Unpack online food shopping into bags!!

[Spanielsandpups]

Please help me understand why would you unpack food delivered to your house into bags?

I obviously understand if you would struggle to lift the heavy trays that putting it into bags is better.

but my friend was over when I had my shopping delivered and she couldn’t understand why I carry the trays into my kitchen and not unpack into bags.

as I am physically able to carry the trays, how is it easier to unload into bags then unload again into kitchen ??

I didn’t know you could take the trays into your house 😂

but I do chuck it into bags at the door or just onto the hall floor as quick as possible as I feel under pressure

I might start carrying the tray into the kitchen and just tip it all out onto the counter 🤔

I pack the food into bags so I can carry them into the kitchen - I don’t want the driver to carry them inside and with big boxes of pet food etc it’s just easier to put them in bags (or on the floor if a heavy item) and deal with it at my leisure rather than feel the pressure of the driver waiting!

Well my house isn’t big at all but it’s more than 5 steps through to the kitchen!

I have one bag for soft things one for harder things so no faff at all just a quick system that works for me and means I can unload everything in two or three minutes easily.

The Ocado system is way better. Yes the bags aren't great but it only needs to hold from the front door to the kitchen, and you can give the bags back next time even if they're broken. Horrified that people would unpack into their kitchen on a delivery driver's time! Do you know what that job is like? Let them get on their way as quickly as possible!

I take the crates into the kitchen, unpack it all, put stuff in the freezer, sometimes put the fridge stuff away, check the eggs and the avocados and then take the crates back to the driver who is usually scratching the dog (who hates all delivery drivers and is barking at full volume whilst allowing the driver to fuss her) who thens spends an inordinate amount of time sat in the van before driving off thus enraging the dog even more.

Same it really doesn’t take that long. Just chuck everything on the counter.. he’s usually not waiting any more than a minute. I can’t see how unloading into bags by the door is any quicker and it’s an extra step.

Surely putting into bags and then unpacking them is double work, for you. Why would you do that to yourself? The shops put them in crates, so the driver brings the crates into my kitchen. If the shop put them in bags, I'd take the bags in. But, they don't.

I just pack at the door into bags then take through to kitchen too much faff keeping dog in garden whilst I take stuff to unpack and my kitchen isn’t very big. My mother in law gets hers brought to the kitchen and the driver unpacks it onto the sides as she can’t bend to pick it up from bags or crates, this is recent and it’s been amazing for her.

So do I, it takes seconds to do and doesn’t hold up the delivery driver at all. I assumed that most people did this but obviously not?

I also carry mine into the kitchen and unpack. No need for all these dramatics of “chucking” my shopping into bags or onto the floor so the driver can leave, how long extra does it really take me and impact the drivers day if I walk the 6 steps from the door to the kitchen with the crate and unpack onto the kitchen floor…

This thread is peak Mumsnet. All the bingo squares ticked:
Bags for life, French no less ✅
Germophobia on steroids ✅
Waitrose and Ocado ✅
Having a driveway but "what about apartments" ✅
"Don't want to delay minimum wage worker" ✅(but happy for employer to pay minimum wage).

Only ones missing are "anxiety" and "don't like having people in the house".

Light hearted banter aside, we bring in the crates, unload quickly onto the dining table (which we are capable of clearing off for the purpose) with one chair for freezer stuff and one for fridge stuff.
We live on a very short private unmade road so the driver very sensibly stops at the end, and brings one or two crates manually. Lumps, bumps and steps mean a trolley can only bring a couple (sometimes they don't use a trolley).

Ours have trollies but some prefer to carry the crates. It depends on their personal fitness goals (some of them specifically say they want to do the extra weight/steps).

It's already been said that people's houses are different. It would take a lot longer to carry trays to my kitchen. I don't want all the items in my kitchen anyway as we have storage and a fridge/freezer in a different area. It takes no time at all to unpack into bags at the door, I aim for as quick as humanly possible to minimise any awkward small talk and can get 5 or 6 crates emptied in no time at all.

I unpack it all into the hallway floor and wave them off and then gradually put away in the kitchen!! The kids take the fridge stuff directly from the driver to the fridge. All cupboard stuff goes on the floor. Guess I’ve never cared too much about the floor dirt going on the outside of the food packaging hahah whoops

I'd have to ask them not to.

I couldn't be arsed standing there, waiting for all 6 or 7 crates while he's toing and froing to build his personal fitness goal!

same, tip everything onto the kitchen floor and then i sort everything in my own time

I suppose it depends on the length of your drive/path. Mine usually bring 2 or 3 at a time. I unpack them and by the time I’m done he’s brought the next ones. If he hadn’t got back in time I might pop the milk to the fridge or something but it’s never been an issue. If they bring them all in one go, they’d be standing there waiting and I’d feel like I was holding them up just by unloading the crates.

It can be hard sometimes to imagine what life is like for some else, why they make different decisions. When my mum sees me doing things that she can't she worries it will hurt me, in that moment she's lost sight of my younger fitter state. when we have a food delivery, I carry the big containers through but my DH isn't able to, he puts things into bags.

I tip into ikea bags and sort in my own time, its quicker that way, I also used to work for a supermarket as both click and collect and delivery and I never want to lug another crate again. Into the ikea bags, I drag them through when theyre gone and sort without the time pressure.

I take the crates through to the kitchen. The driver will actually carry them for you with Tesco but I prefer to take them at the door. My mum puts hers into bags. She finds it easier. Each to their own.

These discussions highlight the daftness of the UK shopping deliveries. In other countries it's handled better.You are not expected to up-tip a crate onto your sofa or hall floor or kneel on your doormat hurling items into bags for life or a laundry basket while a driver stands waiting. Or carry industrial crates into your kitchen and unpack while the driver waits. Other countries either have a deposit system whereby you take the crate and give it back next time or get special bags from the supermarket that they deliver in and then collect next them (also on a deposit system), or they deliver everything in big paper bags so they can be recycled or reused. Only Ocado offer a similar service in the UK, but it's plastic bags (although they can be returned for recycling with 10p back per bag). I don't understand why the UK supermarkets can't all offer a better service similar to deposit crates/bags, paper bags or the Ocado bags (it can't be illegal if Ocado can offer this). It's really the only drawback and failing in an otherwise really good home grocery offering in the UK.

Bags by the door for us, though the heavier stuff tends to get tipped onto the floor. The door is in the kitchen too!

I did try emptying onto the worktops once and it took so much longer. Drivers are given so little time for each delivery and an extra 5 mins at each house over 12 deliveries is an extra hour on their day. Plus if you put away directly from the bag you aren't adding any more steps than putting it in the worktop anyway.

I have the tiniest kitchen, I couldn't just unload it all on a work top. I wish I could!

I don’t know anyone who puts it into bags at the door, there are very few scenarios where that would make sense.

Because loading it into bags at the front door helps the driver. It means he can get away and carry on with his other deliveries.

You're obviously happy to let him wait around for you while you unpack at your leisure, but you do you.