AIBU to be fucked off with bagless deliveries?

[KillinMoon]

I live in a second floor flat, no lift. I can't drive due to epilepsy and can't lift heavy items due to adhesions from major gynae surgery. So I get my shopping delivered.

So far so good.

When the pandemic hit the drivers started leaving the shopping downstairs and waiting for me to collect it and take it upstairs. Ok-ish, when it was in bags, although a bit of a strain. Now that it's in crates it's really hard. I have to crouch/bend over the crates to fill up my own bags which is really painful. I understand they don't want to get the covid, but this is really hard for me to do.

This morning was a particular low point. Half my key stuff was soaked with rain - sugar, flour, tea, biscuits. The driver said to they'd had to load up in the rain. Obviously as they were doing it directly into crates everything got really wet. In the other tray, a bottle of milk had leaked and it had went everywhere. So on the veggies, salad, everything, it is just unusable.

I wiped the things I could (obviously this takes time) but other things I've had to just throw away : I can't do anything with solidified sugar in a disintegrating bag, or with clumped wet tea, or with salad and herbs etc covered in milk.

AIBU to think that this is all unnecessary effort for a service that after all I am paying for and to wish that supermarkets would rethink?

I spoke with Tesco this morning and told them all this and they will refund the damaged items but I still have to go out and buy them. They also said that they would pass my comments on but I doubt anything will change. I just feel a bit fucked off.

@KillinMoon

Our Morrisons and ocado are bagless. Maybe it's different in different parts of the country. Iceland is the only one that uses bags here. I do use them but find it difficult to do a full shop with them.

I think you are mistaken. Ocado aren't bagless anywhere.

help.ocado.com/hc/en-us/sections/360002503611-Carrier-bags-

They also deliver to your flat, not the communal entrance.

I agree that bags are a necessary adjustment for some with health conditions, and this hasn’t been thought through properly.

Generally though I think it’s a good thing that deliveries are bagless. Just think about all the plastic that has been saved. Yes supermarkets could do more but this is a good start.

That’s a shame op, you might as well not have bothered! Must be a pain living in a flat trying to get shopping up let alone if you have mobility issues. I hate shopping with a passion. Always forget stuff and not really a fan of click and collect or deliveries but occasionally I’ll do it, when we did I kept my big bags at the door and just packed them with the crates it is a bit of a faff but I can’t lift them due to a knee injury. Hope you get your stuff ok op. I’m putting off going to Tesco now so not in the mood it’s totally miserable too

Ocado use bags where l am too. What areas do Ocado not use them? When returned to them you get back the 10p you paid for them. Ocado recycle them. Works fine.

Wow, you are correct. RIGHT. Ocado here I come!!

I know it's more expensive but that's worth it for not having to fanny around like I have today. And actually loads of times previously, although to a lesser extent. When Tesco have a delivery service that allows me to get a hold of the food I've paid for in an undamaged state, they can have my custom again.

AIBU to be excited at the thought of someone bringing me undamaged shopping I can get to without doing myself an injury?!

@KillinMoon

Our Morrisons and ocado are bagless. Maybe it's different in different parts of the country. Iceland is the only one that uses bags here. I do use them but find it difficult to do a full shop with them.

This is odd. I’ve had Ocado deliveries all across the UK and all were bagged. Must be new.

Sounds awful OP. I hope you can find a resolution to this.

A pain for sure. What I would do though is go down with a strong bag for life or two and put the shopping in there from the crate to carry it up.
I have back issues and cannot lift the crates. Plus my hallway is too narrow to turn when holding a crate with shopping in.
So I tend to just take a few items at a time.
What I do is ask the delivery guy to hold the crate up for me as I tell them I can’t bend down because of my back.
They always do. Then I take things out from an east height.

Wow, you are correct. RIGHT. Ocado here I come!!

Bravo! I’ve stayed in corporate lets that we’re 2nd floor and Ocado would still bring deliveries into the kitchen. Good luck!

Slightly off the point but can’t you reject the ruined stuff at the door? No need to take it upstairs.

I use Iceland for exactly this reason. The driver drops off my bags and is gone in a flash. All the food is bagged up and sorted - freezer, fridge, fruit and veg, bakery, pantry. It takes minutes to put away. The bags are lovely and big and good quality to use around the house. The bags are free. Their delivery is free.

Contrast with Tesco when I ended up with a load of food dumped out of the trays in my hallway in an effort to get them into the house and keep up with the delivery driver bringing the trays. I have to pay for a delivery and slots are busy often. Iceland always has slots.

