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Original poster

Email from Tesco about limiting items ? Ideas for replacements needed!

49 replies

Makinganewthinghappen · 27/03/2020 09:25

Did anyone else get an email form Tesco saying orders online are limited to 80 items?

I managed to get a slot about 2 weeks ago for the 5th April. Dh and I can’t drive (health reasons) and we are a large family of 8 - we can walk to small corner shops but anything else we would need a train ride a few times a week to carry it back. We are obviously trying to avoid public transport too often.

We normally get a large (way more than 80 items) Tesco delivery once a week. It has been three weeks since our last delivery so our cupboards are bare and and the small shop near us hasn’t had stock of much for a while and doesn’t seem to be restocking .

There are no more delivery slots so this will be our last order for a while.

Anyway I need to replace quite a lot of items from my meal plan so that I have fewer overall.

There is also a limit of 3 items for each item.
I am already baking bread - we normally use a loaf a day.

Does anyone have any ideas on how I can make these 80 items really matter to my cupboards ?

I have 2 bags of bread flour left but can’t seem to get anymore.

I am not complaining to be clear I am just looking for ideas?

What would you try to get in my situation?

OP posts:
Alone07 · 27/03/2020 11:28

Apparently if you have done a shop and DO NOT change the order it will be ok if over 80 items.

Elouera · 27/03/2020 11:29
  • Our local sell enormous (must be 5 or 10kg) bags of rice
  • Wraps can be used as pizza bases, cut and baked to make nachos chips or as wraps
  • Almond meal (ground almonds) can be used as a replacement for flour in some cakes or as a breadcrumbs replacement
  • Mashed cauliflower make a substitute for potatoes
  • Get some powdered potato (smash) and use it to bulk out real mash
  • If you have a pressure cooker, its much cheaper to used dried legumes than those in the tin. A small packet of dried split peas, kidney and black beans for example make up at least 3 cans worth.
bigbluebus · 27/03/2020 11:29

Our local Tesco (where the deliveries come from) has Community Champions who have been on the radio saying if anyone has difficulties with the restrictions around shopping to speak to them and they should be able to help. The examples they gave included large families and key workers not being able to get into the store at protected times and finding nothing left when they could shop. I don't know if they can over ride restrictions on deliveries but might be worth giving the store a call and speaking to their Community Champion and explaining your circumstances to see if they can help.

1990shopefulftm · 27/03/2020 11:36

see if your local butcher is doing deliveries, that might enable you to get meat from them and then you can get your other items in the online shop.

Spiderandmay · 27/03/2020 11:42

Maybe try and book from different shops so you have different things arriving each week?

Original poster
Makinganewthinghappen · 27/03/2020 11:58

That’s for all the ideas !

My order I have made still stands but quite a few things are marked as not available so not sure how much will turn up!

I am about to venture to the small shop near me to see what I can find then come back and make a list of what I actually have in.

I am really regretting NOT panic buying food now!

OP posts:
PumpkinP · 27/03/2020 12:24

I am really regretting NOT panic buying food now!

same here

Petiolaris · 27/03/2020 12:25

This new Tesco policy is a nightmare. I was ordering bread and milk and a few basics for several elderly neighbours who don’t have internet. Will have to leave them to fend for themselves now because 80 items isn’t enough to cater for them and myself. People will only want to buy multipacks going forward - single items will be left on shelves because they consume too many slots. And people will stop buying non-essentials like soft drinks and sweets which will also be left on the shelves because people need to use their 80 items on essentials.

I struggled to get a slot and was hoping to stock up because I don’t know when I’ll get another opportunity. I’m fucked now. Especially because on my last delivery I ordered 200 items and received less than half. So if I order 80 I’ll get perhaps 40? That isn’t enough.

MiniMum97 · 27/03/2020 13:45

@Aeris1 I might try to call them. I need to call them about some missed items from a delivery anyway a few weeks ago but can never get through.

Jellycatspyjamas · 27/03/2020 13:52

I’ve just checked my last couple of Tesco receipts and actually none of them have 80 items on them - that’s actually quite a bit of stuff. We don’t need to buy everything every week so things like toiletries, cleaning stuff etc swap out each week. If you’d asked me I would have said we bought more than 80 items a week but we don’t as it turns out and we’re a family of 4.

