iluvpink
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,298 
Location: Michigan
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Post by iluvpink on Aug 9, 2021 16:10:24 GMT
When you order groceries, does the shopper pay attention to notes/substitutions?
I use a local chains online ordering service. You can check to allow substitutions or not. I usually check allow subs. But they still contact me about everything, either a text or a call. Usually a call, sometimes a couple of calls or texts for each order.
They also allow a note for each item. Generally I only add a note for a few things. But I'm tired of getting calls/text over every little thing so I added notes for most items. But today they still called me. If they had read the notes, they would not have needed to call me. For many items, I put "other sizes/brands are fine". But I still got a call for my bbq sauce as they didn't have that size, just a smaller size. And they didn't have McCormick or the store brand of garlic powder. I asked "You don't have ANY garlic powder?". He said well, not those two, let me go check. They did have other brands. I had in the notes that any other brand/size was fine. And there were probably two or three other things.
It's not a huge deal, and I know it's a petty vent, but I hate phone calls, especially now that I'm back in the office a few days a week (I can totally take calls but it's still annoying to me). I leave detailed notes, so use them!
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Post by jenb72 on Aug 9, 2021 16:16:28 GMT
Sometimes they do and sometimes they don't. The deli (where I always get my sliced meats and cheeses) tends to ignore my notes, even though you would think, since they're supposed to be custom slicing my order, they'd be trained to always read the notes. As for subsitutions, most of the time I get a text with a link to go and "approve" or "decline" any substitutions, and I'm glad for that. I'd rather know ahead of time to be sure I'm getting something I'll actually use. Sometimes their substituion makes absolutely no sense, so I decline it. I've only had them call me once, though.
When they do ignore my notes, I generally call the store to let the manager know... not in a complaint kind of way, but more in a teaching/learning kind of way. Management can't know there's an issue if you don't bring it to their attention and this way the employees can be trained better to watch for these kinds of things.
Jen
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TXMary
Pearl Clutcher
And so many nights I just dream of the ocean. God, I wish I was sailin' again.
Posts: 2,818
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Post by TXMary on Aug 9, 2021 16:27:46 GMT
HEB doesn't ever call me. When my order has been completely selected, they text me with any changes or substitutions and I can call if I don't like what they have subbed. I have allow substitutions checked but I do have a few items I have unchecked it on. They do a good job and there's only been a few things I wasn't happy with the substitutions. The only note I ever left was to tell them to get me a small cabbage because the time before when I ordered one it was the biggest cabbage I have ever seen in my life.
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peabrain
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,588
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Post by peabrain on Aug 9, 2021 16:49:19 GMT
When you order groceries, does the shopper pay attention to notes/substitutions? I use a local chains online ordering service. You can check to allow substitutions or not. I usually check allow subs. But they still contact me about everything, either a text or a call. Usually a call, sometimes a couple of calls or texts for each order. They also allow a note for each item. Generally I only add a note for a few things. But I'm tired of getting calls/text over every little thing so I added notes for most items. But today they still called me. If they had read the notes, they would not have needed to call me. For many items, I put "other sizes/brands are fine". But I still got a call for my bbq sauce as they didn't have that size, just a smaller size. And they didn't have McCormick or the store brand of garlic powder. I asked "You don't have ANY garlic powder?". He said well, not those two, let me go check. They did have other brands. I had in the notes that any other brand/size was fine. And there were probably two or three other things. It's not a huge deal, and I know it's a petty vent, but I hate phone calls, especially now that I'm back in the office a few days a week (I can totally take calls but it's still annoying to me). I leave detailed notes, so use them! I have a Food Lion near me. They text about everything and don't usually check notes. Farther away I have a Walmart grocery and they don't give a flying fig about any of it. You get what you get. But I get you. I myself have said, "You don't have ANY apples?!" |
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smartypants71
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,714
Location: Houston, TX
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Post by smartypants71 on Aug 9, 2021 16:51:54 GMT
HEB is pretty good about making their selections. I used to use Instacart and they were ridiculous with the phone calls and texts.
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Post by freecharlie on Aug 9, 2021 16:54:44 GMT
I've never had them call me. Now they send a text that asks you to review their substitutions.
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Post by Fidget on Aug 9, 2021 16:56:44 GMT
My guess is that the shoppers are in the "Damned if we do and Damned if we don't" bucket. They probably get complaints for making what they perceive to be allowable substitutions so they always check to avoid the wrath of the customer. You said your vent is petty and I'll have to agree. I appreciate all the calls / texts to be sure my order is exactly what I want.
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Post by airforcemomof1 on Aug 9, 2021 17:03:48 GMT
I just wish Wal-Mart gave the option of notes especially notes for slicing of deli meats.
