UK shoppers reveal their most unhinged supermarket substitutions

There’s arguably nothing more jarring than completing an online supermarket shop, only to realise that one of your favourite items has been substituted out. So long, chocolate biscuits.

Sometimes, we end up with something we never expected to – and now, a new survey has seen UK shoppers reveal their most unhinged substitutions, from period pads (yes, really) instead of sandwich wraps to fish steaks over cupcakes.

At the end of the day, it’s all the same really, isn’t it?

Quizzing grocery shoppers ordering from the UK’s biggest supermarkets, Which? revealed that three in 10 reported that one of their items was replaced in their most recent online order.

The weirdest reported swaps included a roasting tin in place of roast potatoes, and bananas over pizza. That’s certainly one way to up the potassium intake.

Another online shopper was sent beef dog treats instead of beef steaks.

There were orange-flavour vitamins over a Terry’s chocolate orange, and toilet rolls instead of tissues. It’s all the same vibe, right?

Elsewhere, one perplexed shopper had pasta delivered instead of a 24-pack of Pepsi Mango, and one customer asked for free-range eggs and was given six bags of sweets. Ouch.

And it was concerning news for customers with allergies, as one reported ordering lactose-free cheese from one supermarket, but was sent a regular version as part of their order.

Likewise, there were similar complaints about items containing gluten being sent in place of specifically gluten-free products, and meat replacements sent to those who had specifically chosen vegan or vegetarian items.

As per the research, Asda shoppers were the most likely to have a surprise in their online shopping order, as nearly half (47%) reported receiving a substitution, earning it two out of five stars for the replacement choices overall.

Sainsbury’s was in second place at 32%, while Morrisons and Amazon Fresh came third and fourth with a score of 31% and 27% respectively.

At the other end of the spectrum, Ocado swapped out items for just 19% of respondents, while Waitrose also performed well with a score of 21%.

Asking Asda about their policy on substitutions, a spokesperson told Which?: ‘We always let our customers know when their order contains a substitution, and customers are able to opt out of receiving any at all.

‘We always do our best to ensure that the customer receives a relevant sub if an item is missing, and we have colleagues to ensure that the best substitutions are being made.

‘Our own data shows the vast majority of substitute items are accepted, and overall customer satisfaction is high, so we have asked Which? to provide us with the details of these orders so that we can investigate what may have happened in these instances.’

Amazon Fresh, Iceland, Morrisons and Tesco didn’t comment, but Sainsbury’s said: ‘If a product a customer has chosen for their groceries online order is no longer available, our colleagues are trained to pick an alternative that’s as close as possible to the original item.

‘We’re sorry that on the rare occasion this might not be quite right, our customer satisfaction scores tell us that our substitutions have improved over the last few years.’

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