# Tesco idiocy



## robert@fm (Jan 26, 2016)

About half an hour ago as I write, I had my fortnightly grocery delivery from Tesco. Among the stuff I ordered was 8x2 litre bottles of Pepsi Max Cherry (the last time, I ordered 4 bottles of each variety, but the cherry ones weren't in stock so I got given 8 of the ordinary ones). However, only 5 bottles of Cherry Pepsi Max were available, so the other 3 were substituted -- with bottles of _*full-sugar*_ Cherry Coke! 

As I pointed out to the driver, I am registered with Tesco's Clubcard scheme as being diabetic, and have been for years, so they should have _known_ that this was an inappropriate substitution.  (Maybe they were misled by all those Cherry 7-Ups I bought as hypo treatments?) The driver said that he would mention it when he got back to the store, so I hope there's a good outcome...


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## Rosiecarmel (Jan 26, 2016)

Oh no! Did they take them back? I get my deliveries from ASDA and when they substitute anything you can say if you accept it or not


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## Matt Cycle (Jan 26, 2016)

Some people just don't think.  The worse ones are in pubs/clubs (not that I frequent them very much these days  ) when you ask for a diet coke.  "A coke?"  "No, a *DIET* coke please."  "Right there's your coke that'll be £1.50."  You never know what you're going to get but you soon find out when your blood sugar goes through the roof.  If they open one of the bottles at least you can see it but if they use the dispensers they're just pressing a button and you could end up with anything.


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## trophywench (Jan 26, 2016)

Matt - a lot of folk invest in a pot of pee stix for that reason, and dip it in the Coke at the counter, and give it straight back if it's the wrong one.


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## Sally71 (Jan 27, 2016)

LOL @trophywench - I've seen people doing blood tests on coke to see whether it's diet or not, I don't want to waste a strip for that though.  I'd love to see the barman's face when you get your pee sticks out to test the drink he's just given you  (serve him right though if he's a lazy one who can't be bothered to realise that if you ask for diet there's a good reason for it)

So far we've always been lucky that way (famous last words!), I can usually taste the difference.  I think it was @DeusXM who posted a tip on here about dip your finger in the coke, let it dry and if it goes all sticky it's a sugary one.  We usually use that method if any.


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## KookyCat (Jan 27, 2016)

Good old Tesco.  I got two courgettes instead of aubergines, at first I thought they were a substitute so I thought OK they're both veg, then I realised they weren't listed as a substitute they'd just thought the courgette was an aubergine   My favourite sub was when I ordered unsweetened apple sauce, and I got chocolate sauce, that one provoked a laugh on the customer service line I can tell you.  The substitutions are often done by computer, it reviews stock and if what you've ordered is out of stock it suggests the substitution, so they need to adjust their logic to include "no sugar".  The chocolate sauce was the same brand and listed in the same category of "sweet sauce", yum chocolate sauce on your pork would be lovely.  I wouldn't mind I only ordered the apple sauce because they were out of stock of the apples I use to make applesauce and I refused to pay for the pre bagged apples that were twice the price...tsk


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## Northerner (Jan 27, 2016)

Sainsbury's once brought me a 500g jar of Marmite as a substitute for my order of 125g  Have you seen what a half kilogram jar of Marmite looks like? HUGE!!!! Lasted me about 3 years!


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## Lynn Davies (Jan 27, 2016)

Sometimes they are very funny though - My veggie friend ordered some quorn beef strips which were substituted with a lovely lump of roasting beef!  We had a lovely sunday dinner from it though


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## DeusXM (Jan 27, 2016)

> I think it was@DeusXM who posted a tip on here about dip your finger in the coke, let it dry and if it goes all sticky it's a sugary one. We usually use that method if any.



Yep, the other useful trick is to familiarise yourself with the buttons on the soda pump at the bar. 'Diet' is never one of the top two and if it's a posher pump then it's usually a white or silver button.

The other option, of course, is to ask for one of the bottles in the fridge as at least they're labelled, although you get less for your money.

I must admit though @robert@fm, I didn't even know you could register as having diabetes on your clubcard! After having numerous disappointments on substitutions I've learned to mark 'no substitutes' on some of the core things I order. Sometimes though it works in your favour - I once ordered some salamis and got a big wodge of Polish smoked pork belly instead, which was infinitely better received!


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## Flower (Jan 27, 2016)

Tesco substituted 6 bottles of dry white wine I had ordered for 6 bottles of red wine as the type of wine I had selected was out of stock. I did question whether in all the white wine Tesco stocks there just might have been a closer alternative - but apparently not!


