Substitutions
My grocery order has just been delivered, and it had some substitutions, which were quite acceptable. The young man helpfully holding up the crate so that I could transfer the contents to a bag – I always regard it as a weight-training exercise, which gets easier as the items are removed – told me that most of the substitutions are usually quite reasonable. Sometimes, though, they beggar belief, and bear little or no relation to the requested item. For example, one customer had ordered bread, but it wasn’t available and it had been replaced with tomato ketchup. What was the thought sequence there? Bread for sandwiches for cheese for pickle for ketchup . . .
Questions then arise about the state of mind of the employee whose job it is to select items for a customer’s list. These staff members are variously called Online Pickers, Online Assistants, Retail Assistants, or Personal Shoppers.
Everyone has off-days or lapses in concentration and I can well imagine how strange or unusual substitutions can be made occasionally. Lemon bleach for lemons?
Never having ordered food for delivery I have not faced these issues. So far I have been successful in making substitutions if I need to!
ReplyDeleteI have used online shopping for many years now, since before I stopped working for a living. There are not often substitutions.
DeleteI only ever use the home delivery option for my wine order as my favourite is not stocked in our local store. I always say no to substitutions though as goodness knows what I'd get otherwise!
ReplyDeleteSometimes there are no substitutions, just a hole where the item should be!
DeleteWe have had home deliveries and have been lucky with substitutions. I used to get texts as the shopper went through my list but this wasn’t needed too often.
ReplyDeleteI've never had a shopper contact me - that sounds quite special.
DeleteWhen I do my shopping at 7 AM on a Sunday, the aisles are blocked that early with Pickers. I've not used their service yet, but bread, now there's a story. Had a teen put a cantaloupe on top of my bread. I now bag my own groceries every week.
ReplyDeleteThat's not a problem we have in UK. We all pack our own bags (now wait for someone to counter that!)
DeleteWe only get home delivery for the heavy and bulky stuff, wine, cleaning gets bits, loo rolls, so we don't get substitutes often.
ReplyDeleteFor me, home delivery started when I had everyone living at home and I didn't have much time to shop - sounds daft, doesn't it?
DeleteSo far our subs with Tesco have been fine but I do sometimes take advantage of the ‘ write a note to your picker’ when ordering. I wouldn’t like to do their job, I’m guessing they are under pressure to be quick!
ReplyDeleteAlison in Devon x
It's not a well-paid job and I'd be far too critical, thinking people would be far better off with my choices!
DeleteWe seem to do alright with Morrisons and tend to order only the heavy stuff and necessities because we have no car.
ReplyDeleteWe don't often have substitutions, so I can't complain.
DeleteFor that reason alone I will continue to do my own shopping!!!
ReplyDeleteProbably wise!
DeleteYes, some of the substitutions do make you wonder. I had marzipan instead of almonds once. Which sort of makes sense or would have done had I wanted the almonds to make marzipan.
ReplyDeleteYes, you can see the connection there, but even so it would have been better to have no substitution.
ReplyDeleteours are called personal shoppers. we have in the app at the end before we press process, a list of possible subs, and we can approve or change it to do not replace. I do that because once I ordered Bob white sandwich bread and they gave him oat bread which he will not eat and I can not eat,
ReplyDeleteI do love ordering groceries for delivery, but do miss the conversations with strangers in the store while shopping
We have the option to have no substitutes and I click that for some items. Talking to other people is one of the joys of life, but I'm more of a listener than a talker.
DeleteI don't need to order online anymore, I just go to the kitchen and ask for what I want. Our cook is Italian and "loves" me as compatriot !
ReplyDeleteI'm sure it's lovely for your cook to have someone to converse with in her mother tongue.
DeleteMuch of my grocery list is fresh produce and I don't think I'd trust someone else to choose it for me.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean, but generally I'm very pleased with the produce that's delivered.
DeleteMy Mum has been ordering most of her groceries and other everyday items online for years, and she's nearly always happy with what she receives, but there were some replacements that, like you say, beggar belief.
ReplyDeleteI don't mind shopping, but dislike crowds and queues. so find it easier to sit at my computer and shop! 😀
DeleteI have never used delivery, but when I have picked-up (not much lately) they would contact me about substitutions and whether I approved.
ReplyDeleteI can always return substitutions if necessary, but usually don't.
DeleteBecause of my gluten-free allergy, I say on the form when I order- NO substitutions. Once I got a plant-based chicken product and they substituted a breaded product Didn't work for me
ReplyDeleteThat is so irritating. Someone wasn't paying attention and that's naughty.
DeleteHa, when I order food delivery (through Whole Foods Amazon) I always say NO substitutions. I would rather do that then have some brand I do not want or a product I do not need.
ReplyDeleteThat's probably the simplest option.
DeleteI too get the occasional substitution with my home deliveries which I can live with. I do recall reading once that somebody had ordered a pregnancy test for it to be substituted with condoms!!
ReplyDeleteThat is hilarious! Talk about shutting the door after the horse has bolted . . .
DeleteOne of the online places for grocery shopping offers a what do you want substituted if your item isn't available? I like that option the best. I get the choice of substitute this from a list or no substitution.
ReplyDeleteThat seems a good idea. We don't have that option - or at least I don't from the places I shop.
ReplyDeleteThe only time that I would ever get a grocery delivery is if I ever became infirm and perhaps wheelchair-bound. I like to pick everything myself - looking at dates and appearances. For example, bags of potatoes can vary. Sometimes, a bag might contain smaller potatoes while the next bag is made up of monster potatoes. Besides, I hate delivery vans blocking the road.
ReplyDeletePersonal shopping went south after a few outings with my late mother-in-law, who picked over and studied everything in great detail. She was a lovely person and I was very fond of her, but she drove me nuts.
ReplyDeleteThe delivery service I use offers either substitutions or a refund. I try to be careful about the substitutions because some of their suggestions are so totally off the wall. I don’t even know where they got them from. The pickers seemed to be pretty good about honoring substitutions I requested,at least in my experience
ReplyDeleteWe order our groceries online for delivery almost exclusively these days, but we have an opportunity to make our own substitutions if the store is out of or running low on a particular item. Online shopping is a great boon to those of us who may have difficulty getting into the store or who just don't want to go to the store and wrestle with the crowds.
ReplyDeleteI can laugh at those substitutions. No chance of anything like that happening here. It's hands on or nothing.
ReplyDeleteI've seen these shoppers working in the stores. They seem to be shopping for 4 at a time. Bet someone got your bread, and you got their catsup. Linda in Kansas
ReplyDeleteYou have to wonder-Christine cmlk79.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteI can't quite make the connection between substituting a bottle of ketchup for a loaf of bread. 😂
ReplyDeleteI haven't done online food shopping for a long time, but when I did I was always happy with the order and the occasional substitutions. Maybe that was just luck.
I've been ordering online for years with a company that never does substitutions. If they don't have an item they tell you and refund immediately. Fine by me.
ReplyDelete