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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

I asked DH to pick up "x" from the supermarket and he bought "y". What bizarre swaps or substitutes have you had?

151 replies

ItsAliveItsElectric · 01/05/2022 18:45

Asked DH to pick up short sleeved school blouses. He claimed there were none and came home with several reduced Easter eggs instead!

What strange or inappropriate things have you had substituted?

OP posts:
FixTheBone · 01/05/2022 21:10

Tesco once subbed my 1kg of turkey breasts intended to go in a slow cooker for a meal I was preparing for guests that day, for,... 10 x 100g packets of sliced Bernard Matthews turkey ham...

weegiemum · 01/05/2022 21:10

I once had Tesco substitute white bread with a bottle of white wine. This was in the very early days of home delivery, I've never been so lucky again!

RenegadeKeeblerElf · 01/05/2022 21:11

My dad once went out to look at fireplaces, couldn't find the shop, so bought a new car instead!

CheesyWeez · 01/05/2022 21:12

I added to family shopping list:
Bread
Choc bics

Shopper came back with:
Bread
Chocolate
Bic biros

BeanyBops · 01/05/2022 21:15

This was pre baby, and for our first dog. Had literally just picked up the new 7 week old puppy and had strict instructions from breeder on what to feed him - and we needed to get baby rusks. Sent DH in to the shop while puppy and I waited in the car. DH couldn't find rusks in the cracker aisle, apparently, but used his initiative and came back with ryvitas. For the puppy. Ryvitas.

LethargeMarg · 01/05/2022 21:19

My fil used to work at Tesco doing the home delivery orders and he had a co worker who was always doing ridiculous substitutions ranging from cherries instead of cherry tomatoes to an iron instead of iron tablets !!

Hilites · 01/05/2022 21:22

Op That made me laugh out loud 🤣

SW1amp · 01/05/2022 21:24

LethargeMarg · 01/05/2022 21:19

My fil used to work at Tesco doing the home delivery orders and he had a co worker who was always doing ridiculous substitutions ranging from cherries instead of cherry tomatoes to an iron instead of iron tablets !!

One Christmas, we got a cranberry scented candle instead of cranberry sauce with our Christmas Eve delivery 🙄

Maydaysoonenough · 01/05/2022 21:26

Dh offered to cook in the very early days. A Sunday dinner...
He prepared 2 carrots.
It was a meal for 8..

thenightsky · 01/05/2022 21:26

Not DH, but tesco delivery. I wanted Tesco Finest Proscecco, but it was showing out of stock so I ordered a cheaper one.

My delivery came and the substitution was my cheap prosecco was out of stock, so they substituted with Tesco Finest. Confused

twoshedsjackson · 01/05/2022 21:26

Not exactly a substitution, but a misunderstanding.
What I wanted was a piece of fresh root ginger, about an inch long, to grate into a curry.
What I got was a pound of fresh root ginger; fresh root ginger sits lightly on the scales, you get a whole lot if you buy a pound.

JaneJeffer · 01/05/2022 21:30

D0lphine · 01/05/2022 20:21

Why are you all with such inadequate men?

Well they're obviously substitutes.

My favourite was someone on here who was breastfeeding and asked her DH to get cabbage and he returned with a turnip.

listsandbudgets · 01/05/2022 21:35

Many years ago no long after I met DP we were having roast lamb for dinner. I texted him to ask if he'd pick up some mint jelly and he returned with lots of jelly - lemon, lime, strawberry, raspberry "I'm sorry love they didn't have mint but I got a couple of everything else". We had jelly and ice cream for days

Turned out his family had always tended towards mint sauce Grin

listsandbudgets · 01/05/2022 21:39

Worst was Sainsbury who decided that the 2 packs of smoked salmon in my big Christmas shop should be substituted by 5 whole sea basses (thankfully beheaded) that had definitely never been anywhere near a smokery. Sea bass canape anyone?

DownTownAbbey2 · 01/05/2022 21:40

Just before one of the football world cups DH popped out to get some batteries and came back with a 60inch TV.

ScurryfungeMaster · 01/05/2022 21:43

I asked my husband to pick me up some sanitary pads last weekend and he came home with a pack of incontinence pants.

MyCatIsAJerk · 01/05/2022 21:44

Mum sent Dad and me off to buy trainers.
We returned home with my first pair of heels — the chunky 70s ones, plus three more pair in addition.
No trainers, though, and I thought my mum was going to have a stroke she was so angry — she thought 15 was too young for heels.
In her fury, she forgot all about the trainers.
My dad just laughed. Brave man.

2bazookas · 01/05/2022 21:46

I asked DH to pick up some pink paint in a shade called Rose.
He came back with yellow paint in a shade called Primrose When challenged he said " But primroses are pink".

Mariposista · 01/05/2022 21:47

Some of these are so funny.

sent out for extra brandy cream (family pre-Christmas get together). There was none so came back with some swede cut into the shape of Christmas trees 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

SewingMum46 · 01/05/2022 21:47

DH usually does quite well. But last week on our Amazon/Morrisons shop I had mango chutney and a bag of dishwasher salt. They forgot the mango chutney and one of the paper bags was very, very heavy. When I opened it I found they’d sent 4 bags of dishwasher salt.
I’ll be laughing next time it snows here🤣🤣🤣

Painiscrap · 01/05/2022 21:48

Online shopping, ordered pack of 4 bottles of zero alcohol lager. It was out of stock so was substituted with pack of 4 bottles (same brand) normal strength lager.

PortalooSunset · 01/05/2022 21:48

Dh doesn't tend to substitute or if he does they're sensible choices. He can only shop for 5 things without a list though. If they're not already in the basket and I call him to pick something else up then he'll forget one of the original 5. It's not deliberate but it is irritating!

Els1e · 01/05/2022 21:53

NigelFaragesfrontroom · 01/05/2022 19:19

Husband went to collect some money from a customer and came back with a cockatiel in a cage . The customer had no money and gave him the bird so to speak .
Early days of online shopping I was sent lemon squash instead of lemon cleaning liquid .

My dad did similar. He went to collect money for a decorating job and come back with two budgies. Mum was not impressed. 😕

Squiff70 · 01/05/2022 21:55

Years ago I ordered a jar of granulated sweetener and got powdered custard as a sub 🙄

GillyGumbo · 01/05/2022 21:57

I snorted at the wetsuit from Aldi, we went into Lidl once for some cheese and came out with a generator.

Asda once substituted dog food for...cat food.