Elouera · 27/03/2020 13:55

Do you have a bakery near you? Possibly a long shot, but ask if they will sell you one of their large bags of flour.

adiposegirl2 · 27/03/2020 13:57

Does anyone have any ideas on how I can make these 80 items really matter to my cupboards ?

Are you really asking internet strangers this? REALLY???🤭

Aeris1 · 27/03/2020 14:03

I would @MiniMum97, the guy on the phone was really sympathetic and I do understand it can't be helped but it was nice to be offered something as an apology. I will be using my voucher for next weeks delivery for some treats for my little boy. Hopefully they will come.

Peppafrig · 27/03/2020 14:15

I guess they had to stop people ordering for 3 full families on one slot as the vans aren’t set up for that. If they hold enough for 10 home delivery’s and people are all buying for 3 households . They can’t fit 30 households worth of shopping in a van built for holding 10 .

Petiolaris · 27/03/2020 14:32

How are people supposed to get their groceries if they can’t get a slot and have now been prevented from sharing someone else’s slot?

cassgate · 27/03/2020 14:43

This is the problem. My slot for Saturday has 76 items in it which are mostly for DH’s 85 year old parents and his 93 year old aunt. There isn’t much in it for us as we normally update our order on Friday when I know what we actually need. We will now have to go to store to do our own shopping. We then have the problem of the max 3 rule. Last weekend we didn’t get any yoghurts in our order so DH popped into store (before lockdown in case anyone says that yoghurts are not necessary). He picked up 3 yogurts from one flavour and 3 from another but when he got to the till he was only allowed 3 max so had to put 3 back. We will end up going out more often because we are a family of 4 and now the kids are home we are getting through more of everything. Normally, I do an online shop on Saturday and very rarely need to top up but now I am going to end up going out 2 or 3 times a week.

NameChangedForThisOne7 · 27/03/2020 14:53

All that is going to happen is that all the larger multi packs will now sell out and become unavailable due to people trying to get as much as they can for their allocated 80 items.
It's already pretty impossible to get what you want due to unavailability of lots of items. 80 items is not a lot for a family.

middleager · 27/03/2020 14:54

I've seen single people and couples on Twitter saying that 80 items are more than enough.

But we are a family of four with 2 cats and ravenous teens. We also buy for neighbours.

I can only advise you buy the biggest packs of everything.
But, the service is unreliable. We had an order cancelled the night before (we were SI) so now I won't rely on this. Ive booked click and collect but even then im not relying on this so find a local store that does deliveries, even if if it's milk, cheese, bread, meat, eggs, veg and fruit.

I've said it before but I am more scared about my kids not being able to eat than I am about the virus.

As if the situation isn't stressful enough. But we can drive, are earning etc. I worry about the elderly, the sick, those with massive families.

instantpop · 27/03/2020 14:59

is it 80 individual items e.g 2 bananas plus a multipack of apples = 2 items or 3 items?

FairyBatman · 27/03/2020 15:03

In

cassgate · 27/03/2020 15:09

2 bananas and multipack of apples is 3 items. I looked at my order and added them up to check where 76 items came from and if you order 3 milk and 3 bread that’s 6 items. Like I say problem when you are ordering for 3 households. I am using my slot to prioritise the in laws and DH’s aunt now and will have to shop in store for us.

enjoyingSun · 27/03/2020 15:46

But we are a family of four with 2 cats and ravenous teens.

I went to zooplus this morning for the cats things so we can knock them off the list- though there's an 8-9 day delivery expecation due to demand but amazon may have cat food/litter as well.

We could keep everything currently on rather than edit but think editing is probably better as some things have lasted longer and many of our normal items were out when we did it and we were ordering our usual monthly shop two weeks earlier than usual and could only get it a week later than usual.

enjoyingSun · 27/03/2020 15:47

Though zooplus did say they might not deliver everthing as it depends what they have in when they ship the order.

RightOnTheEdge · 27/03/2020 16:46

I have got a delivery coming tonight but I'd be lucky to get anywhere near 80 items. Most of my order looks to be missing Sad

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