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## Rosiecarmel (Jan 28, 2016)

One of my friends once ordered female sanitary items and got substituted for kitchen roll!!!


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## Amigo (Jan 28, 2016)

Well I asked in Tesco today about availability of protein rolls or low carb bread and was told there was 'no demand for it!'. Really?


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## Northerner (Jan 28, 2016)

Amigo said:


> Well I asked in Tesco today about availability of protein rolls or low carb bread and was told there was 'no demand for it!'. Really?


So what are you then, Scotch Mist?   I was so pleased when the local Co-op started stocking Burgen S&L, saving me a long trip to Sainsbury's, but I'm constantly worried that I'm the only person buying it and they might think there is insufficient demand!


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## Robin (Jan 28, 2016)

Northerner said:


> So what are you then, Scotch Mist?   I was so pleased when the local Co-op started stocking Burgen S&L, saving me a long trip to Sainsbury's, but I'm constantly worried that I'm the only person buying it and they might think there is insufficient demand!


Must be a national thing, my local co-op's started doing Burgen too, and in the smaller sized loaves, which suits me.(at the same time they've stopped doing Camembert, though. Swings and roundabouts!)
Thanks to the good people of this Forum, I found the Lidl high protein rolls the other day, they weren't labelled, but I knew from the triangular shape that was them!


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## Mark Parrott (Jan 28, 2016)

Those Lidl rolls are great!  I'm thinking of making triangular burgers to put in them.  Talking of Burgen, I went to Sainsbury's last night & they didn't sell it.  In fact they sold no bread that I could eat.  Our Tesco's sells though.


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## Northerner (Jan 28, 2016)

Mark Parrott said:


> Those Lidl rolls are great!  I'm thinking of making triangular burgers to put in them.  Talking of Burgen, I went to Sainsbury's last night & they didn't sell it.  In fact they sold no bread that I could eat.  Our Tesco's sells though.


If I recall correctly (been a while since I've been) Sainsbury's have the Burgen in with the 'speciality bread' rather than the usual blood-sugar-spiking dross


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## Mark Parrott (Jan 28, 2016)

We only have a small Sainsbury's, I didn't notice a specialty bread section


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## Caroline (Jan 29, 2016)

Sainsbury's are pretty good at taking things back but bad at taking into account the reasons why people order certain things, I have  had this argument with dairy free and sugar free. I used to order soya milk for hubby who was dairy intolerant and have received ordinary milk, I always order sugar or reduced sugar for me and full sugar of everyone else. They didn't listen to my complaints and I keep making them


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## pottersusan (Jan 29, 2016)

Robin said:


> , I found the Lidl high protein rolls the other day, they weren't labelled, but I knew from the triangular shape that was them!


Lidl Low GI bread is good too - slightly less solid than the rolls!


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## Robin (Jan 29, 2016)

pottersusan said:


> Lidl Low GI bread is good too - slightly less solid than the rolls!


I see what you mean about the rolls, OH and I had them for lunch, and we both liked the taste, but it took us about three times as long to eat them!


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## Mark Parrott (Jan 29, 2016)

They are very filling as barely affected my BG.


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## robert@fm (Feb 1, 2016)

I've just got an email from Tesco (because I am signed up to Delivery Saver) offering me discounts on "healthy treats" -- including fruit juices!  (Not for the first time; I once saw a carton of Tesco orange juice which was labelled as "low GI". ) Somebody ought to tell them that "natural" does not equal "healthy"; fruit juice is as much sugar water as any full-sugar fizzy pop. 

(To be fair, the other offers were on ready meals, most of which _do_ look healthy to my eyes.)


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## HOBIE (Feb 1, 2016)

robert@fm said:


> About half an hour ago as I write, I had my fortnightly grocery delivery from Tesco. Among the stuff I ordered was 8x2 litre bottles of Pepsi Max Cherry (the last time, I ordered 4 bottles of each variety, but the cherry ones weren't in stock so I got given 8 of the ordinary ones). However, only 5 bottles of Cherry Pepsi Max were available, so the other 3 were substituted -- with bottles of _*full-sugar*_ Cherry Coke!
> 
> As I pointed out to the driver, I am registered with Tesco's Clubcard scheme as being diabetic, and have been for years, so they should have _known_ that this was an inappropriate substitution.  (Maybe they were misled by all those Cherry 7-Ups I bought as hypo treatments?) The driver said that he would mention it when he got back to the store, so I hope there's a good outcome...


