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

My grandson has just got a job with iceland filling telephone orders! When I next see him I will ask him about alternatives....

Its all done by people following orders from a computer. Every item has a barcode consisting of numbers, and the computer comes up with alternatives (based on numbers). Most of the pickers work at nights and I should think most are already stressed out, as we are, and very tired. (Yes a lot work through the day too and get in everyone's way).
I think they are just not concentrating or they'd notice the absurd substitutions suggested by the hand held computers they have, and use a bit of common sense. I once worked on the tills at a supermarket and the staff are not all morons. The pickers used to share the hugely daft substitutions with the rest of us in the canteen.
Most alternatives are reasonably sensible.

I think this is a wonderful thread. I have absolute admiration for the pickers. I’m new to this on-line shopping lark. DH is in the very vulnerable category so we’re both shielding. (It would be impossible to live virtually separately for 12 weeks in our house). So, I’m having the thrill of going on-line at midnight to try to get a slot. The browsing the bargains and armchair shopping. Then the delivery - the high point of our week!

We’ve not had any unusual substitutions. They’ve all been very sensible ones - but I live in hope!

It's not a serious thread. It's just a laugh.

Muzzybear this started as a light hearted thread so either be quiet are get a sense of humour.

@ Muzzybear

Where are you folk that you cant get to the supermarket yourselves?

10 miles away from the nearest supermarket with a husband who is shielding and I cannot drive.

Sometimes we’ve chosen a substitute because we were advised they were out of stock only to have the original item substituted back in to the order!

Muzzybear I would love to go to the supermarket myself but as I am in the Shielding group as are many on here I cant. Although it may appear many of us are able to do many things underlying health issues make being out there in the wide world impossible. We are obeying orders and staying in but getting an online shop is not easy. My OH is able to go to the local corner shop but worries constantly he will bring the dreaded lurgy back to me.

Are you all serious! We are facing a worldwide pandemic, people dying and you are whingeing about supermarket substitutions????? Awesome!!!!!

Sorry shouldadobetta!

Where are you folk that you cant get to the supermarket yourselves?

A delivery man told me that the substitutions are made by computer. Could explain a lot.

This is a very interesting thread as I've just started working as an online picker at Sainsbury's as my partner and I both unable to work due to Covid 19. He's been made redundant & after running my own business as a childminder with a very healthy turnover for 28 years I've been forced to close for the forseeable future. This was my first interview in all that time and count myself lucky to get a job to help with the bills. Did my first 4 shifts this week. I'm up at 2am, cycle to work for 3am-8am shift. It is really hard graft. Very physical and fast, lots of items not available and little to substitute with.
I can barely walk after 5 hours of racing around, trying to get to the shelves while copious amounts of other pickers, shelf stackers, boxes and crates get in my way. Little social distancing here. It's complete chaos. Then miraculously, just before 7.30am, order is restored and the store appears calm and collected ready for the vulnerable and key worker shoppers.
I'm on a rolling 4 week contract and so might not be doing this too long but I have renewed admiration for all these hidden jobs. A lot of the female staff tell me that they go home, not to bed, but to home school their children. My partner is starting with them next week as a delivery driver.
I've worked consistently since I was 13 and am almost 59 now so has been such a strange few weeks and my house has never been so quiet without all my little mindees. It's all very surreal how much has changed in just a few weeks, working for someone else, after being self employed for so long and wear8a uniform and name badge.

A friend had cotton buds substituted for tampons.

That annoys me too rocketstop. If it's an easily substituted item.

Half of my delivery was missed last week. It never did arrive, not even later. Unfortunately, it was all the fresh stuff so we've had no fruit or veg all week.

Ordering vegetable squash and getting a bottle of orange squash.

Hmm I would certainly like to meet mine, when my ordered Sauvignon Blanc was out of stock ..they substituted it with .....NOTHING. Arrrggghhh, Noooooo, what? They hadn't one other type of white wine anywhere in the shop or warehouse ?!!!

Maybe you might see me as Robin Hood because I was given extra mushrooms and bagels which I didn't order. But before anyone shouts thief I give them away.

Sarahellen - I too received the email from Tesco CEO. It didn’t imply that those of us who are vulnerable/shielded should not order on line, it was simply encouraging those who COULD get to the shop to do so. I was pleased to see the message and thought that if it prompted some to not use slots thereby leaving them for others in need, then it was an excellent thing!

I was told by the Asda delivery man that the computer suggests the next best thing hence I got limes when I ordered lemons even though I had already ordered limes too. Maybe it depends on the picker if they have time or inclination to go with the computer.

Not to do with 'substitutes' but while on the issue of online orders/deliveries has any one else like myself received a recent email appearing? to be from Tesco CEO Dave Lewis concerning an increase in deliveries and asking ' Can you shop in store leaving slots for the 'vulnerable''??Do I need to provide Tesco with my B Cert,a list of my prescribed medication that when the need to increase says ,do not drive, then I do not drive staying at home not just for my safety but other road users.
No I cannot stand outside Tesco waiting to be told when to enter.My family live abroad my neighbours are elderly so no help there.Any one else in similar circumstances find this message uncalled for.

Grannynise, I too use Ocado and have done for many years. I have never had a problem with any of their substitutions, of which there have been very few.

Is it because the picking is done in a warehouse rather than from the store, which, I understand, some of the other supermarkets do?

I love the one sprout too. Maybe the picker thought you had a small family and it was a small cabbage?

Part baked white bread replaced by gluten-free bread. I’m sure it’s perfectly nice (not tried it yet) but what about the person who can only eat that. I wonder if they end up with all the take and bake loaves?

I'm utterly fed up with half the items being in stock at the point I ordered and out of stock a week later which is the first available delivery slot. I'm a front line health worker working crazy hours, and I live miles away from a decent sized supermarket. Plus I'm a Coeliac so I must admit that I do wonder what is going through the head of the picker when I get non coeliac substitutes for obviously Gluten Free products??

I use soya milk in tea and dislike the chalky taste of the type that comes from the chiller. I get the long life, own brand, cheap one. It's much nicer. So, on my first ever online order from Asda, I had three cartons of their long life soya milk on the list. I really enjoy Oatly oat milk (milking all those oats must be a painstaking procedure) so also ordered two cartons of the chilled one, which is really nice. For those, they substituted two cartons of....you guessed it, chalky soya milk. Five litres of soya milk was a bit excessive! I also ordered flora original and they sent a low fat spread. I wanted it for baking so that, and the horrible soya milk went back. The courgettes they sent instead of an aubergine were acceptable although not for the meal I'd planned, which was inconvenient but beggars can't be choosers.

My online order included a bag of onions and a bag of shallots. The shallots were substituted with..... another bag of onions.

Anyone like some onions?