had to cancel some deliveries a few weeks ago due to the orders putting the vans over the weight limits, so I would imagine this is why they've had to introduce an item limit.

nicknamehelp · 15/04/2020 21:01

I went to Tescos today got 94 items but if I really had to I could of shaved off 14 items and this will do 4 adults a week yes may not have everything but we would survive.

AuditAngel · 15/04/2020 21:03

Yes, I was planning to go to Sainsbury’s rather than Tesco as I’m not restricted to 2 or 3 of things. We are a family of 5, 3 meals a day at home, takes a fair bit of food,

Gingerkittykat · 15/04/2020 21:04

You are being attacked for having a delivery, but you also would have been attacked if you had went to the shop with 2 kids. You can't so a proper shop in a corner shop.

Morrisons have lifted their item limits if that is a possibility for you.

Wannabangbang · 15/04/2020 21:07

Got same issue can only get a slot maybe for once a month and don't get enough delivered to feed my large family or my vunerable mother. I think there should be a limit but within reason, depending on what items. 80 items doesn't even touch the sides here for a week :(

greathat · 15/04/2020 21:09

Yup trying to shop for us and the in-laws/grandparents in law. Buying big packs of ham and splitting them. Plus bags of bananas/ vegetables instead of buying individually

Wannabangbang · 15/04/2020 21:10

Thats a brilliant idea

SirVixofVixHall · 15/04/2020 21:12

It is really frustrating, as my MIl can order 80 items, she lives alone, we are a family of four , so eighty items isn’t all that much, especially as i can’t get a delivery more often than a month apart.

Lovemusic33 · 15/04/2020 21:13

It’s done so they can fit more orders into their delivery vans, if someone orders loads it means it takes up more of the drivers time and then they can’t do as many deliveries. Your lucky to have a slot, I have been trying to get a slot for over a week now (staying up late) and have now given up. I never order more than 70 items, you just have to shop wisely, don’t buy individual vegetables, fruit and buy multi packs instead. I can get a 2 weeks shop with under 80 items for me, 2 teenagers and a cat so I’m sure doing a weekly shop for under 80 items is doable.

lyralalala · 15/04/2020 21:16

you just have to shop wisely, don’t buy individual vegetables, fruit and buy multi packs instead

Someone got lambasted on here the other night over this issue despite pointing out that she couldn't get multipacks of many things.

It's not always as simple as "bigger packets" and "multipacks"

Lovemusic33 · 15/04/2020 21:16

Buy whole chickens instead of breast and/or legs, portion them up and freeze them. I often buy a side of salmon and portion it up. Big bags of potatoes, 6 pack of baked beans, large packs of sausages, big bags of rice.

When I did my first lockdown online shop I made the mistake of buying individual veg and was only allowed 3 carrots and 3 bananas 😂, I now shop much differently.

vanillandhoney · 15/04/2020 21:17

They've done it for good reason - so they can deliver to as many people as possible. They don't know you have a big family/are shopping for several people or whatever else.

You can go to the shops with small children if you have no other choice.

sobeyondthehills · 15/04/2020 21:21

I think its silly, we normally get a monthly shop, while we could shop weekly at the moment, it would involve both of us going down plus taking DS, because we don't drive and there is no way even for a weekly shop DP can carry it all by himself,

picklemewalnuts · 15/04/2020 21:21

We had a delivery yesterday, and one almost a month ago.

I'm quite creative, buy dried stuff, long lasting items.

By the time I was making my list I'd run out of things like herbs and spices, flour, cornflour etc as well as bread, fruit and veg.
It was really hard to get down to 80 items. There are four adults in the house, I'm the only driver.

When the delivery arrived, there were only about 55 things in it. I was gutted.

I know it needs to happen, but I've been so careful about not going out. I'm not going to be able to go another month now.

Porcupineinwaiting · 15/04/2020 21:22

I think it's fine. Better more households get some sort of delivery than a smaller number get huge ones.

cologne4711 · 15/04/2020 21:25

There was another thread about this the other day where a mum with a big family was struggling. It wouldn't be a problem for me because there are only 3 of us, but I can see that if there are say 5 of you or you are buying for more than one household it can be difficult. However, you have time to do the shop and can be creative about what you buy eg 4 pack of tuna instead of 4 different tins (though I think some of the supermarkets did away with the plastic wrapping so that may be more difficult now - unintended consequence of getting rid of single use plastic!)

lyralalala · 15/04/2020 21:27

I do find it highly amusing that people think that someone buying for a large family wouldn’t think of multipacks.

The big problem for people doing big shops at the moment is the shortage of multipacks and larger bags/packets.

That was the issue on that other thread. The OP couldn’t get multipacks so was having to buy things separately, and yet still people came along with helpful suggestions of multipacks

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