Supermarket driver nearly two hours early

[StillCoughingandLaughing]

I had a Sainsbury’s delivery booked for 10 - 11 tonight. I wasn’t particularly fussed about having a late slot, but it was the only one with no delivery charge, so I booked it. I wasn’t planning to go anywhere.

Earlier today, a friend invited me for a drink. I said I’d have to leave at 9.30 to be back, which she said was fine, so I went. At 8.20 I got a call - it’s my delivery driver wanting to know why I’m not answering the door. I explain my slot isn’t until 10, but he tells me I’m the last delivery of the day, so he’s there now and can I answer the door. He doesn’t speak great English, so it takes several attempts to explain that I’m not at home.

Eventually he gets that I won’t be there before 10. After a big sigh, he eventually says again, ‘I’m here now - you’re my last delivery’ - but then says he’ll wait for me. As I was arriving home at 9.45 he was on the phone again, wanting to know where I was.

This has happened to me before with Sainsbury’s, and from the missed calls on my phone, I can see it’s the same driver. I’m torn, as it’s massively frustrating when you’re trying to plan your day to get irate phone calls asking why you’re not in 90 minutes - two hours before your booked slot. I absolutely wouldn’t have minded an early delivery if I had been in, but I can do without being treated like an inconvenience. Because it’s happened before, part of me wants to complain. On the other hand, I wouldn’t want the driver to get the sack over it either.

Should I say something or not? Obviously it’s not a big thing, but shouldn’t I be able to plan around a slot rather than two hours either side ?

@diddl that's pretty much what I said to them when they said they'd told them to come back but it would be later than the original slot. They had nothing to say except the drivers were now on other deliveries at that time apparently

[quote newyearnoeu]@storyoftonight "chance his arm" would be as per other examples on the thread, giving her a ring and saying politely "dont suppose you are around for me to drop your shopping off early?"and then when she said no saying "no problem" not sighing and nagging her by ringing again. And op said he has done the same thing before?

I literally copied and pasted from ops post so not sure how I'm using emotional language???

Im sorry to hear of the domestic violence you suffered but am confused as to why you ask if I would have made the same comment about a female delivery driver, surely you know all the statistics regarding male on female vs female on female, or female on male violent crime??? It's not fear mongering if it's true...

Any way I think we will have to disagree on this, obviously have very different opinions which is fine but ultimately neither are relevant...if op decided to report it's up to his company to decide if his actions were/weren't appropriate based on their expecations/ code of conduct/whatever[/quote]
Because regardless of the statistics , people don't make comments like that about a female.

For example , the many threads we see about females behaving awfully in public , she is either a rude cow or PPs implore them to imagine what a bad day she could be having. Yet as soon as a man makes a bad call he is threatening and abusive.

I don't think his actions were in any way acceptable and OP has every right to complain and I'm not saying otherwise. I just think PPs responses are OTT.

I am assuming the driver is paid to work the hours he’s contracted for even if he finishes early. Nothing to do with the OP. Just as the supermarket’s profits are unlikely to drastically change because OP is having her groceries delivered. (I think they make quite enough...) OP had planned her evening around her order and was being guilt-tripped by a service provider in order to convenience HIM with an early finish and inconvenience HER. That sort of defeats the whole purpose of having ordered the delivery in the first place. If OP wanted inconvenience, she could have gone to the supermarket and schlepped around to not find what she wanted in the first place herself.

"They had nothing to say except the drivers were now on other deliveries at that time apparently"

Awful service.

So because the drivers wouldn't wait until you got there, they probably had to work later themselves?

Although you were inconvenienced as well.

I wonder if there's any sort of system in place as regards times/places.

Well there must be to some extent, but not so much that your timeslot & another could just be swapped.

Some of the replies on here

I would complain op as it was far too early to call and he shouldn't of called again chasing you...however

My DH works home shopping albeit more stacking down and filling the vans more than the actual driving these days so to address a few comments

20 mins is the earliest they should contact you before your slot. If you say you are not in a position to accept then that's it they should wait with no further contact ( my DH used to take his kindle to work for this reason)
He isnt sat in a warm van..as they are not allowed the van running and everything is monitored, so often is sat in a freezing cold van watching the family inside sat watching the TV etc..

These are the men and women who have helped keep the country fed recently..with no 10% off for these hard working key workers. My DH has started 3 hours before his contract starts since the beginning of lockdown. He starts at 2am every morning to make sure the vans are filled for the extra demand, he also works weeks without a day off due to staff sickness etc.

