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.

[Dillydallyingthrough]

I hope your DD feels better soon

I would have thought Sainsbury's could have done this, even if the person who packs your bag doesn't know your name, I'm assuming they still have a unique number? They could ask the person to pack items into bags for customer number XXX. I think you are being very thoughtful to be sure that the delivery driver is kept safe (he could be vulnerable or have someone at home who is).

[middleager]

OP, you did your best to help them and you. Good that you voted with your feet and will spend elsewhere.
FYI Iceland deliver is massive bags, like sacks/binliners.

[StealthPolarBear]

Sainsbury don't have to change their processes? Don't they have a legal and a moral duty to change processes to protect their staff?
If not, why not?

[Thinkingg]

@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.

Because it's dangerous for the driver! The bags have been in her house so may have virus on them. The driver will need to touch them to pack it up.

She's not being selfish, she's trying to protect the driver!

[Piwlyfbicsly]

@StealthPolarBear
OP is not tested positive herself. People touching things outside of home and washing hands afterwards. That’s what people do. The driver can also wear gloves and exercise distancing. There is no issue here whatsoever.

[StealthPolarBear]

@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.

No but they can and should put processes into place to protect their staff.

[BitGutted]

How about putting a patio table at the front and a note saying leave it on the table and then you can bag it when they've gone perhaps??

I get it from your side but also the time for the drivers they're on a very tight schedule

[StealthPolarBear]

[quote Piwlyfbicsly]@StealthPolarBear
OP is not tested positive herself. People touching things outside of home and washing hands afterwards. That’s what people do. The driver can also wear gloves and exercise distancing. There is no issue here whatsoever.[/quote]
Don't we want to reduce risk where possible? Putting stuff in bags is very very low down on the scale of adaptations to manage the virus. Other supermarkets are managing it so do sainsburys just not care?

[AvoidingRealHumans]

I think you're being completely unreasonable.
Even after a sainsbury's member of staff who packs online orders has explained why it wouldn't be possible you still feel entitled to what you want.
Why couldn't you take crates in, unload, and put back outside? All at a distance from the driver.

[flaviaritt]

StealthPolarBear

Pair of gloves, a mask. The staff aren’t going to contract coronavirus putting things into bags. Don’t be ridiculous.

[StealthPolarBear]

What she wants is to keep the delivery driver safe. Is that what sainsburys wants?

[StealthPolarBear]

@flaviaritt

StealthPolarBear

Pair of gloves, a mask. The staff aren’t going to contract coronavirus putting things into bags. Don’t be ridiculous.

The less exposure the better, especially when the virus is confirmed.

[flaviaritt]

Putting stuff in bags is very very low down on the scale of adaptations to manage the virus.

There is a reason for that. It is virtually a useless distinction. People are catching the virus indoors, not from bags on doorsteps.

[Badbadbunny]

@AvoidingRealHumans

I think you're being completely unreasonable.
Even after a sainsbury's member of staff who packs online orders has explained why it wouldn't be possible you still feel entitled to what you want.
Why couldn't you take crates in, unload, and put back outside? All at a distance from the driver.

Makes no sense when other supermarkets are still bagging up their orders. Why are Sainsbury so different/special they can't do it? It's the wrong time for them to be farting around reducing plastic waste - they're losing custom from their idiotic change in policy. Up to a few weeks ago, they bagged groceries, now they're not.

[samuraimyths]

What about suitcases?

[flaviaritt]

The less exposure the better, especially when the virus is confirmed.

Then they shouldn’t come at all. If that’s our logic.

[StealthPolarBear]

Patio. Table or similar an excellent idea, or do you have a light indoor table? Child's toy?

[justasking111]

I would have used laundry baskets. In case anyone is in the predicament moving forward.

[StealthPolarBear]

@flaviaritt

The less exposure the better, especially when the virus is confirmed.

Then they shouldn’t come at all. If that’s our logic.

It's about a proportionate response. Leaving op and family to starve is clearly ridiculous. Putting shopping in bags is a bit of a pain but other supermarkets manage and is an additional, low effort, adaptation.

[samuraimyths]

Ocado delivers in bags and you return them with your next delivery. For a while they were not taking the bags back but stopped charging for them. Now they have started taking one bag full of bags back which they put into a third translucent bag to keep the driver safe. We are a family of 6 and our shops are big, I would have to buy my own crates if Ocado did not do bags.

[StealthPolarBear]

Ooh yes laundry basket

[ThePluckOfTheCoward]

I know you have know cancelled your Sainsbury's order, but for future reference, and as others have said, Sainsbury's deliver in crates then stand back while you unpack. I don't take the crates indoors, I unpack from the crates into my ironing baskets and shopping bags then shut the door. You could use any large container like plastic bowls, buckets, those ikea blue bags just to decant the shopping into. You could also have some disinfectant and a cloth ready and ask the driver if he wanted you to disinfect the crates.

I'm really sorry that your DD has Covid and I hope she makes a good recovery. 💐

[Badbadbunny]

@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.

But they HAVE changed their processes. Up to a few weeks ago, they DID pack in plastic bags as an option. For some crazy reason, in the middle of a pandemic, they've decided to change their process and stop offering them.

[Piwlyfbicsly]

@Thinkingg
What about taking shopping out of the trays and take it home while the driver waiting exercising social distancing? Driver can wear gloves and I’m sure they spray trays with a sanitizer regularly. What is wrong with this option? Sainsbury’s and drivers can decide in between themselves what’s acceptable risk for them. So many people are working in risky conditions, including school staff. Comparing to them, this looks like creating a problem out of the thin air.