AIBU to think the 80 item limit at Tesco is a bit tight?

[womaninatightspot]

I don't have delivery saver so I'm at the back of the queue as far as slots go still there's some available most weeks. I got a delivery today but there's none next weekend(payday for most) till the 7th. I could of just done a big shop but because of the limit I've had to book another slot for Monday which seems crazy.

Surely it must be hitting Tesco's bottom line as I (and I'm assuming most people)focus on getting basics first and luxury items which have higher profit margins get left or bought elsewhere.

Are people still panic buying? I'm just buying what we need/ refilling the stuff we've used up whilst the shops were bare. Shopping for two houses so maybe tighter than most.

It's definitely the fruit and veg that tips me over the edge looking at my receipt nearly half were fruit and veg. I can't help but wonder if a limit but with fresh fruit and veg exempt would be good.

@notangelinajolie I want them not a fan of green peppers we use them mainly for dipping in Hummus and nobody will eat the green ones. I'm always gutted when I get a mixed bag and it comes with two green ones!

Asda doesn't have the 80 item limit.

I’m delivery saver but have been shopping in store since end March as no slots and were not shielding. I do think they could of handled this better, they could of just used an algorithm or something that would not let you buy more items than your average amount for their normal online customers or set a limit of £100 or something. We’re a family of 5 and we normally spend circa £120 pw with items averaging 70-99 so we would not of been able to do a full shop on their current limits. Counting individual items of veg etc is equally ridiculous and should only have been made to count as one item for however many in that catergory.

As they are now lifting limits on items eg three of things I wonder how long it’ll be until they remove the item limit on online shopping, or maybe they won’t until demand goes right down?

Green peppers are the worse ones lol

I've been buying bigger packs than normal and my 5 banana only counted as one item.

We are just managing but there is only 4 of us. I can imagine bigger families must really struggle.

They could’ve handled it better?

They are shopping and delivering to so many more self isolating people and saving thousands of people walking in the doors and I think they are doing a grand job. I’m grateful they are still operating and have staff willing to work extra shifts.

I’ve had one delivery slot in 10 weeks due to the increased numbers. I’ve shopped in store once.

They deserve praise not criticising.

Fruit and veg take longer to pick because you have to bag it weigh it and put a price sticker on it. I work in tescos so I know this is the reason. Its not great but its the only way to reach as many vulnerable people as they can. My Uncle is shielding and without the 80 item limit he'd have had no chance at a slot. They have thousands of new customers and have many staff isolating at any time. Dot. Com hours have changed as well so they aren't in customers way they are working mostly nights when night team is filling so have to look through cages for a lot themselves. It's chaos

Yup nightmare, I'm shopping for neighbours and it's a pain, I always spend the last 10 mins working out what I can return on my list. It's a pain when buying for others

@gingerkittykat I've just checked Ada and they have loads of slots for next week! I think it's easy to get stuck in a rut for online supermarket shopping!

It's certainly changed the way I shop now. I've been getting the 80 items from Tesco and manage to get a slot about every 10 days. I buy a fruit and veg box from a local supplier but one where I can choose what's in the box. I'm cooking everything from scratch as I have lots more time due to no commute.

I've been buying 5 litre tubs of shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and anti bac handwash online and refilling reusable bottles. Snacks I've been buying in bulk from Amazon. I'm saving about £400 a month on food shopping compared to pre lockdown.

I use Sainsbury's slots are released on a weekly basis, no issue getting one and no liimits on anything.

I've actually just checked out of ASDA, collecting Monday evening. No item limits, most things in stock and when I've collected they have told me to ask for refunds on my subs as they can't take them back. I'm spending around £70 right now when I would have easily have spent £100+ with higher prices and top up shops and that's not taking account of the meals eaten out of the house.

I normally shop in Tesco but when I've driven past the queues have been insane but when I've collected my ASDA order I've seen people walk straight in. Asda is definitely the better option right now.

I'm managing to get weekly Morrisons slots, no item limit, some special offers. A few bits coming back into stock (self raising flour, yay!), some still out of stock (yeast, boo) and just the odd missing item

Well they're a commercial business who exist to make money, so limiting what you can order must really have gone against the grain.

They've put profit second to delivering food to more people, so I don't think they deserve criticism at all.

There are plenty of other supermarkets you can use if you don't like it. But around here they're the only company you can get a slot with - probably because they've limited everyone's order to 80 items.

