Do supermarkets exclude cheaper products from online shopping availablity?

[Chilispirit]

I reckon they don't offer the cheapest version of the same products online.

I've been shopping online with Sainsbury's and Ocado and I'm always disappointed by how little you get for the cost e.g - smaller packet sizes and fewer items.

I've just done a rare supermarket shop and my money went a lot further e.g I could buy a bag of JS own label broccoli florets for £1.50 whereas the cheapest similar available online always seems to be more than that. Or have prices started coming down?

Just answered my own question - the £1.50 broccoli is on their website, so perhaps prices are reducing.

IME yes a lot of the value / savers range does not appear online

I would say if you’re looking for bargains Sainsbury’s and Ocado may not be the place to do it anyway!

One thing I’ve noticed is that if you order something which is heavily discounted (eg Tesco club cars price - more than 50% off) and they’re out of stock, they claim there is no suitable alternative rather than send you a substitution and only charge you the discount price. I’ve had this a few times. Fair enough when it’s mangos, but I’ve had things like oven chips not arrive - I’m sorry, you’re telling me there are NO CHIPS in the whole superstore?! I find that very hard to believe.

Nine of the supermarkets tend to have the 2 litre very cheap water available online, but when you in there's loads. I guess it's just not worth their time to deliver it.

I've been struggling to find 'value' items online from Tesco which I know they stock in store. Very annoying as I'm sure they do it on purpose!

Tesco do this with their stockwell range on many products. It's really annoying when I use online shopping because I'm a disabled single parent and have to pay more than if I went into the shop. I noticed this got worse during covid.

I know they're not for bargain-hunters and DH buys stuff like loo roll from Aldi or Lidl - but I find fruit & veg from the discount places goes off and they don't stock the range of food we like. We're on a budget but not on the breadline, thankfully. I certainly can't shop without thinking about the costs now and meal plan religiously.

There's definitely some skulduggery with the online offer though as your potatoes example shows. Does anyone here work for one of these supermarkets?

I noticed this and the club card price lack of subs.
There’s less online but I think that’s poor availability generally ie local Tescos stopped getting 6pint size milk over the summer and availability on the whole is hit and miss.
I think margins are so tight that stock buying is being reduced or very last minute.

I find that you have to really search out the own brands online, the ones they push up front are the more expensive versions definitely.

Curiously, we speculated on this very thing earlier today - so much not available (Tesco) the large store in Aylesbury - scrolling down our regulars, it will say, not available but you could try - then offer something twice the price, which defeats
me spending an hour scouring the site for bargains.
Tesco minimum charge is now £50 ! - Morrisons £25, but £5.50/6 delivery Sainsbury 40£, free delivery if you spend £100 at Sainsbury long gone.

We dont have Asda any more as we couldn’t tolerate the drivers, or half an order arriving then hurled at us, £40. minimum.
The Waitrose here have lovely drivers, but poorly stocked small shop, goods taken from the shelves, v poor restocking system, absurdly expensive, small, poor value fruit veg and salad, dismaying really.

Overall, and we are not faithful, we have found Ocado to be head and shoulders above the rest, from a distribution warehouse, makes an enormous difference,
no substitutes at all, pleasant drivers, good reductions/offers, happy shopping !

Asda have their full just essentials range available for home delivery, around 250 items

Ooh forgot to add a yearly midweek pass is £35 (Tues, wed, Thurs, 7am-11am slots, you can also sign up for asda rewards. I just buy what I need and have accrued around £60 in vouchers that I can use to get money off my next shop. They never charge more if they have to substitute and the sub costs more, any problems you can hand back the item or request a refund via the app after delivery. We also get stamps, newspapers, stationary, bbq, gardening pillows bedding ect with our food shopping as they sell George home items ect.

There's a asda shopping app and a asda rewards app,

Maybe I should try Asda again, but from memory I think it was their website which put me off or it might have been they didn't stock things we wanted - frozen roasted Mediterranean vegetables for example, really handy for all sorts of meals - Sainsbury's do these but they're not always in stock.
We also convert Nectar points to Avios to spend on holidays.

Asda frozen vegetables are either branded cook or scratch cook

Yes, I agree, less options available online.

That is very cheeky of them