This Coles policy has shoppers furious - find out why!
- Replies 41
It is really frustrating to discover that the bread you bought a few days ago has already gone bad.
Bread generally has a pretty short shelf life, which is why we usually only buy what we need and consume it fairly quickly. But what happens when you've ordered groceries online and the loaf of bread you receive is already starting to go off?
Unfortunately, this seems to be a growing problem in Australia as more and more people turn to online grocery shopping due to the convenience factor.
A Coles customer who found herself in this situation recently took to social media to express her frustration with the supermarket giant.
You see, she received an online order from Coles which included a loaf of bread… with only two days left until its expiry date!
Understandably concerned, she then contacted Coles’ customer service about the issue and was told that their ‘minimum acceptance for all bread products is 2 days’.
‘Unfortunately, as these products were within our minimum acceptance guidelines we are unable to provide you with a refund or exchange for these items,’ they added.
Really, it was just a roundabout way of saying there was nothing they could do for her.
The woman was not happy with this response, as she felt that she had been done dirty by the supermarket.
‘Apparently, Coles’ policy on bread is if it has two days use-by on the tag, they will sell it. It’s not fresh daily,’ she said in her post.
The shopper’s experience was a familiar one for many who reacted to her post.
Another Coles shopper shared: ‘Bread isn’t the only thing they do it with.’
‘(I received) so many items delivered that were almost out-of-date and got the same generated response after complaining. It’s disgusting.’
‘It’s the same with their meat too. Got a click-and-collect from Coles… and got some meat that only had two days’ expiry on it,’ a third one shared.
‘When I questioned the store, they said the same thing: “It’s within the guidelines”.’
There is no specific mention of a two-day minimum acceptance guideline in Coles’ Frequently Asked Questions page on its website as of writing, so it must be something disclosed upon return or replace queries.
How unfortunate for shoppers, if we may say so.
In 2021, research from consumer advocacy group CHOICE revealed that 46 per cent or almost half of Aussie shoppers have experienced receiving orders such as meat and fruit and vegetables near their expiry dates.
Thirteen per cent experienced having food items delivered online that were past their dates for recommended consumption.
Had they been available to choose the said items in-store, 78 per cent said they would not have chosen the items with their indicated use-by dates.
Thirty-eight per cent also admitted to changing their meal plans to accommodate the unexpected expiry dates listed on their grocery items.
Maybe as a compromise, these supermarkets would be open to receiving payments past recommended dates too… kidding!
CHOICE also sought out the sides of Coles and Woolworths, who they said are Australia’s biggest online grocery retailers.
‘We aim to stock only fresh products of the highest quality in all of our fresh food departments,’ a spokesperson for Coles said.
‘When packing Coles Online orders our team members follow strict guidelines that detail the minimum use-by date acceptance – these differ across our fresh produce categories including dairy, meat, bakery and eggs.’
They also said: ‘We don't currently offer our customers the choice to select specific use-by dates for individual items.’
It is unclear whether they have at the very least planned to address the customer concern since their statement to CHOICE.
Meanwhile, Woolies said customers have the option to let their preferences be known by adding notes to their online order.
‘Our dedicated personal shoppers hand-pick fruit and veg for online orders to meet the unique requests of our customers. This can include picking an under-ripe banana for later in the week or ready-to-eat avocado for that night's dinner.’
‘Our personal shoppers will do their best to meet their needs based on the stock available at the time,’ they added.
If only all supermarkets did this, they’d be making a lot of shoppers less stressed!
Speaking of Coles you might also want to check out this story of a shopper’s ‘dangerous’ find that started calls for the supermarket to ‘do better’.
Also… the supermarket is now selling a new dish with a classic Aussie twist!
So what is your reaction to this story? Have you had similar experiences from Coles or other online retailers?
Tell us in the comments section below!
Bread generally has a pretty short shelf life, which is why we usually only buy what we need and consume it fairly quickly. But what happens when you've ordered groceries online and the loaf of bread you receive is already starting to go off?
Unfortunately, this seems to be a growing problem in Australia as more and more people turn to online grocery shopping due to the convenience factor.
A Coles customer who found herself in this situation recently took to social media to express her frustration with the supermarket giant.
You see, she received an online order from Coles which included a loaf of bread… with only two days left until its expiry date!
Understandably concerned, she then contacted Coles’ customer service about the issue and was told that their ‘minimum acceptance for all bread products is 2 days’.
‘Unfortunately, as these products were within our minimum acceptance guidelines we are unable to provide you with a refund or exchange for these items,’ they added.
Would you buy bread that expires two days after your purchase? Credit: Pexels/Laura James
Really, it was just a roundabout way of saying there was nothing they could do for her.
The woman was not happy with this response, as she felt that she had been done dirty by the supermarket.
‘Apparently, Coles’ policy on bread is if it has two days use-by on the tag, they will sell it. It’s not fresh daily,’ she said in her post.
The shopper’s experience was a familiar one for many who reacted to her post.
Another Coles shopper shared: ‘Bread isn’t the only thing they do it with.’
‘(I received) so many items delivered that were almost out-of-date and got the same generated response after complaining. It’s disgusting.’
‘It’s the same with their meat too. Got a click-and-collect from Coles… and got some meat that only had two days’ expiry on it,’ a third one shared.
‘When I questioned the store, they said the same thing: “It’s within the guidelines”.’
There is no specific mention of a two-day minimum acceptance guideline in Coles’ Frequently Asked Questions page on its website as of writing, so it must be something disclosed upon return or replace queries.
How unfortunate for shoppers, if we may say so.
In 2021, research from consumer advocacy group CHOICE revealed that 46 per cent or almost half of Aussie shoppers have experienced receiving orders such as meat and fruit and vegetables near their expiry dates.
Thirteen per cent experienced having food items delivered online that were past their dates for recommended consumption.
Had they been available to choose the said items in-store, 78 per cent said they would not have chosen the items with their indicated use-by dates.
Almost half of Aussies in a 2021 CHOICE survey reported receiving items near their expiry dates in their online grocery orders. Credit: Coles
Thirty-eight per cent also admitted to changing their meal plans to accommodate the unexpected expiry dates listed on their grocery items.
Maybe as a compromise, these supermarkets would be open to receiving payments past recommended dates too… kidding!
CHOICE also sought out the sides of Coles and Woolworths, who they said are Australia’s biggest online grocery retailers.
‘We aim to stock only fresh products of the highest quality in all of our fresh food departments,’ a spokesperson for Coles said.
‘When packing Coles Online orders our team members follow strict guidelines that detail the minimum use-by date acceptance – these differ across our fresh produce categories including dairy, meat, bakery and eggs.’
They also said: ‘We don't currently offer our customers the choice to select specific use-by dates for individual items.’
It is unclear whether they have at the very least planned to address the customer concern since their statement to CHOICE.
Meanwhile, Woolies said customers have the option to let their preferences be known by adding notes to their online order.
‘Our dedicated personal shoppers hand-pick fruit and veg for online orders to meet the unique requests of our customers. This can include picking an under-ripe banana for later in the week or ready-to-eat avocado for that night's dinner.’
‘Our personal shoppers will do their best to meet their needs based on the stock available at the time,’ they added.
If only all supermarkets did this, they’d be making a lot of shoppers less stressed!
Also… the supermarket is now selling a new dish with a classic Aussie twist!
So what is your reaction to this story? Have you had similar experiences from Coles or other online retailers?
Tell us in the comments section below!
.png){kind=icon}
