To think the Tesco 80 item limit is daft?

[Myfriendanxiety]

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?

We are managing despite doing shopping for four households.

It means that you have to focus on what you actually need rather than the nice bits and bobs you would usually order but arent necessarily essential.

As PP have said, better we all get some rather than some getting all and others getting nothing.

My normal shop is between 60 and 67 items. However, now its adding up to more than 80 as all the multipacks have disappeared. So I used to get 4 cans of beans as 1 unit, but now it counts as 4. Apples - used to get a bag of 8 and it was 1 unit, now its 8 items.

It is a pain. I am have booked some click and collects but there are 6 of us. Given that at least half of it isn't in stock it's not sustainable. Seems like Aldi has done away with limits except on hand wash and shower gel so I will venture back into store soon. If you need to feed several kids then I think you need to go out into store and then get dirty looks because you cant live on one loaf of bread a one egg. The fruit cakes on my FB local group take photos of groceries on the conveyor belt. The world has gone nuts

It's not to do with stockpiling, it's to maximise the amount of deliveries they can do per van per day. If everyone wanted 160 items they'd only be able to do half the deliveries, and then you probably wouldn't be able to get a delivery slot at all.

So I wouldn't complain too much.

I've struggled this week - we have a family of four (one GF), shielding and on the tesco vulnerable list, we don't have another slot for two weeks so 80 items has to last 2 weeks.
As pp said the reduction in multi buys hasn't helped.
I've also had to order packs of things that I only want a small quantity eg carrots, potatoes.
I can understand the theory but it's making it very difficult for some.

I do get your situation OP ,DH and I are both frontline key workers and our childcare provision doesn't exist right now, we're working opposite shifts and looking after our 16 month old, who has decided he doesn't sleep in his own room anymore. I've just got back from Tesco, I'm shattered and had a bit of a hissy fit at a woman who.leaned over me, but I was able to get a decent enough shop that I'm only going every two weeks plus, it involves lots of batch cooking, the slow cooker and accepting frozen veg is more likely than fresh for week two. I will concede we use a milkman and have for a long time and he also delivers fresh bread. It was horrendous but it's done and I was also able to get the bits our elderly neighbour needs. The 80 item limit means more people will have enough rather than some people having loads and others going without, it also means the delivery logistics planning is much easier and more efficient

What number do you think would be appropriate then? 90?

Apparently only 6% of people stockpiled in America - yet the shelves were cleared. People didn't stockpile they just ordered one more than they usually did and the just in time delivery of food to supermarkets could not cope. The UK is likely to have behaved in a very similar way - but it's all blamed on the stockpilers not on the just in time delivery strategy by the supermarkets. Again the story that poeple seem to want to believe is that people are selfish and greedy.

Pre lockdown, around 30% of UK calories were eaten out of the home
-cafes, pubs, restaurant, McD, KFC, school, office etc etc
now, all of those calories are being bought at Supermarkets
that is 30% increase in demand
with no change in supply
and the caterers are having to bin food

I’m finding it annoying and am having this issues right now with a shop that’s coming tomorrow. There is 5 of us and a cat. I’m sure they are the only supermarket that has limited the amount you can buy?! I’m having to spend more money buying multi packs because I could buy 3 individual items for £1 each or a pack for £3.50?! So it’s actually more to buy a multipack but I’m actually having to buy it rather than 3 separate items.

It's a fair balance to spread things around and get more deliveries on the trucks. Being adaptable helps. No one NEEDS lemons, why waste 3/80 on lemons?

I'm sure it's difficult with DH's shifts and two little ones, but you do have a butcher & a local shop on top of a Tesco delivery.

Neighbours might be able to help you with a getting nappies & milk if they're going shopping at Tesco etc.

Enough for a large/joint household in normal times? Absolutely not.
Enough for basics, toiletries, alcohol, snacks and pop? Unlikely.

Enough for sufficient basics to keep a family alive for a week. Without a doubt.

Enough so that, even if you have to forgo many of the extras you had in your usual pre-pandemic shop, the supermarket wil have the manpower and van space to ALSO deliver the basics to stay alive for a week to an elderly couple who have never shopped online before, someone living alone with cancer who is shielded, a nurse who is worried about fitting in a trip to the shops let alone being infected at work, etc etc.

So, not 'ridiculous', no.

Enough for sufficient basics to keep a family alive for a week. Without a doubt-

The problem is that people need it to last more than a week because of the scarcity of slots.

People are needing 2/3 weeks worth of shopping, which soon mounts up, especially when multipacks are so unavailable

Yes. Family of four, also doing neighbours shop. Baby still in nappies and struggle to get everyone’s shopping in one hit!

@thenightsky
Just buy a pack of apples rather than 8 loose ones!
Multipacks like beans, though, were already being phased out before the virus as a measure towards reducing plastic wrap.

@Historyofeverything1 I find potatoes and carrots easily last a week or more - carrots in the fridge, potatoes in a cloth bag away from the light, (under the stairs for example).

It's tight I'm cooking for six and really not leaving apart from the click and collect order. I managed to get a wholesale bag of spuds and I'm having milk delivered. Real foods are delivering me a wholesale bag of flour so will bake my own bread and have chickens/ ducks for eggs. The problem is that storecupboard stuff just won't be replaced and cleaning stuff will get tricky. I'd be able to shop for a fortnight if limit wasn't in place.

It's tricky. We are a household of 6, plus I'm a childminder to another four at the moment who all need feeding (and wipes, milk and lots of cleaning stuff). I'm trying not to go out as far as I possibly can to try and protect the children and their families from yet more risk, as social distancing with babies and toddlers is impossible.

I used to buy around 140 items a week looking at previous shops. 80 is tough!

There isn't really any large multipacks available and the shopping needs to last 4 weeks before i can get another slot

@ACertainSupermarket How is it remotely helpful to say "Just buy a pack of apples rather than 8 loose ones!" tell someone whose post says Apples - used to get a bag of 8 and it was 1 unit, now its 8 items

She literally said that's what she used to do, but can't at the moment as there are not bags available?

Just checked my Tesco order from last week. I wasn’t aware of the 80 items limit so just did my normal big shop, including some toiletries and cleaning stuff. 47 items. Also a family of four. Not sure how I could get to 80!

The problem is that people need it to last more than a week because of the scarcity of slots.

That's true, unfortunately the slots are scarce because although the government have urged people who can to go out and shop, most have been reluctant to do this. I'm afraid it's true that a great deal of our online orders still consist of stuff that the pickers shake their head at - 20 packs of beer, several multipacks of crisps, chocolate and cereal bars etc. I know you are 'allowed' to buy them, but if people are that worried surely they'd be spending their 80 items on 'essentials'?

It's ridiculous.we're a family of 7 and I normally get 2 deliveries a month. That's just 2 slots I'm using. Now I have to get 2 deliveries a week, that's 8 slots I'm using!! So I'm using 6 slots that could be used by someone else. Our store isn't allowing subs so if something isn't available, tough.

How are you all getting delivery slots?

When I log in it says I'm not a vulnerable person (I'm not).

• we're a family of 7

Yeah it's crazy for us as well. We are isolating as three families on a farm at lambing. One slot a fortnight maximum.

Things I didn't think about, four women with period. There's four at least gone. No multipacks of anything here. So any fruit is individual.

Large packs seem to be unavailable. For example I've always bought 12 X baby wipe box, can now only get double pack maximum.

I joked with everyone I felt like I had completed a challenge when I did it this week. The best bit is the driver is coming so far they themselves have said it would be easier bringing more.