The delivery driver is no Chemist ? If you ordered a Diet coke or something & got a full fat one ? Tesco are very good for diabetics . They helped us raise more than 16 million £££


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## AlisonM (Feb 1, 2016)

HOBIE said:


> The delivery driver is no Chemist ? If you ordered a Diet coke or something & got a full fat one ? Tesco are very good for diabetics . They helped us raise more than 16 million £££


Well no. Tesco may have raised millions for DUK, and well done to them for it. But they're no better or worse than any other supermarket when it comes to actual diabetics.


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## trophywench (Feb 1, 2016)

The people that 'pick' the orders aren't mind readers and won't have access to your registration on the Diabetes recipes etc part of their empire.  Just a fit person in the warehouse with a list on his computer screen.  In any case - they wouldn't have time to check such things - they are only allocated SO long to get each order sorted.

You wouldn't believe some of the madness.  Take the Bedworth depot of Ocado for instance.  They deliver to Shropshire Derbyshire Oxfordshire Cambridgeshire Bedfordshire parts of Wales Staffordshire Worcestershire and Warwickshire (inc the whole of West Midlands) - BUTTTT! - all the cages full of the actual food, are despatched to them by Hatfield.  Then they sort em into the separate orders and load the different vans for delivery.  So if it's Xmas Eve and they forgot to send the Turkeys ......

But anyway, just because you saw it on the shelf at Tescos this morning, does not imply that wherever your order is coming from this afternoon, has it !!


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## robert@fm (Feb 1, 2016)

HOBIE said:


> The delivery driver is no Chemist ?


The delivery driver isn't responsible for the contents of the orders he delivers; his job is just to deliver whatever is handed to him by the pickers.


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## robert@fm (Feb 2, 2016)

robert@fm said:


> I've just got an email from Tesco (because I am signed up to Delivery Saver) offering me discounts on "healthy treats" -- including fruit juices!  (Not for the first time; I once saw a carton of Tesco orange juice which was labelled as "low GI". ) Somebody ought to tell them that "natural" does not equal "healthy"; fruit juice is as much sugar water as any full-sugar fizzy pop.
> 
> (To be fair, the other offers were on ready meals, most of which _do_ look healthy to my eyes.)


 
I have now had a look at those "healthy" ready meals. The descriptions list sugars instead of total carbs (a typical one is 10.1g sugars, just over 40g carbs) and they are all "low fat", meaning high carb, thus not as healthy as all that.


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## Northerner (Feb 2, 2016)

robert@fm said:


> I have now had a look at those "healthy" ready meals. The descriptions list sugars instead of total carbs (a typical one is 10.1g sugars, just over 40g carbs) and they are all "low fat", meaning high carb, thus not as healthy as all that.


I wonder how long it will be before the low-fat myth/definition of 'healthy' is consigned to history?


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## HOBIE (Feb 2, 2016)

AlisonM said:


> Well no. Tesco may have raised millions for DUK, and well done to them for it. But they're no better or worse than any other supermarket when it comes to actual diabetics.


Sorry Alison. I have been "Team Leader" 3 times for Tesco & last time they raised £16 mill for Duk I don't know the two times previous. Can you name me one other supermarket that even comes close ?  £16million is a heck of a lot of pennies


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## Robin (Feb 2, 2016)

Tesco may be brilliant at fundraising for DUK with one hand, but they're still peddling sugar with the other. My sister went into her local Tesco just before Chrsitmas, and there was an employee with a bucket collecting money, and another employee standing right next to her....handing out sweets!


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## AlisonM (Feb 2, 2016)

Robin said:


> Tesco may be brilliant at fundraising for DUK with one hand, but they're still peddling sugar with the other. My sister went into her local Tesco just before Chrsitmas, and there was an employee with a bucket collecting money, and another employee standing right next to her....handing out sweets!


My point exactly.


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## HOBIE (Feb 2, 2016)

Have you noticed all the money tins on the end of every isle ?  Its in my head NOT to have the sweets.  I can not see ASDA or Morrisons doing anything for Duk can you ???


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## robert@fm (Feb 2, 2016)

HOBIE said:


> Sorry Alison. I have been "Team Leader" 3 times for Tesco & last time they raised £16 mill for Duk I don't know the two times previous. Can you name me one other supermarket that even comes close ?  £16million is a heck of a lot of pennies


Read my post earlier on this page, about how Tesco are currently pushing "healthy" meals which are high carb because they're based on the "low fat" mythos.


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## AlisonM (Feb 2, 2016)

You're missing the point again Hobie, this thread isn't about fund-raising, hat's off to them for doing it but it doesn't qualify them for sainthood. This discussion is about the mistakes/substitutions made when delivering orders and about so-called healthy options offered. Tesco are no better at this than any other supermarket chain and that is the real point we're trying to make.


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