I’d love to meet the person that picks my supermarket order ?

@mrshat - Milton IS baby bottle sterilising fluid. I know, because it turns out that both my elder daughter and I are allergic to them...

I love my tescos picker. Eminently sensible substitutions, when they happen, which is rarely.

I think it depends on the supermarket rowyn. I've been online shopping with Tesco since it first started getting in for 20 years ago. If anything is substituted and is more expensive, you don't pay any extra & I think you get a refund if it's cheaper but it rarely is so I can't remember. I thought all supermarkets did the same but DDIL has recently used both Morrison's & Sainsburys & said she'd been shocked when the latter had sent some very expensive steak instead of the frying steak she'd ordered and she'd had to pay the not insignificant difference &, unlike Tesco, she wasn't allowed to refuse it - with Tesco, if you're not happy with the substitution, you just tell the driver & he takes it away. Actually, thinking about it, he might not, given current circumstances. I understand any extra has to also be paid for Morrison's dearer substitutions. My sister is a Waitrose shopper & there seem to be a lot of perks so I'm sure they wouldn't charge for dearer substitutions!

Am I getting this right? I
'm a novice internet supermarket shopper. Am only at the Click and Collect level as I've failed to find anyone who will take me on for deliveries so far.
In fact, I've only had one C&C order as yet, but am getting quite excited as I have my 2nd one due on Monday.
Last time I ticked the 'NO substitutions' box. I assumed I would have to pay the cost of whatever was substituted . Your posts seem to imply that you only pay the cost of what you ordered for whatever is chosen instead. Is that right? And what if the substitute costs less than whatever was ordered in that case?
I should ad that my C&C is with Asda - not where I shop normally but the only one I could get , and I was pleasantly surprised.

@Grannygrumps1 I totally agree with you. People don’t appreciate how hard these pickers are having to work right now. It’s easy to be critical or have a laugh when people on the front line are doing their best under very difficult circumstances. We should be supporting them, not criticising. It’s shameful.

My best sub was when I ordered a packet of printer paper, and got two paper table cloths instead!!!! Go figure! And no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't get those table cloths in the paper tray of my printer... (I jest of course - I got a refund on them!)

mrshat

At the beginning of lockdown I did my last shop and wanted anii-bacteral soap or spray or wipes. Nothing in Sainsbury's so I bought a bottle of baby sterilising solution. I'm 70+ .

My one sprout - absolutely my fault cos it was the first time I'd ordered online and, to be fair it was a Beautiful sprout
DS and I love our greens and I cooked it perfectly, al dente with a scattering of almonds(fished out of my Christmas mixed nuts bag) over.
All these years later, we still refer to The Year of The Sprout

I have never ticked the substitute box since receiving what one pickers idea was as a substitute for a certain brand of marmalade. Peanut butter which I wouldn't eat under any circumstances is not quite the same.

At the beginning of the lock down, I had rice on my order and instead received three tins of winter vegetable soup...

I just accept the substitutions and am v grateful for the delivery.

It’s become a highlight of the week to see what surprises we get in our delivery. Six pints of milk instead of two? One avocado instead of salad dressing ? A plant pot of chives instead of cheese chive dip ( diy obviously) ! The funniest one was DH crossed out my one small bar of chocolate ration ( I’m desperately losing weight to get out of CV danger zone) and replaced with choc chip cookies ( in his estimation less fattening???) before paying. When the delivery arrived they’d substituted choc chip cookies with a large box chocolates!! I figured a sweet angel did the picking that week!

We stopped online shopping because of the terrible substitutes, many missing items, short use-by dates and sometimes rotten produce. ASDA once substituted the ordered cat food for dog food - surprisingly enough our cats are still cats! I refused to pay for it and had well fed foxes for a few nights!

I once got a sub of cheese instead of chicken, not bad but I got the chicken as well. No, still trying to work that one out.

Last Sainsbury's order husband looked at the bags and asked the delivery driver if that was all. Driver said it was but when we were unpacking we realised that all the dairy products were missing. We were just trying to work out how to contact Sainsbury's when the driver rang to say he'd finished his round and realised that he had one bag left and it was ours.
On another point, can anyone tell me why you can't get greaseproof/baking paper when you can buy everything else for baking? In spite of having their own brand Sainsbury's tell us there are no matches when we try to order some.

I ordered a ready stuffed chicken and got a bag of frozen stuffing balls... serve me right for being lazy!

Size 5 disposable nappies when I ordered size 1. Little one could have worn them as a sleeping bag

I an extremely grateful for my Asda weekly deliveries, yes there are usually quite a lot of substitutions, but they are always things I can use usually just a different make.

My SIL works as a delivery driver for Asda and one of his customers had ordered a kettle with his groceries. My SIL was highly mortified to find that he had been given a toaster as a substitute but that was what the picker was told to add by her 'puter!

Last time I had a delivery I got a tin of tomato soup instead of a pack of
fresh tomatoes. I've also had a pack of Mars bars instead of a bunch of Bananas, which in all honestly was a nice surprise ?

These comments did raise a smile. I've ordered online for about 10 years. Tescos used to send some rather random substitutions,Waitrose were excellent. Most recently I've used Sainsburys and not had a problem ,well until recently! I know Sainsburys are reserving slots based on age on Nectar Card,which I appreciate but frustrating if under 65 and vulnerable. I've managed to get 2 delivery slots randomly from Iceland although I was registered with them. Was very pleased with order. I did contact them to say how much I had appreciated the service and received a lovely email back saying how nice it had been appreciated.
I once ended up with 3 bags of satsumas,that was my fault as clicked to many times. I remember ordering a bag of peas that I thought was good value and it was tiny?

Thank you everyone, I have so enjoyed your stories, you have really brightened up my morning. On the last order I clicked for a kilo of new potatoes, luckily I spotted my mistake when I checked the price, 7p, before I submitted the order. Husband would not have been happy with one potato.

My cat food was once substituted for dog food and we don't have a dog but usually I'm pleased with my order. Ithe driver accidently left me a bag of frozen meat that wasn't mine and I rang the shop but they said to keep it as they couldn't take it back once it had been in someone else's house. My 60+ husband was bemused by the chicken dinosaurs he had for dinner that day!

My tesco order is now permanently marked, No substitutions.

Thank goodness for Ocado. Even now substitutions are minimal and always appropriate.

I once had a Chivers raspberry jelly instead of cranberry jelly.

And an entire wheel of brie because the small pack I had ordered was not available. They charged me the same price for it! Family were pretty cheesed out by the end!

I only wish I could get online shopping. I am 79 with asthma and a bad knee, and I cannot get online shopping. You lucky lucky things!