Asda literally made a dog's dinner of one customer's online shopping order, after it subsititued chicken breasts for dog chews. And shoppers at other stores received strawberries in the place of bin liners, a survey has found.
Almost half of supermarket deliveries (47%) included a substitute item over the last 12 months, Which? found. And while most bore at least some relation to the item requested, others left the shoppers baffled.
More than six out of 10 Asda customers (62%) reported receiving a substitution in their most recent shop. And one of them could have been left hungry at dinner time, as they received dog chews instead of chicken breasts. Another bewildered shopper received a pack of toilet rolls instead of bread rolls.
Some 59% of Aldi customers received unexpected items, with one order including a bag of onions instead of a loaf of bread. And half of customers who had ordered online at Sainsbury’s (52%) told Which? they had received a substitution, including shoe polish instead of fruit, and bacon rather than BBQ-flavoured crisps.
Among the 51% of Morrisons shoppers who received substitutions was one who received meat sausages instead of veggie burgers and another who received a toothbrush instead of apples. More than four in 10 Tesco shoppers (44%) reported substitutions such as an Easter egg in place of hot dog rolls and a chocolate Santa instead of a roll of tinfoil.
One Iceland shopper told Which? they received strawberries instead of bin bags. Meanwhile, Waitrose customers were the least likely to receive a substitution at 24%, although one was sorry to receive an alcohol-free bottle of wine in place of a standard bottle.
Customers with special dietary requirements fared particularly badly with substitutions at a number of supermarkets, with many complaining about receiving meat or dairy instead of vegetarian or vegan alternatives. One shopper, whose partner has coeliac disease, had their gluten-free product substituted with a product containing wheat.
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Which? Retail editor Reena Sewraz said: “Product substitutions can be incredibly frustrating, especially if the key ingredient for your dinner is missing. Our research has shown that some replacements can also be downright ridiculous.
“You have the right to reject substitutions at the point of delivery, or you could opt out of receiving substitutions altogether. If you do end up with a substitution that you don’t want, always contact the supermarket and ask for a refund.”
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