Tesco grocery deliveries - increasing numbers of out of stock lower cost items?

Doc_N

Anyone finding that most of the grapes have vanished now from online deliveries?

A._Badger

Chrysalis said:

Doc_N said:

It's been very noticeable over recent weeks that Tesco are restricting delivery of various lower cost items such as butter - and now grapes. What's happening is that the standard priced Tesco items (frequently the ones marked 'Aldi Price Match') are impossible to order, leaving much more expensive products as the only alternative for those shopping online.

Instore, the products are on the shelves in the normal way.  Online they show as out of stock and unavailable to order.

Anyone else shopping online noticed this?

Yeah about 10 years ago, they been doing for ages in my area.  Seems to be fairly common place on other stores as well.
Most of the bargain stuff isnt even listed on the website, and what is there is usually not available to order.

I kid you not I had occasions where I would receive something that is officially out of stock or not listed as a substitute.#

On one occasion I rang Iceland after my sister told me the store I ordered from had it in stock, I was surprised they didnt fob me off and were actually honest, they openly admitted they use online orders as a form of stock management, and will prioritise stock for indoor shoppers, so stock will only get delivered online if it was above a specific level.

If you order from somewhere that uses distribution centres, then things been out of stock is actually quite rare which goes to show its supermarket shenanigans.  As an example Ocado, or Morrisons in an Ocado area.  You also get much better dates as its from earlier in the supply chain.

I gave up on Morrisons *because* they used a delivery centre! Apparently their nearest store to me got sick of trying to handle delivery business so passed it all to the distribution centre they share with Ocado. After that the out of stock rate soared (confirmed by several delivery drivers as a general problem they had), so I'm not sure distribution centres are necessarily the cause of these problems. 

A._Badger

Doc_N said:

Anyone finding that most of the grapes have vanished now from online deliveries?

It's no help to you though it does add fuel to your fire but a home delivery from Tesco last week - no (or very few grapes). In a Tesco Extra I happened pop into today today, however, they were overflowing with the things. My home deliveries do not come from a distribution centre, incidentally, so the absence isn't due to that. The mystery deepens. No unwaxed oranges, however - irritating with Christmas cake making looming for the coming weekend.

Doc_N

A._Badger said:

Doc_N said:

Anyone finding that most of the grapes have vanished now from online deliveries?

It's no help to you though it does add fuel to your fire but a home delivery from Tesco last week - no (or very few grapes). In a Tesco Extra I happened pop into today today, however, they were overflowing with the things. My home deliveries do not come from a distribution centre, incidentally, so the absence isn't due to that. The mystery deepens. No unwaxed oranges, however - irritating with Christmas cake making looming for the coming weekend.

That’s bizarre. Why on earth are they now restricting grape deliveries to the highly priced Jaffa brand? I think we can guess. 

izzitme

I work on home delivery for one of the majors. If you order for delivery earlier in the day, in our store the stock might not be on the shelf.

Our pickers can only pick from the shop floor, they are not allowed to go into the warehouse to find what has been ordered due to time pressures.

The vans must leave by a certain time.

Also our warehouse is very small anyway. Most stock comes in to us & is put out as soon as possible.

Chrysalis

A._Badger said:

Chrysalis said:

Doc_N said:

It's been very noticeable over recent weeks that Tesco are restricting delivery of various lower cost items such as butter - and now grapes. What's happening is that the standard priced Tesco items (frequently the ones marked 'Aldi Price Match') are impossible to order, leaving much more expensive products as the only alternative for those shopping online.

Instore, the products are on the shelves in the normal way.  Online they show as out of stock and unavailable to order.

Anyone else shopping online noticed this?

Yeah about 10 years ago, they been doing for ages in my area.  Seems to be fairly common place on other stores as well.
Most of the bargain stuff isnt even listed on the website, and what is there is usually not available to order.

I kid you not I had occasions where I would receive something that is officially out of stock or not listed as a substitute.#

On one occasion I rang Iceland after my sister told me the store I ordered from had it in stock, I was surprised they didnt fob me off and were actually honest, they openly admitted they use online orders as a form of stock management, and will prioritise stock for indoor shoppers, so stock will only get delivered online if it was above a specific level.

If you order from somewhere that uses distribution centres, then things been out of stock is actually quite rare which goes to show its supermarket shenanigans.  As an example Ocado, or Morrisons in an Ocado area.  You also get much better dates as its from earlier in the supply chain.

I gave up on Morrisons *because* they used a delivery centre! Apparently their nearest store to me got sick of trying to handle delivery business so passed it all to the distribution centre they share with Ocado. After that the out of stock rate soared (confirmed by several delivery drivers as a general problem they had), so I'm not sure distribution centres are necessarily the cause of these problems. 

Sounds like totally opposite to my experience.  The supermarket store issues I think are localised, as an example my dad orders from Tesco in a rural area and he doesnt have the same issues I had.

Ironically I had issues this week from Morrisons, but its the first for a very long time.  From supermarket stores the issues for me were weekly. (every order, combination of terrible dates, unable to order items, and ordered items frequently swapped out).