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?

I don't mind any substitutions really as long as they are still vegetarian things - I wonder is there a space on the order I could write that?! (Don't want to annoy my shopper)

@ACertainSupermarket I agree - apart from a few very odd substitutions around Christmas time (think lime flavoured boot polish instead of limes) I've always had reasonable substitutions and on TESCO website you can leave a note so ("only sub for other chopped toms") you don't get something daft.

Lime flavoured boot polish! I suspect a new member of staff unable to use their initiative and override an unnaceptable computer suggestion.

Watertorture yes there is a space by each item to make suggestions. Pickers don't mind this at all. E.g. "Large or green bananas", "If not available any vegan sausage" etc

Sometimes people write really cute things like "Thank you for doing my shopping!!" "Happy Christmas xxx"
Sometimes people write more moany things but not often!

Ooh thank you.

Yes, when I went in to amend my order 8 items weren't available. If I hadn't gone to amend it I wouldn't have known. Now I intend to log in as late as possible & see what is missing

Whereas if I get the items I want into my basket on an online order I don’t amend it at all.

Just because it’s not available at midnight the night before or a couple of days before doesn’t mean it won’t be when it’s picked.

Also if it’s in the basket then they’ll try and sub it. With a different brand or different pack sizes. If it flashes up as unavailable then I just don’t get it.

No, these items they said wouldn't be subbed & would be removed

Myself- a lot of multipacks are out of stock atm so instead of a pack of 4 tinned tomatoes (1 item), you have to order 4 tins of Tomatoes (4 items) Repeat that with fruit and veg and 80 items is easily achieved.

Not sure if it’s the same in UK but in Ireland tesco are only substituting essentials (bread, milk, baby products, nappies)

Not the same here. My Tesco order this morning had 43 subs. Only 1 not available though so that’s good

OP I have come back to change my vote.
I ordered 80 items, I did think that was plenty to be honest but I have just checked and only 58 will arrive.
12 of those are bananas 🤪
So none of the flour and pasta that was in stock last night is coming. Or the butter.
Great.
So why bother having “in stock/out of stock” items on line if then it is a gamble of what is on the shelves on the day?
Why is the website not a reflection of the stockroom and why don’t they pack from there.
They are selling items they don’t actually have.

I have, on several occasions, discovered that the thing I want is not available so I add something similar to my basket. Then when it arrives the similar thing was out of stock, so they have subbed it with the thing I wanted that was out of stock. Ends well

Forget the 80 item limit. My frail FiL lives alone, is housebound & is on chemo. Tesco cancelled his home delivery & replaced it with click & collect. We couldn't get it ourselves for him as that would require a ferry crossing & boats are no longer running. Thankfully a key worker collected it for him after they had done a night shift or he would not have had any food. The council's emergency food parcels are no good as he can only pop a ready meal in the oven, not cook from scratch. Thanks Tesco.

@greathat I was stupid and switched off the allowing subs button.

Why is the website not a reflection of the stockroom and why don’t they pack from there.
It's a consequence of the 'just in time' retail system. Some may have been in stock yesterday, some more may have been delivered overnight - but there's no way of knowing how much will be sold after you order it. Stock is delivered daily - i/e/ a flour quota to fill that particular shelf (flour not a particularly good example at the present as there is some packing backlog apparently). There isn't any, in general, kept in the shop warehouse (only 'backstop' which is surplus as something hasn't sold well the previous day, and will result in more not being ordered for the following day).
Unfortunately, the customer having their order picked immediately before you may have got the last packet of flour in store.

Supermarkets clearly state on their sites that your order is picked that day with store availability. They literally pick it off the shop floor.

Shopping is picked off the shop floor and to a warehouse. The time from you placing to your order to in being picked means it all changes as normal customers are also buying the items off the shelves.

Has anybody struggling with the unavailability of multipacks considered getting catering supplies delivered to their houses? Some of the products are way too big eg 2.5kg tins of tomatoes, but they also sell multipacks like ketchup, sugar, drinks and cereal that you can share with neighbours etc.

@ACertainSupermarket (hope you don't mind me @-ing you) or any other supermarket click and collect pickers - when you do the selections does your list include the shoppers address/email/phone number? I know some workers in local Tesco and would find this awkward if so - obviously they need to see a name but I have a very common one!

I did the shopping for four households yesterday,I explained that they were vulnerable and could not leave the house and they were fine about it.

@Hoghgyni I'm sure their was a reason they made the change, maybe even a good one. Their delivery staff are no more immune to getting sick than the rest of us, neither the mechanics that service their fleet. I doubt they cancelled because they couldn't be arsed.

Porcupine I am well aware of the sickness issues. The Island may be cut off from the mainland, but enough second home owners took CV over there a few weeks ago to share it around. It was Tesco's cavalier attitude which has completely annoyed me, simply sending an email to inform us that his delivery had been cancelled 4 days before it was due. Perhaps a phone call to check whether he was on the government's vulnerable list or if click & collect was feasible would have improved their customer service. In contrast we managed to get him a Waitrose delivery the previous week. The driver checked that he was ok taking his order in doors, waited for him to move it and then called us to say that he was in good spirits and didn't need anything.

@Watertorture no, pickers don't have customers derails apart from the surname which is on the tray label, if they wanted to look closely (or had the time!).

Thanks for letting me know

It is unreasonable for me. I have no vehicle, no public transport and had to wait over three weeks for my last two orders. We are a family of three, so 80 items are not good enough for us. I understand their concept, but I think it is flawed. I am not 65, 60 in a few days, but I cannot walk well, and my partner cannot do the shop because of other illnesses. My daughter is 13, and it is hard to go for two weeks (as it stands now) with a paltry 80 items.