I'm sure they'll drop it as soon as they can. They'll want everyone ordering as much as they want, as soon as possible.

There were a few threads about this a few weeks ago. Seems very odd that they still have this limit now - people aren't panic buying anymore and there are only a few items that are problematic (flour?) so all you need is limits on those.

Is it because they are trying to fit more in their vans? It's a bit of an arbitrary limit though as people could buy lots of big things. I also think it's a bit silly that their systems can't recognise eg 3 tins of baked beans as a pack. Sainsburys kept the plastic wrapping and it's interesting how getting rid of it has had unforeseen consequences at Tescos.

(anyway now nobody cares about plastic/single use - eg Starbucks now not allowing people to use their own cups anymore)

Have a look at amazon pantry. I got things like toilet roll, kitchen paper, jam (60p!), bleach, some tins and some snacks - all cheaper than tesco. That cut down number of items needed.
In our area you can get a lot of fresh produce locally too eggs, fruit & veg and even meat - so depending where you are that could be worth it.
Please support local business if you can. I really hope this will continue after lockdown, a lot of their stuff is better quality and value than supermarkets and has a better shelf life as it gets to you more quickly.

To combat this I’ve being doing an online shop every 4 days or so (I’m in Ireland). The cost of my shopping has went through the roof (approx €280 per week for 5 of us). It had been impossible to get slots and I was having to get on at midnight to book a slot 3 weeks in advance. It has eased slightly, but I’m still booking 3-4 weeks in advance

We are a family of 5 and it’s no where near enough.
We are getting our meat and veg delivered by the local butcher and greengrocer. But the 80 items still isn’t enough for us and the few bits we get my parents.
And the meat & veg is working out so expensive that I’m considering cancelling everything and going to Lidl.

" I also think it's a bit silly that their systems can't recognise eg 3 tins of baked beans as a pack."

I suppose the system was set up pre-pandemic, when how the system counted items made sense and mattered less, and their focus and resources have been focused elsewhere since. It's a blunt tool but implemented in desperate times and only temporary. Certainly they will drop it as soon as they can because they want you ordering/spending as much as you want.

Gemma2019 where have you got the 5l shampoo and conditioner from? Most of the family have converted to solid, but there are a few who refuse to.

I am shielded until 30 Jun myself, DH and DS 18 &17 in our house, 80 item limited would be useless to us, we haven’t been in a supermarket ourselves since early March we are reliant on home delivery, and I have to say Asda have been brilliant, not somewhere we usually shop, before Covid we shopped at Aldi weekly. We have all been impressed with the quality of the Asda products.

I am also a long-term tesco online shopper (19 years now) with delivery saver.
I understand why they have the limit - it enables each van to make more deliveries. I suspect they know that each crate holds a certain number of items on average and that by limiting it to, for example, five crates per order, they can for an extra couple of orders on the van. Otherwise, a lot of orders would use a whole crate for just one or two items and would cut down the number of deliveries for that driver.
Having said that, I am disappointed that they haven't made more use of the information they already hold about our shopping habits from the clubcard. Certainly , for some basics such as milk, it would have been fairer to allow higher quantities for those who regularly purchased higher quantities. Parents with children definitely needed more than three milks a week? And I agree, counting each loose piece of fruit or veg is ridiculous, per kg would have been fairer since three bags of bananas clearly use more space than three individual ones. I wish there was a way to 'link'two households for those who are shoppiing for others.
I have been using a different supermarket for my mum - registered her as a new customer at the start of all this and have been getting her a slot about every ten days, with no problems. Apart from individual item limits, there has been no overall limit.
Round here Tesco and Asda are the easiest to get a slot - tesco cones from a huge way and Asda is a small player in the local town which is dominated by Sainsbury's , so it seems fewer locals use Asda for online. If I get desperate for shopping I may use Asda, but luckily I am managing to get a tesco slot once a week at the moment.
I think that most supermarkets will have a massive 'de-briefing ' after all this and will be looking at what they could have done better.

Does a tesco account link to the delivery address or the names account holder?

If it's the named account holder just open a new account in each person's name. They can opt to delivery to your address if they can't cope with putting it all away their end.

Then you've got triple the tesco slots you need!

What a charming hack to prevent two other shielding families from getting an online delivery slot that day.

Agree.Even if it has to be so for deliveries it doesn't make sense for click and collect. We have a household of 7 and 80 items is so little.

Well not really as it is being purchased for other households!