Why does this obscure policy at Woolies infuriate shoppers?

The rapid growth in online grocery shopping and delivery services has brought convenience to many time-poor customers. However, some families are finding that convenience is tested by obscure policies and short expiry dates on fresh items.

Woolworths is facing backlash from disgruntled customers over a little-known refund policy that applies to certain perishable goods.

This policy, which primarily affects home delivery and Direct To Boot customers, has sparked a wave of complaints from shoppers who feel short-changed.



The policy in question stipulates that online shoppers are eligible for a refund if they receive fresh milk with an expiry date of five days or less and vegetables with a best-before date of three days or less.

While this may seem like a fair deal at first glance, many customers argued that it makes weekly grocery shopping a challenge.


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Woolworths shoppers expressed frustrations at the supermarket’s refund policy. Image source: Shutterstock



One disgruntled shopper voiced their frustration, saying, 'Disappointed that “The Fresh Food People” refund guidelines for acceptable expiry use by dates are only five days for milk and three days for salad vegetables.’

‘Makes it hard for families that do their shopping weekly, especially those that have to shop online,’ they added.



Another customer pointed out the difficulty of preparing school lunches for the week with such short expiry dates.

They pointed out: ‘It’s hard to make a “healthy lunchbox” when Woolworths gives you an order filled with mouldy products that’s supposed to be for your children’s school lunches and numerous products due to expire in one to three days.’

They also shared their experience with the supermarket’s refund policy.

‘And then you request a refund and have to mess around with calling Woolworths up because it’s been 12 days, and still haven’t received a refund,’ they recalled.

‘Everytime I call, I get the same response it should be the next 48 hours—well it’s been 288 hours, what’s your excuse this time?’ they asked.

The customer continued: ‘Not even an apology from the store I purchased the items from—seven bakery items either mouldy expired or just about to expire.’

‘Woolworths is beyond a joke. And customer service is even more laughable.’



It is worth noting that fresh items like bagged salads and bread have a limited shelf life, and their expiry dates are often shorter, whether shoppers are purchasing online or in-store.

A Woolworths spokesperson has responded to these complaints.

‘For our online orders, our team aims to pack products with an appropriate expiry date to ensure our customers’ food stays fresher for longer,’ the company stated.

‘We also encourage our team to pick orders as though they were shopping for themselves, particularly with fresh produce.’

The spokesperson also assured: ‘If a customer receives a product that is out of date or would like to discuss their order, we encourage them to contact our customer service team to arrange a refund.’



Woolworths' expiry date guidelines for online orders outline a minimum number of days for use-by/expiry dates based on when an order is packed. The dates also vary depending on the type of product.

Apart from the guidelines mentioned, Woolworths claimed they have an online picking system that comes with a built-in trigger.

This trigger notifies team members if they happen to pick up a product that is too close to its expiry date. The team members can then replace the product with another one that has a longer expiry date.

This ensures that customers receive fresh products with a long shelf life.

Expiry dates are crucial as they indicate the period within which food is safe to eat. Consuming food past its expiry date can lead to foodborne illnesses. However, it's also important to note that expiry dates are often conservative estimates, and many foods remain safe to eat beyond these dates.

You may also visit Woolworths’ website for more detailed information about their products’ expiry dates and refund policy.

Key Takeaways
  • Woolworths has a specific refund policy for online deliveries regarding the freshness of products like milk and vegetables.
  • Some customers have expressed frustration that the policy, which allows refunds for milk with an expiry date of five days or less and vegetables with a best-before date of three days or less, does not match their weekly shopping needs.
  • Customers have reported receiving mouldy or near-expiry products in their online orders, which complicates planning for meals and school lunches.
  • Woolworths emphasises that their personal shoppers aim to select products with appropriate expiry dates and encourages customers to contact their customer service team for refunds on unsatisfactory items.

What are your thoughts on this issue, members? Have you had a similar experience with Woolworths or any other supermarket? Share your experiences and tips in the comments below.
 
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I have to use online shopping. I always put the bread appropriately wrapped in the freezer as it goes off so quickly here in the heat in Queensland.. Not a good look for the supermarkets. The quality of the fresh fruit can vary from solid as a rock to mushy to say the least.
 
I’ve never only shopped once a week for fresh foods. That is a twice or three times a week job. It’s the only way to get fresh foods like fruit that is still nice by weeks’ end. With shops open 7 days a week what is the problem? Have the modern parents made their lives so busy that one of them can’t pop out to pick up a few fresh items after work, or in the evening? In the days of our youth we shopped on 5 week days(9-5 only) and Saturday morning only. We planned to ensure we had a pantry full of basics and added in the fresh as quick shops when needed. We also grew food at home so that we could pick fruit in season. So much comes pre prepared or frozen now that I simply don’t see how people can’t do these basic chores.
 
I am grateful that I don’t need to shop online for groceries as I definitely prefer to choose my own fresh produce.
I feel for those who rely on online grocery shopping when use by dates are so close to when the food is received.
Wake up major supermarkets and put customers before profit!
I agree.

If they did place people before profit, their profits would increase.
 
I find quite often when doing my shopping at Woolworths that they have perishables such as milk and meat products, particularly mince and the pre-packed salads & vegetables, that only have between 3 to 4 days for you to use them, sometimes less. It's quite frustrating when you only want to do a weekly shop due to health reasons. I end up not buying or freezing the meat and having to buy less and go shopping again through the week. I tried the shopping online and wasn't impressed with the selection of fresh products and meats that I ended up with or the short 'life span' of the perishables so I do my own shopping so I can choose my own groceries and check the dates.
 