He often covers drivers shifts who haven't turned in so ends up finishing later ( after the 3hr earlier start) so yep the 20 early last drop is great as he then has to go back and empty the van etc before he can leave. He gets no extra overtime rate..

Hes not a saint or a hero but he works bloody hard as they all do with unrealistic timescales and pressure from management regardless of the poor planning of the days deliveries.

Sorry that turned in to a bit of a rant and not aimed at you at all OP.

@MogHog

Some of the replies on here

I would complain op as it was far too early to call and he shouldn't of called again chasing you...however

My DH works home shopping albeit more stacking down and filling the vans more than the actual driving these days so to address a few comments

20 mins is the earliest they should contact you before your slot. If you say you are not in a position to accept then that's it they should wait with no further contact ( my DH used to take his kindle to work for this reason)
He isnt sat in a warm van..as they are not allowed the van running and everything is monitored, so often is sat in a freezing cold van watching the family inside sat watching the TV etc..

These are the men and women who have helped keep the country fed recently..with no 10% off for these hard working key workers. My DH has started 3 hours before his contract starts since the beginning of lockdown. He starts at 2am every morning to make sure the vans are filled for the extra demand, he also works weeks without a day off due to staff sickness etc.

He often covers drivers shifts who haven't turned in so ends up finishing later ( after the 3hr earlier start) so yep the 20 early last drop is great as he then has to go back and empty the van etc before he can leave. He gets no extra overtime rate..

Hes not a saint or a hero but he works bloody hard as they all do with unrealistic timescales and pressure from management regardless of the poor planning of the days deliveries.

Sorry that turned in to a bit of a rant and not aimed at you at all OP.

Thank the lord for a balanced response

@diddl. I know. Very annoying for everyone involved. I think they probably weren't expecting to be told to come back!

But you use dramatic language across the board. A 'big sigh' shock and chasing why she wasn't home - not what OP said , he was ringing to see how far away she was. We take a lot from language - OPs original language could well have been a dramatisation.

It was me who said it was a big sigh, not another poster. I said it because it was. I didn’t say he yelled at me, or that I was scared or that there was any kind of confrontation, so I’m not sure what made you decide my language was a ‘dramatisation’ of the situation.

What I didn’t say was that the driver rang to see how far away I was. I don’t know what he was phoning to say, as I arrived home as he was calling.

Given that OP stayed out until the last possible minute and this entire thread is based on why should I and it's his job and bla bla , this was not based on fear.

You’re still making it sound like I did something wrong here. Like I stayed out until ‘the last possible minute’, as you put it, out of petulance. I was simply sticking to the plan I had every right to make. I left the pub at 9.30. I got home at 9.45. I kept my appointment; the driver didn’t.

Given that OP stayed out until the last possible minute and this entire thread is based on why should I and it's his job and bla bla , this was not based on fear.

But she didn't? She came home at 9.45, 15 minutes early for the delivery?

Honestly @Storyoftonight you are reading things that aren't there, saying you've asked things that you haven't and the stating "I'm not stupid"!

We have had this quite a lot on an evening but we really don't mind. If we're in, we're happy to accept the order whatever time. If we're not in, they usually phone/text and we explain we're not in but we'll be back at a certain time.

They're always okay with this. One driver waited 90 minutes for us and was happy to do so.

Happened to me a few times.Iceland was late one day,had to leave to collect kids.They rang and then waited for me to come back.Nice.Not snarky.

Another shop was hours late,stuck in the house,couldnt even run to the nearest shop.

Rang HQ,they told me he was on his way.About 2 hours after my spot he turned up.Handed my shopping in.Putting it away and i realised he never gave me my meat.Whole weeks worth of meat.

Rang back and he had not got it in the van.Came next morning with fresh meat.Got sent vouchers out in the post.Never go t a delivery from them again.

I wouldn't personally. He's chanced his arm but neither of you have really been put out. You arrived home for about the same time you would have anyway and he had to wait, so I think it would be needlessly creating a drama.

If he'd pissed off and gone home then fine, you'd have cause to complain.

Is anyone else a bit insulted by all the 'it's a shitty job' posts? I'm sure there are downsides to it, as there are to any other job, but is being a driver automatically more 'shitty' than being a checkout operator or warehouse stacker for the same supermarket? Or all the other perfectly respectable similar jobs out there? You know, the ones that as a country we'd apparently decided were 'key' and more necessary and worthy of applause than being a software developer, or graphic designer, or lawyer, or many other 'professional' jobs.

Since when did you have to be a CEO of a multinational to take a bit of pride in your work? I've done a number of minimum wage jobs - they were absolutely fine, some were even fun. I would have been a bit offended if every customer I interacted with thought so lowly of me and my shitty job that they didn't even expect me to have the bare minimum of decent manners and politeness, let alone enthusiasm for a job I'd chosen to do!

