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Crazy Substitutions

Started by the-vortex, 19-03-12, 09:08PM

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the-vortex

As Dot Comedy driver of several years standing I am still shocked at some of the ridiculous substitutions offered to out customers.

Can anyone match today's special?  Wanted 2 bags of Marshmallows substituted with 2 sets of 'Happy Birthday' candles!   :o

You couldn't make it up!
Loyalty is a one-way street!

eric79

Surely to do that they would have had to offsale two products?The system now gives you a specific substitute to pick for a product that is offsale, if that isn't available you offsale that and then it allows you to choose a substitution...
It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice!

bennyboy2

No....the system doesn't that's the problem because it's too old and pickers have seconds to pick

eric79

Maybe it's changed recently,I was on Dotcom a couple of weeks ago and that was what happened when the substitute was also offsale along with the original product ordered
It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice!

NortholtJohn

The teampad makes suggestions for likely substitutions, so I can only summize that the person picking would have gone for the easy option just because it was there on the screen, however suggestions are generated from previous substituted picks and the information added to the database, write or wrong, sadly individuals do not tend to use their common sense these days, in the dotcom store where I work at Greenford there is no substitution option after an offsale, cant think why that's happening, we have been advised by the store manager if there is nothing that closely matches the requested item, to offsale in order that the issue is flagged to stock control.

ghostraven

That's nothing, customer wanted childs bibs but was substituted for breast pads?????

dolebob

Customer wanted Disney socks, they got Tesco felt tip pens.

Anne

#7
two of the most ridiculous substitutions I ever had were (baby) nappies subbed for sanitary towels and baby wipes for moist toilet wipes.
I've had baby milk subbed for tip top evaporated milk and fresh broccoli for dried peas!

Have to say though,I often use Asda or Sainsburys for home shopping as they not only call to ask if you prefer to go without or have a substitution , but they also give you a more expensive equivalent and only charge for what you originally ordered.

lifeguard

Anne both are now option with dot com.
My best sub isfire lighters in for sugar cubes. Makes terrible tea

Loki

Nothing as exciting as a anyone else, but I had cat litter instead of cat food. Poor little blighters were starving.

AlexW

I've had a customer who had  frozen broccoli instead of a frozen pizza and another customer had a bar of chocolate instead of a tv guide.

Quote from: Anne on 20-03-12, 12:24PM
Have to say though,I often use Asda or Sainsburys for home shopping as they not only call to ask if you prefer to go without or have a substitution
Never heard of that before, I could be wrong but I'd be surprised if it was the case on every shop. Apart from the huge increase in picking time while they wait to hear back from the customers, I just can't imagine any store having the manpower to make potentially several hundred calls every morning just to check if someone wants subs.

Quote from: Anne on 20-03-12, 12:24PM
but they also give you a more expensive equivalent and only charge for what you originally ordered.

Tesco already do this, if they send something that's more expensive they refund the difference. Also, if they sub or off sale an item that's part of an offer they tend to honour the offer. So a BOGOF where one item is sub'd will usually still be a BOGOF, or if they off sale part of it you get the other part at the reduced price, eg a BOGOF where only 1 item is sent, the remaining item would be charged at half price etc...

Storck

Quote from: the-vortex on 19-03-12, 09:08PM
As Dot Comedy driver of several years standing I am still shocked at some of the ridiculous substitutions offered to out customers.

Can anyone match today's special?  Wanted 2 bags of Marshmallows substituted with 2 sets of 'Happy Birthday' candles!   :o

You couldn't make it up!

There is no way that would ever happen at our store even if the team pad suggested it because they are at the opposite sides of the store and none of the pickers would walk back across as it would kill their pick rate.

gomezz

The oddest thing though is that as strapped for time as pickers are they find time to go several aisles out of their way to find some inappropriate substitute.   :o
"The progress of the kart is more important than its direction"

the-vortex

Apparently, the candles substituted are in the same 'cake baking' section as the marshmallows  ???
Loyalty is a one-way street!

B.O.B

My daftest one was beef enchiladas instead of mashed potato, but the most ridiculous one ever at my store really does take some beating... the customer ordered tampons, the substitution offered was... a large French stick.  Luckily, it wasn't on my van...!!!

Anne

#15
B.O.B, you just made me spill coffee on my laptop!  :D

my sister ordered from Ocado (she had a 25% off voucher) and was substituted pudding rice for cous cous.

l8r

Quote from: B.O.B on 30-06-12, 06:32PM
... the customer ordered tampons, the substitution offered was... a large French stick. 

Surely a little breadstick would have sufficed ?    (-*-)

lord archibald

customer order was for goldfish food, they received...............tin of tuna cat food  ;D

allyjohn

My odded sub was several years ago and it was a Kiwi Fruit instead if Black Shoe Polish..

AlexW

Kiwi shoe polish by any chance?

oddjob

isnt a lot of dot com pickers now young kids with no common sense? and not an ounce of pride in what they do??

gomezz

#21
But if it is the system suggesting the daft alternatives?  I can see how a heuristic system might get confused between a brand name and a product type.  Of course, like using a sat-nav, the user (picker) needs to apply sanity checks but Tesco likes to brainwash initiative out of its workforce as we all do know.
"The progress of the kart is more important than its direction"

the-vortex

Have to agree with both recent posters.  The system used to state, "Customer has accepted..." when it is quite clearly not a logical substitution.

My personal gripe is substituting cheese and tomato pizzas with meat topped ones.  A clear veggie option wrongly subbed!
Loyalty is a one-way street!

Anne

I recently placed an order which included several soya based products, gluten free items and goats milk.

The substitutions were WW sliced bread instead of gluten free, standard wholemeal pasta instead of girlfriend pasta, Long life cows milk instead of goats milk and mozzarella instead of goats cheese. Madness!

Magz21

There are no words..............!!

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