Well I do my shop online with woolworths. Last week , I recieved my order after the driver left I started to carry my order into the kitchen and the last bag was the cold items ie cheese,cold meats, milk. I picked up the bag(paper) and the milk split the bottom may I add damp . So the bag was sitting in the truck for approx 2-3hrs. Phoned woolworths to let them know about the wet bag all the girl wanted was give me a refund to shut me up. The milk wasn't damaged but to shut her up I accepted the refund. Do I feel guilty hell no.
 
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I must have really great personal shoppers at my Woollies store as I’ve been shopping online for several years & the only problem was some rather green tomatoes in the early stages. We simply returned them & it’s never happened again. But really you can’t expect fresh produce to last for weeks. I shop online because I hate supermarkets so do the click & collect method. I don’t mind a mini shop for fresh fruit & veggies but we do grow some ourselves. My husband gets our meat from IGA as it comes from the Scottsdale region in Tasmania & is extremely good. I know that it’s hard for rural people but then it always has been. I grew up on a farm but we were fairly self sufficient except for fresh bread and no freezers in those days. Mum never ever baked bread & have often wondered why, it’s too late to ask now, unfortunately.
 
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I’ve never only shopped once a week for fresh foods. That is a twice or three times a week job. It’s the only way to get fresh foods like fruit that is still nice by weeks’ end. With shops open 7 days a week what is the problem? Have the modern parents made their lives so busy that one of them can’t pop out to pick up a few fresh items after work, or in the evening? In the days of our youth we shopped on 5 week days(9-5 only) and Saturday morning only. We planned to ensure we had a pantry full of basics and added in the fresh as quick shops when needed. We also grew food at home so that we could pick fruit in season. So much comes pre prepared or frozen now that I simply don’t see how people can’t do these basic chores.
If you lived 30-35 mins drive from the supermarket, you would soon find that you have to shop weekly or longer. If you choose & store your fresh fruit/veg carefully you can shop every 7-10 days. I choose fruit which is still firm, so not yet fully ripe. The same with tomatoes & every other veg. Wrap your lettuce in a plastic shopping bag & tie it off tightly & it will stay crisp & fresh in the frig for at least 10 days. My meat& bread are frozen as soon as I return from shopping. So, as you can see, it is possible by careful selection & storage at home to shop no more than once a week.
 
I do my own shopping as I don't trust the stores to supply what I want. We had a delicatessen years ago and sold bread etc. Bread was delivered by the bakery every day and any unsold from the previous day was taken back to the Bakery. This does not happen today as we have often found the loaf we have just bought is quite dry when opened. Not only that there is a clip closing the bread with a "date " but it is so faint you cannot read it easily.
 
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I am grateful that I don’t need to shop online for groceries as I definitely prefer to choose my own fresh produce.
I feel for those who rely on online grocery shopping when use by dates are so close to when the food is received.
Wake up major supermarkets and put customers before profit!
I NEVER order any use by date goods on my online orders to Coles. When I first used online ordering things were either mouldy, rotten, use by date on day of delivery, melted ice cream and the list goes on. So I only order groceries that are tinned/bottled/jarred that do not have USE BY DATES. [milk, fresh juices,, yoghurt,frozen veg, frozen goods and especially meat fruit and veg.
 
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I don't order groceries online very often, but when I do I never order fresh food or refrigerated/frozen foods for that reason. I want to get them myself so I can pick the freshest vegetables and the longest date on foods that have expiry dates.
 
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Online shopping is not new.
25 years ago when we lived in Longreach I would fax my order to Woolies in Rockhampton and they would fill the order, box it up, cold in Koolite and send it out on the train.
No problemo
 
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If you lived 30-35 mins drive from the supermarket, you would soon find that you have to shop weekly or longer. If you choose & store your fresh fruit/veg carefully you can shop every 7-10 days. I choose fruit which is still firm, so not yet fully ripe. The same with tomatoes & every other veg. Wrap your lettuce in a plastic shopping bag & tie it off tightly & it will stay crisp & fresh in the frig for at least 10 days. My meat& bread are frozen as soon as I return from shopping. So, as you can see, it is possible by careful selection & storage at home to shop no more than once a week.
I do the same an 80k round trip to do the shopping means a once a week job.
 
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I order online from Woolies sometimes as being disabled I can't push a trolley and don't always have someone to take me shopping. The biggest annoyance is substitutions, that are often baffling . Short use by dates are annoying too, leaving you to have to make a special trip to restock, or ask a family member.
These two things are why I only online shop when no-one is available to take me shopping or buy it for me.
Wollies isn't so fresh and not honest about price gouging. I use Aldi when I can.
 
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I’ve never only shopped once a week for fresh foods. That is a twice or three times a week job. It’s the only way to get fresh foods like fruit that is still nice by weeks’ end. With shops open 7 days a week what is the problem? Have the modern parents made their lives so busy that one of them can’t pop out to pick up a few fresh items after work, or in the evening? In the days of our youth we shopped on 5 week days(9-5 only) and Saturday morning only. We planned to ensure we had a pantry full of basics and added in the fresh as quick shops when needed. We also grew food at home so that we could pick fruit in season. So much comes pre prepared or frozen now that I simply don’t see how people can’t do these basic chores.
I have to shop once a week as it is a 90km round trip to go to the supermarket. We don't all have a supermarket 5 mins down the road. I also popped in to shop on the way home from work when I lived in a major city on the coast but with a change of residence it means a change of shopping possibilities. It really annoys me the way city people get on this page & act as if we all have a supermarket just around the corner & criticise us when we complain about the freshness of produce when we can't shop daily.
 
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