@MogHog you've provided a really good explanation of some of the negative aspects of your DH job (really harsh they aren't allowed to have the heating on, for example) - but the example of the family sitting inside watching tv and refusing to answer the door while he waits outside is clearly the opposite of the OP physically not being at home, nor having made any commitment to being at home! I can't imagine anyone would think she was reasonable in those circumstances! Can't believe people are like that, how petty...

On Saturday Ocado rocked up at 9.30, I was booked for 11 - 12, we were in the middle of a power cut, I'd stayed in bed the house was freezing and I couldn't have a shower. Driver looked at me gone out, still in my jamas

He isnt sat in a warm van..as they are not allowed the van running and everything is monitored, so often is sat in a freezing cold van watching the family inside sat watching the TV etc..

Often? Seriously?

@StillCoughingandLaughing

But you use dramatic language across the board. A 'big sigh' shock and chasing why she wasn't home - not what OP said , he was ringing to see how far away she was. We take a lot from language - OPs original language could well have been a dramatisation.

It was me who said it was a big sigh, not another poster. I said it because it was. I didn’t say he yelled at me, or that I was scared or that there was any kind of confrontation, so I’m not sure what made you decide my language was a ‘dramatisation’ of the situation.

What I didn’t say was that the driver rang to see how far away I was. I don’t know what he was phoning to say, as I arrived home as he was calling.

Given that OP stayed out until the last possible minute and this entire thread is based on why should I and it's his job and bla bla , this was not based on fear.

You’re still making it sound like I did something wrong here. Like I stayed out until ‘the last possible minute’, as you put it, out of petulance. I was simply sticking to the plan I had every right to make. I left the pub at 9.30. I got home at 9.45. I kept my appointment; the driver didn’t.

No, I'm not. I don't think you did anything wrong. I said the driver was out of order. I do think I personally found it petty not to just come back (and then complain if you wanted to ) but that last quote you've used was actually a completely different argument where the PP chose to compare your situation to that of a domestic violence victim who was scared to return. I was simply pointing out that this wasnt the case. Same with your first point.

@whatsyournamenow

Given that OP stayed out until the last possible minute and this entire thread is based on why should I and it's his job and bla bla , this was not based on fear.

But she didn't? She came home at 9.45, 15 minutes early for the delivery?

Honestly @Storyoftonight you are reading things that aren't there, saying you've asked things that you haven't and the stating "I'm not stupid"!

You've tied together completely differenr points, none of which were aimed at the OP.

What’s petty about it? Why should I have given up my night out?

I got a call from my window cleaning company telling me they'd be coming on Monday between 9 and 9.30, just before 8 I stumbled downstainr in my little t-shirt/nightie to make a coffee, took it back to bed to continue with Montelbano and a couple of minutes later a ladder was up at the window! Could have been a shock downstairs were I a few minutes later!

I get my groceries delivered carefully timed for when my housekeeper is here - if they arrive early I can’t unpack them, much less open the door, as I’m in video meetings back to back. I’ve got a note on Ocado saying “please don’t call to offer me an earlier than scheduled delivery” and that works well. Can you do that with your booking OP?

YABU you need to call Sainsburys and let them know that driver was making it seem inconvinent for them that you weren't able to accept delivery over 90mins early!

The driver knows they may be out on deliveries until 11pm at least when they accept the job and the shift pattens.

A friendly phone call to say, hey we'll be in the area early can we deliver is ok, as the customer may be happier with an earlier delivery. Saying that you're the "last delivery" and putting pressure on to customers is not ok, and will be bad for Sainsburys reputation in the long run, so their customer service team should be informed.

I keep getting the same with Tesco, drives me mad! (Yes I know supermarket delivery drivers were like Gods a few weeks ago and I am very grateful for them but...!)

I always book a 9-10 slot as it works for me, time for the kids to fall asleep etc. Last few weeks it's been 8.30, always just as mine are falling asleep, tonight 8.15!

Was not happy and have complained. It's happened before they get better for a bit then it starts again.

Meh the Van's already loaded with your stuff, you're the last job. Makes sense to turn up early and attempt delivery save you both some time. If not hes just going to be sat waiting in the van.

My ASDA driver did this once, two hours early and we were still commuting home. He said he’d wait so I let him wait 🤷‍♀️

@StillCoughingandLaughing

What’s petty about it? Why should I have given up my night out?

I didn't say you should. I just hink the whole things a bit petty. On all sides, given everything else going on Only my opinion