Sainsbury's - ZERO common sense!

[DM1209]

My 12 year old daughter was diagnosed with Covid last weekend.

She has been very, very unwell with 2 hospital admissions and an intensive course of steroids and antibiotics, which she is still taking.
At its peak, her temperature rose to 41.6, she couldn't breathe effectively and she ended up on Oxygen. Her pulse oxygen dropped to 93, at which point I was told that if it dropped to 92, she would be ventilated - we have had the week from hell. She is also Asthmatic.

I'm a lone parent with 2 younger children. My daugter is now home and recovering for which I am very thankful.

Here's my AIBU, I have a Sainsbury's delivery coming. I called their customer service to let them know we have a positive case of Covid (I've even put a sign on the door so delivery people don't knock and wait) and that we are isolating.

I called Sainsbury's customer service and asked them to please ensure that the groceries were put in cardboard boxes or bags and left at the front door, rather than loose and unbagged on the ground. This is because they don't use carrier bags anymore when delivering.
I was then told that it is not the stores responsibility to bag the groceries and unless I left bags from inside my home, at the front door so the driver could bag them when he/she arrived, they would leave the groceries loose on the ground.

It is a £300.00 order, I say that to give you an idea of the size of the order.

Where is the logic!!??

Was I being unreasonable to not want to have my monthly shop piled up on the ground? Or to not want to take bags from my house (I don't have enough anyway!) for their poor driver to handle and to then have to bag my groceries at the front door!?

My mind is well and truly blown.

[hedgehoglurker]

It would probably have been difficult to find boxes that fit within their crates and racking system. Glad you found an alternative option.

[gamerchick]

Surely you would have had something to put outside. It might maybe time to think ahead for stuff like this. Just be a bit inventive.

Hope your daughter is on the mend.

[Jaxhog]

Waitrose are still delivering in bags for an extra 40p.

[NetflixWatcher]

Tesco deliver in bags have done throughout and still did today when I got a delivery. I don't even tick the options for bags so get them for free.

[DM1209]

@Soubriqet, thank you for the work that you do and for the insight.
I appreciate the logistics and constraints of your job.

I refuse to believe there are no bags as the store still have them, for sale, at every checkout.

I simply don't want to leave anything from inside my home, outside for someone else to handle. My daughter is coughing, crying, she's thrown up a few times (steroids taste foul) and I am not confident that I can safely say 'here you go, there's no germs on this'.

I appreciate your response though.

[MrsBungle]

As others have said they deliver in crates and then stand back. I take the crate to the kitchen and unpack - delivery driver leaves when all the crates are back.

However I agree with you that on occasions like this they should use bags. It’s surely safer for their drivers rather than them having to handle crates that you’ve touched and have been in your house.

[SleepingStandingUp]

I think you've been very considerate Op and it's crap they aren't willing to do anything to protect their colleagues.
For future ref, Tesco deliver in liners so very large plastic bags that line the crate
Quicker to get in that 4 bags per crate and reusable

[Soubriquet]

We do have bags as we have to bag freezer items but we just can’t bag ambient and chilled as like I said, it’s 8 different customers, all with their own number, (no names are ever used), so I have no idea which totes belong to Mrs Smith and which totes belong to you

[PinkyU]

I see you’ve found a solution but if you’re in this position again I would suggest using suitcases/hold all’s (which most people will have), pop them open outside you’re door and ask the delivery person to empty your order into them.

[Badbadbunny]

Agree with OP. It's the wrong time for Sainsbury to enforce a "no bag" policy. We've stopped using them because of it. We now use Tesco instead. If enough people vote with their feet and stop using them, they'll get the message. There's a time and a place for bag policies - in the middle of a pandemic with infection rates rising rapidly, now is not the right time!

[dontatmebully]

Can you add shopping bags to your grocery order? I think you can select the reusable bags to add to your order.

Then specify in the delivery instructions that the order should be put in those bags?

I put out cardboard boxes for the delivery people to place the shopping in so that they don't leave the food on the floor (and since march only one delivery driver ignored the boxes and placed the food on the floor).

[adogisforlife91]

Echoing @Soubriquet. You can ring customer services, but they wont know who is going it be picking your order, into which tote and then which driver will be delivering it.

These are processes that have been programmed to within an inch of their lives for maximum efficiency across the country, so while it seems simple to say 'cant they just bag it up for me' its just not that straightforward I'm afraid.

I do see where you are coming from, however it's not Sainsburys being purposefully unhelpful, the poor person on the end of the phone cant change the system for you. Just leave a box on the doorstep, the driver wont need to touch it.

[missbipolar]

Did you call them the day of delivery? Or give them loads of notice. If it was the day off then that's to late to be asking as the orders start getting picked through the night

[GirlCrush]

You e got younger kids

A few empty plastic toy storage boxes would suffice

[Seeline]

I used Sainsburys for click and collect all through lock down as I was doing shopping for 3 households. All those were bagged - I accept somewhat bizarrely at times - one day I had a whole orange carrier bag with just a book of stamps in!! - but it shows that they can bag things.

[rc22]

I get my online shopping from Asda and they're still doing carrier bags for 40p a shop.

[countrygirl99]

My sainsburys delivery comes in bags

[AriettyHomily]

They wouldn't be able to fit big bags / boxes in their racking. It's been their stance for a while.

Even if they did put them on the ground couldn't you just pick them up as soon as they leave though?

I'm sorry you've had a shit time of it and I hope your daughter continues to recover quickly.

[Bowerbird5]

OP I hope your daughter recovers soon. What an awful time you have had so worrying. You would think they could make an accept-ion as you are trying to protect their staff. Interesting to hear how they process the order though thank you Soubriquet

To people telling OP to get a box. If you don’t have one you just don’t have one. We get a veggie box the boxes are returned each week as in we give back the previous weeks shopping. Glad you have managed to get what you want. Sometimes the smaller things can be the straw when you are coping with far greater problems. Don’t forget to ask people if you need help and be kind to yourself to OP as you have had a lot of worry.

[YetAnotherSpartacus]

I mean this very kindly, but do you think your frustration over the Sainsbury's order (which does sound annoying) is about more than just the rigidity of Sainsbury's delivery policies

The OP was very clear that she was being responsible and caring about the health of the driver.

In fact, she spelled it out.

[YetAnotherSpartacus]

I simply don't want to leave anything from inside my home, outside for someone else to handle. My daughter is coughing, crying, she's thrown up a few times (steroids taste foul) and I am not confident that I can safely say 'here you go, there's no germs on this'

So thoughtful and responsible OP.

I hope that your daughter gets well soon.

Take care.

[DryRoastPeanut]

So why can’t you leave bags or boxes by your door?

[Daisy62]

During lockdown my Sainsbury’s deliveries came in bags even though I didn’t want bags - I was told there was no option.

[rashalert]

I think they are being unreasonable. You've explained your difficult circumstances.

Tesco deliver in large liners now, which isn't ideal-especially when they dump a collection of very heavy items in one liner. The liner must be strong to hold them but it doesn't help when I had to drag them from the doorstep into the hall. I did it bit by bit in the end.

Bring back bags!

[DryRoastPeanut]

Sorry but you must have bags at home, or how do you normally collect your shopping?
Put your own bags outside.