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.

[ancientgran]

Can’t they just leave the crates at your door, the driver stands a way back, you unload the shopping into your house and then the driver collects the crates once you’ve shut the door? That’s how our deliveries are working, I have no contact with the driver other than a hello and goodbye from a distance. This is pretty well what Sainsbury's delivery guys do with my shopping with the slight additon that when I open the door I step back and they lift the crate into the hall, then step back while I unload it.

[slipperywhensparticus]

@DryRoastPeanut

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

BECAUSE SHE DOESN'T WANT TO POTENTIALLY INFECT SOMEONE

I thought her post was very clear on that 🤔

[Toddlerteaplease]

I'm currently under house arrest with Covid. Sainsbury's put my order in boxes on the step and I unpacked the boxes. Thought it was a good system.

[BlueJava]

I hope your DD is better soon OP and I sincerely hope your other DCs remain well.

Regarding your post, YANBU, but sadly it's why many ppl don't do everything they could to stop the spread - because you come up against things like this that are met with blockers. I appreciate the message from the PP who is a Sainsbury's picker - clearly not her fault they don't have practices in place to handle this. It is however a Sainsbury's management issue to change (so they can deliver in cardboard boxes or bags) if needed.

[Toddlerteaplease]

I didn't bring the boxes into the house at all.

[Sirzy]

I have just seen the comment about the steroids tasting foul. Use black currant juice to dissolve it rather than water.

[CovidNightmare]

Picking/loading processes are very slick and difficult to change. Put your own bags outside the driver will wear gloves/sanatise hands after touching.

Hope you are all feeling better soon.

[Thinkingg]

YADNBU. In normal situations I agree with no plastic bags, for the environment. But you've explained about covid - they are putting their own staff at risk with their inflexible adherance to policy.

[Thinkingg]

What part of self isolating do people on this thread not get? There is covid in her house. She should not have to put items outside for delivery people to touch.

[DaddysGirlForLife]

I'm sorry to hear about what your daughter is going through. I hope for a speedy recovery for her.

As a retail worker, unfortunately I know that they just don't have the capacity to use cardboard boxes, due to their crates slotting right into the delivery van.
However, they could use bags if requested (via the app) although not sure if Sains are the same as the supermarket I work for. If your shopping has already been picked without using bags, it would effectively mean using time they really don't have to then bag every thing up. Once it's picked the crate goes straight into the fridge/freezer and then is slotted straight into the vans for delivery. £300 worth of groceries is a lot to pick and pickers only have 30mins to do it in.

[flaviaritt]

Thinkingg

But they don’t have to change their processes for her either.

[slipperywhensparticus]

And mix the steroids with a sweet drink I agree they taste vile

My parents tried to kid me the worst something tasted the more good it was doing me I questioned them why a healthy apple didn't taste foul then 🙃 (I really was a smart arse child)

[Chanjer]

If their policy is no bags then it runs that they wouldn't keep them in the online distribution warehouses.

My nephew worked for one and it wasn't attached to a store, it was a standalone section of the business, they wouldn't be able to just pop out front and grab a couple of bags

[Givemeabreak88]

Tesco’s aren’t delivering in bags near me even though I paid for them I got told they weren’t doing them anymore. It seemed petty complaining over 40p so I left it but very annoying! So I guess it depends where you live

[DaddysGirlForLife]

@CovidNightmare

Picking/loading processes are very slick and difficult to change. Put your own bags outside the driver will wear gloves/sanatise hands after touching.

Hope you are all feeling better soon.

This.. they do wear gloves & masks.

[2bazookas]

our deliveries are from Tesco, same policy. Our delivery comes in large plastic trays (stacked by driver outside the door) and we decant everything from the trays into those large bags* sold for use in supermarket trolleys., then carry it to the kitchen or storage. I move goods from trays to bags myself but I know Tesco's lovely delivery guys would do it if requested.

*We have plenty of those big bags as they have many other uses.

[Chanjer]

She should not have to put items outside for delivery people to touch.

She could order with a company that provides that as a service maybe

[Thinkingg]

@flaviaritt

Thinkingg

But they don’t have to change their processes for her either.

It's a pandemic. Every work place has to change their processes to protect their staff.

[StealthPolarBear]

@DryRoastPeanut

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

Because she doesn't want the delivery driver to touch the bags that have been inside a covid house. She doesn't have boxes.

[Sirzy]

@Thinkingg

What part of self isolating do people on this thread not get? There is covid in her house. She should not have to put items outside for delivery people to touch.

I don’t anything that the driver is going to touch after me though. He places the crates at the door and steps back. I empty each one into bags at the door step back so he can take that crate and so on until they are all emptied.

[INeedNewShoes]

How obtuse some of these responses are!

It’s very clear that OP is trying to prevent Covid transmitting from her home TO the driver which there is a possibility of if the driver ends up handling whatever container OP puts outside.

OP, ahead of time, I'd suggest booking your next shop with one of the other supermarkets who are now offering bags. Ocado, Tesco and Waitrose have all been fine here.

[Piwlyfbicsly]

They don’t do it, period. They don’t have time to give you a “special treatment”. They offered you a solution - to leave your own bags and the driver will pack it up. What is exactly the problem? There are thousands other people who found themselves in a difficult situation. Sainsbury’s can’t accommodate everyone.

[ImMoana]

OP.

My DD has also had it badly and we relied on a big shop from Tesco to get us through the 2 weeks. I forgot that the items would come loose in the crate. We advised the driver from an upstairs window that we had a positive case. He sat in the van while we emptied each crate. It took a very long time but it was the best we could do in the circumstances. I know they would have bagged it had I asked.

[Noideawottodo]

@Piwlyfbicsly

They don’t do it, period. They don’t have time to give you a “special treatment”. They offered you a solution - to leave your own bags and the driver will pack it up. What is exactly the problem? There are thousands other people who found themselves in a difficult situation. Sainsbury’s can’t accommodate everyone.

AIBU really does bring the worst out in people.

OP, Tesco offers a bagged option. Hope your dd feels better soon.

[ImMoana]

I would add that I had a mask in and used hand sanitizer before and after.