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Post by huskermom98 on Aug 9, 2021 18:19:48 GMT
My grocery store has a place where you can pick the substitution or note that you don't want a substitution. I still get texts about regardless of what I marked. One time it felt like the store was half empty because of how many texts I got.
My vent is when they simply ask "do you want a substitute?" But don't give some options of what is available (specifically when there's only a few options because some options are also sold out). The last time I did a same-day delivery from Target my shopper took a picture of what was available--i loved that!
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tracylynn
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,872
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Post by tracylynn on Aug 9, 2021 19:02:28 GMT
Fred Meyer (Kroger) doesn't call/text. But, they were doing curbside years before the pandemic, so they had it down pat.
I leave very few notes (usually just on bananas) and I mark items that I do not want substituted.
I do get one text a couple of hours before my order should be picked up with any substitutions that they made and I have the ability to say yes, or no, to each of them. If I say no, I simply don't get that item.
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Post by dewryce on Aug 9, 2021 19:41:21 GMT
HEB doesn't ever call me. When my order has been completely selected, they text me with any changes or substitutions and I can call if I don't like what they have subbed. I have allow substitutions checked but I do have a few items I have unchecked it on. They do a good job and there's only been a few things I wasn't happy with the substitutions. The only note I ever left was to tell them to get me a small cabbage because the time before when I ordered one it was the biggest cabbage I have ever seen in my life. We also use HEB and our experience has been pretty much the same. VERY early on there were some substitutions that left me shaking my head, they weren’t even close. And some things that weren’t substituted just left off that I could see there were tons of options available. It’s gotten a lot better. The one thing they tend to ignore my notes for is how I like our proteins and deli items packaged. If I order a larger quantity I prefer to have it packaged into several smaller quantities and I don’t think they’ve ever done that. And we’ve had a handful of incidences of older fruit (mostly berries and spinach) selected so it doesn’t last as long. And poor floral substitutions. I tend to uncheck the substitutions allowed a lot for several reasons. We are picky, we stock a ton of items so unless it’s fresh produce or dairy we can usually wait for exactly what we want to be in stock, and because we stock I will buy things we don’t need because they are on sale or to use a coupon. |
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Post by katiekaty on Aug 10, 2021 5:02:39 GMT
We do Walmart delivery and don’t have any issues. About an hour before delivery, they email the substitutions for approval and that’s it’s. Only once, did the substitutions not get sent in time and they just said to ask for a refund if we didn’t like the substitutions. I didn’t like one of them and it was instantly refunded, no need to return.
We have tried Kroger and H‑E‑B for pickup and both of them did not send any substitutions or let us know what was out. At Kroger we got 5 out of 17 items, at H‑E‑B they cancelled they order but didn’t let us know and we went to pick up, it was not at their minimum, so we were out a pick trip. The Kroger order was also below the minimum but we got anyway.
Our preference is Walmart-they really try to please. The groceries don’t come from the stores but from a wM center that has very fresh items. I think it’s because we live in an area that has a ton of WMs-west side of Houston!
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Post by Crack-a-lackin on Aug 10, 2021 6:22:46 GMT
I would not like to get calls, but texts are ok. Usually I get a message through the app depending on which service I’m using. Overall I don’t think they’re very good with substitutions. Due to allergies I can’t allow substitutions on many packaged items but allow it on other items. There have been a few very frustrating times, like when they didn’t substitute tomatoes which was one of the main things I needed.
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Post by Lexica on Aug 10, 2021 7:08:21 GMT
I've never had them call me. Now they send a text that asks you to review their substitutions. I use Instacart for Costco and they always text me while they are shopping. I have never received a phone call from a shopper. The last guy took pictures of anything he was hoping to substitute for me. I found that really helpful. He even took a picture to show me that he was able to get me the very last box of cereal they had. He was just so happy to have gotten it that he wanted to share, I guess. I thought that was rather sweet. I increased his tip because he was so conscientious. I have learned that I need to give careful instructions regarding fruits and vegetables as well as expiration dates. I don't think the majority of these guys had ever done the family grocery shopping before working for Instacart so they need a bit of guidance. Something that you would think should be a no brainer like check for freshness - no moldy grapes! Instacart refunded them without any hassle. I just sent a picture of the mold. Oh and I received a bag of salad that was already past the sell-by date. Again, they just asked for a photo of the package showing the date, which expired two days before my order. I don't find that at Costco very often because the turn-over is so high, but I now put a reminder in the instructions of every perishable item. |
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Post by candygurl on Aug 10, 2021 12:37:39 GMT
I’m a Shipt shopper and love when people add notes. Make it so much easier. It’s also really nice when I do need to contact them, that they reply quickly. If they don’t text back within 10 min or me doing most of my shopping, I either guess or don’t get the item if they don’t want a substitute. It’s hard because we are pressed for time and will get dinged if we are late.
