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.

[StealthPolarBear]

I assume op doesn't want to put out bags or bin bags as the driver will have to handle them to put the stuff inside. With boxes the stuff could just be placed in without needing to touch the box itself. Or if they provided bags (at a cost) that would mean the bags hadn't been handled by someone who is infectious first.

[Lweji]

£300 for a months shop isn’t a lot though. £1 to feed each person a day? Amazing!

300 is £10 per day, and just over £3 per person in a 3 person household, with two young children.

[DC3Dakota]

Just put a few plastic stacking boxes outside and soak them in anti viral spray or anti bac spray. Not 100% effective but better than nothing. They'll get rained on anyway!!!

[DobbyTheHouseElk]

@DM1209 I hope you all recover swiftly.

I understand what you are saying here, it’s crossed my mind as well.

I’m not having Sainsburys deliver now, they had bags earlier in the pandemic and then decided they could get rid of them.

Ocado and Asda do still have bags and will leave them on the doorstep and walk away. I know it’s of no use now, but for the future.

Why don’t Sainsburys protect their staff better? That’s the real question here.

[MJMG2015]

@DM1209. I hope DD is feeling better soon & makes a full recovery, it must have been horrible & scary for her. I hope the rest of you don't have it.

Sainsburys have been really stupid to go back to bagless. Now is not the time.

I'm in the SE & Tesco here has given the option of bagless or tray liners/bags. I pay fir the tray liners/bags. It all comes in the bloody tray liners. It's just as much plastic (but nowhere near as useful)& everything gets soaking bloody wet! They're difficult to move around and no use afterwards (people have said to use them as litter tray liners - well I'd need to get a cat! And a bloody enormous litter tray.

I also use Ocado & thankfully they're back to using bags (and taking them away again) but they don't stock everything & it's worse now they're with M&S instead of waitrose & because I only have a midweek pass they dumped me when we were in lockdown, so I prefer to get most of my shopping with Tesco (Ocado do a few items I can't get with Tesco)

Sainsbury lost my custom at the beginning of lockdown & will not be getting it back.

Anyway, hope Amazon works out for you & maybe see if you can join up with Tesco (if they offer bags in your area).

[Chanjer]

£300 for a months shop isn’t a lot though. £1 to feed each person a day? Amazing!

wut?

[vanillandhoney]

@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?

But they are protecting their staff! The driver has several options - he could unpack the shopping using gloves which he can dispose of straight away afterwards, or he could just sanitise his hands after the delivery.

I don't really understand why that's not enough.

[nicky7654]

Maybe do smaller orders instead of a whopping £300 one? Less to bag up then.

[Jroseforever]

Lots of common sense to me
Not much on your part though

[compulsiveliar2019]

@nicky7654

Maybe do smaller orders instead of a whopping £300 one? Less to bag up then.

What a ridiculous comment!! So instead of one exposure you'd expose more people!!! 🙄

[Georgeoftheinternet]

We do realise that the virus is most likely spread from being next to someone with the virus and it coming out of their mouth, right?

If you are really that bothered OP, get your neighbours to put some bin bags on the floor and thus it’s not from your house.

[Scarlettpixie]

Yanbu. This is not the time for sainsburys to have a strict no bag option.

I have been using Tesco throughout and they have been fantastic. They bagged everything for a time to reduce contact and now bags are optional. If you tick bags (40p) they use tray liners and if you are SI will lift out and leave in the doorstep.

I am amazed how many people think the op can pop a couple of boxes outside and it will be enough for a big shop. I usually have 5 or so crates did a £100 shop!

For the picker from sainsburys you say you have a system that does not allow you to bag while picking but if Tesco can manage it by adding tray liners.. problem solved. No extra work for you other than popping a liner in the appropriate crates.

Hope you are all feeling better soon OP.

[flaviaritt]

This is ridiculous. I think Sainsbury’s are a wanky supermarket (for several reasons). But they have every right to create their own plastics strategy. If people don’t like it they should shop with someone else.

[BettyFilous]

@KrisAkabusi

Your shopping wouldn't be piled on the ground. As plenty of people have said, they deliver in crates. There's no need for plastic bags.

Sainsburys arrive with loose goods in their stacking crates. You have to empty the crates quickly so the driver can get to their next drop. Where we live, there is a shortage of parking and the Sainsburys van often has to double-park for deliveries, blocking the street. It was great when they temporarily reintroduced bags during lockdown. We’re now back to chucking everything in to bags in the front garden, or on the hall floor.

I have a disabled relative who cannot use Sainsburys home delivery for this reason.

[Soubriquet]

What are these liners that Tesco use and how do they work?

I’ll bring it up with management and see if I can’t get them to bring it up with their management and so on until it hopefully reaches head office

[DianaT1969]

The delivery driver wouldn't have to touch any boxes you leave outside. Just empty crates into it. Even if he/she did accidentally touch the side, they can use hand sanitizer afterwards.

[Mummyoflittledragon]

I’m disabled. I use ocado if I get a delivery at a time when I’m alone. Otherwise dh can sort the Tesco delivery.

[BorderlineHappy]

Can you get your neighbours to leave bags outside for you to pack your shopping in.Then just re imburse your neighbours for the bags when you are all in the clear..

[StealthPolarBear]

@Soubriquet

What are these liners that Tesco use and how do they work?

I’ll bring it up with management and see if I can’t get them to bring it up with their management and so on until it hopefully reaches head office

They're just giant very thin bags that line the crates. I didn't realise what they were for and unpacked my shopping leaving them in. It was only near the end when I realised it would have made sense to take it all out in one go, using the liner!

[sashh]

Iceland are using bags.

I'm with you OP the driver should not be putting themselves at risk using your bags / box.

On a practical level could you put something like a sheet (or two) outside when the driver arrives, that way your groceries can be put down by the driver and you can drag them in. I know it isn't ideal.

[Scarlettpixie]

Here is a pic Soubriquet

The liners are the size of the crate so you can lift the whole thing out. They don’t have handles.

[AdoptAdaptImprove]

@FallonsTeaRoom

Don't they deliver in crates?

Delivery guy knocks, waits at safe distance, you take crate in, unpack it quickly, return crate to outside and repeat until done. No?

Nope, not if you’re isolating - you can’t touch anything they have to touch subsequently. They should have a way of doing contactless delivery - Morrison’s and Tesco certainly do.

[RogueV]

Why can’t you put bags and boxes outside your front door?

I’m
With Sainsbury’s sorry

[emmathedilemma]

That's ridiculous, all through lockdown they were only doing deliveries and click & collect orders with carrier bags, often with only one or two items per bag to seemingly use as much as plastic as possible! I lost track of how many bag loads have gone to the recycling or food bank for reuse since it reopened!

[RB68]

I do think they need to review this given at the last peak they were bag delivering - this one is worse - its a driver safety i ssue