I can't get everything at Iceland but I have found some real gems there.

Since they stopped delivering in bags, I have to buy plastic bin liners. Before I re-used the shopping bags. So that's not a reduction in plastic, is it?

I’m CEV to covid and shielded, 3rd floor flat with a lift. I would also struggle with carrying a weeks worth of shopping. I’ve used Iceland and Sainsburys. I had one wrangle with a Sainsburys driver who refused to come into the building. I rang them. It was not their policy and the driver had taken it upon himself to refuse to come in. I’d ring and check and look into using another supermarket. Other than that, I get the bags ready at my door. Most drivers are helpful.

Yay!

FWIW, the Ocado everyday savers are about the same price and quality as the bog standard Tesco stuff, although they don't have the super cheap ranges that the high street supermarkets stock.

Tbh I just can't be doing with the faff. When I've paid seven quid I just want things to go smoothly. I don't want to have to try and compensate for poor customer service, whether that poor service is explained as being due to "the environment" or not.

Am switching to Ocado. Thanks folks.

I only use Iceland and Ocado for this reason. Ocado will take carrier bags from any shop and give you 10p per bag as long as the outer bag is their own.
Also our drivers from both are brilliant.

@GCMM

Since they stopped delivering in bags, I have to buy plastic bin liners. Before I re-used the shopping bags. So that's not a reduction in plastic, is it?

Why not reusable shopper bags? You can get them in a vast range of sizes from not much bigger than a carrier up to the vast IKEA bags and everything in between. I find the Lidl ones particularly good as they have a choice of short lol op and longer shoulder straps

YADNBU, I really don't like bagless deliveries they are a pita and I live in house not a flat, takes ages to empty crates and carry through to kitchen.

The delivery drivers don't like it either as it takes them longer to drop off.
Ocado still do bags for deliveries, and I think Morrisins too, can you switch to another supermarket?
Ocado bags are recycled and Morrisons have paper bags which are my favourite grocery bag( as long as I'm not walking in the rain!)

In the message box at the end of the Tesco shop I just type 'I am disable and will need items brought into the kitchen and placed higher up'. So that's what they do, I've never had any issues.

@Rummikub

It’s all a con. It’s just cheaper for them.

Exactly. Many people used to re-use the plastic bags for bin liners, but those people now need to buy bin liners instead. Same amount of plastic, but supermarkets have a better profit margin while virtual signalling about reducing plastic/saving the planet.

I've discussed this with delivery drivers and am told that nearly all their customers have the same complaint. I do appreciate the delivery service and always thank the drivers for great service, it's just the bagless thing that is irksome.

@ouch321 @Doodar yes, i could do that eventually but the point is that i couldn't immediately after having my baby because i couldn't lift anything heavy. As my comment says, this was soon after the birth when both she and I were very unwell. Tesco should be able to make reasonable adjustments in the same way as any other service and not rely on me being able to book the very early or very late slots when DH was home from work.

@KillinMoon

Tbh I just can't be doing with the faff. When I've paid seven quid I just want things to go smoothly. I don't want to have to try and compensate for poor customer service, whether that poor service is explained as being due to "the environment" or not.

Am switching to Ocado. Thanks folks.

Why have you put “the environment” in inverted commas? Do you not accept we need to reduce the amount of plastic we use as a society?

@KillinMoon

Tbh I just can't be doing with the faff. When I've paid seven quid I just want things to go smoothly. I don't want to have to try and compensate for poor customer service, whether that poor service is explained as being due to "the environment" or not.

Am switching to Ocado. Thanks folks.

Ocado will very likely bring it to your door as well.

Tesco are the only supermarket where delivery drivers routinely refuse to walk up flights of stairs to flats.

I alternate between waitrose and ocado for this reason. Waitrose are bagless but their drivers are all super helpful - will carry crates into the kitchen for me a d when dh had covid were happy to load up our own crates, on the doorstep, halving the time it took to unpack.

I use to live in a 3rd floor flat with no lift and the drivers didn’t like coming up, they were really arsey about it. The only store I know to still deliver with bags is Iceland’s, I know they don’t have as much options as other shops though. I’m in a house now and still hate the no bag thing.

@KillinMoon

Tbh I just can't be doing with the faff. When I've paid seven quid I just want things to go smoothly. I don't want to have to try and compensate for poor customer service, whether that poor service is explained as being due to "the environment" or not.

Am switching to Ocado. Thanks folks.

If you send me a pm, I can give you a code that will give you a free gift with your first order worth £25