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Post by Merge on Aug 10, 2021 12:55:02 GMT
As others have said, H‑E‑B is mostly really good. Sometimes they flub - I ordered a specific kind of hamburger buns last weekend, and they didn’t have those buns. Rather than bring me any other of the dozens of kinds of hamburger bun in the store, they just left them out.
I use Instacart sometimes for other stores, and I feel like there’s an option to indicate that you don’t need to be contacted about substitutions in their app. Maybe not. If they do contact me, it’s through the app, not by phone call.
I’m just glad not to spend an hour or more of my weekend battling the crowds for food in the store these days.
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Post by revirdsuba99 on Aug 10, 2021 13:32:12 GMT
My last shopper was wonderful. Instacart and she delivered too. She had my cold/frozen items in a large insulated bag.
Walmart shopping has been very good. Delivery not so much! Sometimes an hour or more after the later end of scheduled delivery. I really don't care, BUT a notice of changed time would help so I am not on alert waiting. Having cold stuff riding for an extra hour is not acceptable. Refunds are easy but not having what I need is difficult and hard as I dispose of the items.
They do NOT read explicit delivery directions, which would make both our lives so much better!!
Instacart shopper at Wegmans deli meat with identical notes: wafer thin! Fresh cut turkey wafer thin, yes!
Ham wafer thin, come out of the precut case, rather thick. All else was good.
In general I do not do substitutions. Just easier for me.
ETA: With Walmart plus delivery that cost $98 for the year. $35 minimum for groceries. That also includes Walmart dot com. With no minimum order amount for the year also.
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Post by malibou on Aug 10, 2021 13:38:28 GMT
These stories are why I have never ordered groceries. It sounds like a marvelous idea in theory, but the not reading of notes and substitutions would make me want to gnaw my own ears off.
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Post by dewryce on Aug 10, 2021 19:05:17 GMT
As others have said, H‑E‑B is mostly really good. Sometimes they flub - I ordered a specific kind of hamburger buns last weekend, and they didn’t have those buns. Rather than bring me any other of the dozens of kinds of hamburger bun in the store, they just left them out. I use Instacart sometimes for other stores, and I feel like there’s an option to indicate that you don’t need to be contacted about substitutions in their app. Maybe not. If they do contact me, it’s through the app, not by phone call. I’m just glad not to spend an hour or more of my weekend battling the crowds for food in the store these days.Yes! Well, I mean, I never personally went to the store due to pain issues. But I’m glad DH doesn’t have to anymore. I love that this is a chore I can sort of take over for him by doing the ordering. And when I think about it, while he would get better produce, flowers and my proteins packaged the way I like them, some of his substitutes were pretty awful too  Anyway, I’m pretty sure that even once things are much safer that we will be doing curbside shopping almost all of the time. |
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Post by Crack-a-lackin on Aug 10, 2021 19:12:53 GMT
These stories are why I have never ordered groceries. It sou Ds like a marvelous idea in theory, but the not reading of notes and substitutions would make me want to gnaw my own ears off. A compromise I’ve found is I order all of the items that I’m not picky about, then I personally shop for the items I am picky about, like meat and produce. Overall this saves me time because I can do the bulk of my shopping from the couch at 10pm, then when I go to pick them up I run into the store for 5-10 minutes to grab a few things (moving my car from the pick-up spots to a regular parking space, of course). |
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Post by malibou on Aug 10, 2021 23:07:47 GMT
These stories are why I have never ordered groceries. It sou Ds like a marvelous idea in theory, but the not reading of notes and substitutions would make me want to gnaw my own ears off. A compromise I’ve found is I order all of the items that I’m not picky about, then I personally shop for the items I am picky about, like meat and produce. Overall this saves me time because I can do the bulk of my shopping from the couch at 10pm, then when I go to pick them up I run into the store for 5-10 minutes to grab a few things (moving my car from the pick-up spots to a regular parking space, of course). Now that I can get behind. 😁 |
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Post by revirdsuba99 on Aug 10, 2021 23:16:06 GMT
I try to do more in the order then just the minimum. That's when I add an extra dish soap, or TP or other basics.
With Walmart they allow OTC medicines and other things with the grocery order, which is nice. Although I can order those from Walmart dot com, and they ship them 2 day FEDEX, no charge, no minimum with Walmart+
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Post by lisae on Aug 11, 2021 0:21:44 GMT
Walmart doesn't allow notes. They do the substitutions. The problem is that they have a new system on Walmart.com. It's awful. They are trying to put everything together so when you add something to your cart, you have to be careful and see that it is truly available for the next day or they want to ship it to you. The new system doesn't interface with their app so you can't update or even add to your open order on your phone or tablet. They now just let you either have substitutions for an item or not. They do not let you pick what you want to substitute. I so wish I could get my computer back to the old version of their website.
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Post by revirdsuba99 on Aug 11, 2021 0:34:18 GMT
For Walmart groceries I can update my order, change it until 1:45am day of delivery. I generally check no substitutions. They do offer items to substitute for the initial order.
Walmart dot com is different. Some things are next day, or two day delivery or regular delivery and that can be a mess.. add in a marketplace item and that's a whole different story!!
But with Walmart+ I can do small orders to match their shipping..
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Post by aj2hall on Aug 11, 2021 0:56:19 GMT
I started using BJs pick-up last year and for the most part, they are pretty good. They have fewer options and don't offer notes or substations. If they're out of stock, they just cancel the item. Their inventory is pretty accurate, though. My only complaints - 1 pound is the minimum for deli orders and this is really minor, but the store gave us the wrong kind of muffins twice.
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Post by craftedbys on Aug 11, 2021 2:31:11 GMT
We have been using Walmart delivery for six or seven months, and we usually have success, although there have been some substitutions that left us scratching our heads, like when they substituted body wash for shampoo, and it was not the head to toe stuff.
My biggest frustration is that when you try to put something on your order and it is out of stock, it won't save it for when it does come back in stock, and you have to remember that you need to try again, which is annoying when you are scanning the barcode of a product you have finished and want to throw the empty package away. How hard would it be to have a running shopping g list that let's you save stuff and let's you know when it is back in stock?
On week we ended up with two bags of groceries that wasn't ours, the driver had inadvertently left someone else's along with ours. We called the store and they just said to keep it. There was a couple of things we would use, the rest I dropped off at the food pantry at church (canned goods).
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Post by chaosisapony on Aug 11, 2021 2:37:39 GMT
Walmart doesn't allow notes. They do the substitutions. The problem is that they have a new system on Walmart.com. It's awful. They are trying to put everything together so when you add something to your cart, you have to be careful and see that it is truly available for the next day or they want to ship it to you. The new system doesn't interface with their app so you can't update or even add to your open order on your phone or tablet. They now just let you either have substitutions for an item or not. They do not let you pick what you want to substitute. I so wish I could get my computer back to the old version of their website. Oh my goodness yes, the new site is terrible! I have given up and just gone to the app for ordering. I just couldn't tell if what I was ordering was for grocery pick up or shipping. Ordering anything from Walmart that has to be shipped is always a nightmare so no, I am not going to order food items for shipping. I do generally like the way Walmart handles the substitutions though. I ordered 1 pound of ground beef, it was out of stock so they gave me 2.25 lbs for the same price. I almost always get more food of the same brand and type than what I originally ordered at no extra cost. However, there was one time that I ordered a head of green leaf lettuce. They didn't substitute another type of lettuce. I just got an out of stock notification. Like seriously Walmart? There isn't a single, solitary head of lettuce in that whole huge store you could have given me?! |
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Post by gizzy on Aug 11, 2021 2:37:43 GMT
The instacart shoppers for Costco will text me with questions. Meijer shoppers do pretty well reading my notes. I try to keep the note simple. IE If OOS, please sub with xyz.
Walmart won't bother. If they are oos on something, that's it, you don't get it. I've parked and gone into the store, in that case, to get what I needed.
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Post by revirdsuba99 on Aug 11, 2021 2:41:35 GMT
craftedbysYup, I got somebody's expensive items one night. Huge package of Greek Yogurt, Starbucks coffee something, several different flavors of Phillie cream cheese, far more then I could eat. They said no returns because of Covid. But I am not sure returns would be practical at anyway.
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breetheflea
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,944
Location: PNW
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Post by breetheflea on Aug 11, 2021 2:47:58 GMT
Fred Meyer is pretty good but I did leave a note for the watermelon after I got a personal sized one two weeks in a row. I think I said "this watermelon needs to feed SIX people! Make it extra large!" I don't know if they read my note or got a new grocery puller but it hasn't happened since... I have had some weird "out of stock" things that had me scratching my head... like when couldn't give me parsley and substituted cilantro, then subbed basil for the cilantro they "didn't have in stock," in the same order. Most of the weird things I put on the list (a rubber band ball for DS) they usually manage to find for me  and the subs are almost always acceptable. |
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and the subs are almost always acceptable.