Woolies employees reveal ONE of their pet peeves – customers requesting "no substitutions" in their orders
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We are all aware of the problems that come with doing our grocery shopping online, such as products going missing, bags becoming overstuffed, delivery people forgetting to knock on the door, and so on...
However, it is the product substitutions that annoy us the most. (This one mum ordered nappies for her son but received tampons instead.)
Turns out, there might be an entirely different explanation for these ludicrous swaps, according to the statements of some workers at Woolies.
In an unofficial Woolworths workers group, one employee shared that she frequently gives online customers incorrect substitute items, even if they included a note in their orders requesting "no substitutions."
Another supermarket employee agreed with her, saying that it irritates them when customers leave "Do not substitute!" on all of their items rather than simply unticking the "no subs" box.
A Woolworths employee said she ignores no-substitute demands if online purchase settings allow them. Credit: Facebook.
"Clearly had time to write a note but all they had to do was untick the box... Guess who will be getting a sub," one user who claimed to be a Woolies employee wrote in the comments.
"If the notes are in caps the customer is yelling at me so no," a second employee agreed and added.
A third chimed in and wrote: "You get what you get, do your own shopping if you don't like it."
Substitution, or "subbing," has been practised in Australia since the early days of online shopping, but due to staffing and distribution issues, supermarkets were forced to implement this policy more frequently during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Woolworths and other supermarkets, such as Coles, have a policy of substituting a suitable alternative of equal or higher value for out-of-stock items ordered online at no extra cost.
On the other hand, Woolworths guarantees on its website that if a customer orders an item that is out of stock and there is no suitable alternative available, the customer will receive a refund for the item and the total price of the transaction will be adjusted accordingly.
What are your thoughts, members? Have you ever had something substituted from your online order from Woolies or Coles? Let us know in the comments below!
However, it is the product substitutions that annoy us the most. (This one mum ordered nappies for her son but received tampons instead.)
Turns out, there might be an entirely different explanation for these ludicrous swaps, according to the statements of some workers at Woolies.
In an unofficial Woolworths workers group, one employee shared that she frequently gives online customers incorrect substitute items, even if they included a note in their orders requesting "no substitutions."
Another supermarket employee agreed with her, saying that it irritates them when customers leave "Do not substitute!" on all of their items rather than simply unticking the "no subs" box.
A Woolworths employee said she ignores no-substitute demands if online purchase settings allow them. Credit: Facebook.
"Clearly had time to write a note but all they had to do was untick the box... Guess who will be getting a sub," one user who claimed to be a Woolies employee wrote in the comments.
"If the notes are in caps the customer is yelling at me so no," a second employee agreed and added.
A third chimed in and wrote: "You get what you get, do your own shopping if you don't like it."
Substitution, or "subbing," has been practised in Australia since the early days of online shopping, but due to staffing and distribution issues, supermarkets were forced to implement this policy more frequently during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Woolworths and other supermarkets, such as Coles, have a policy of substituting a suitable alternative of equal or higher value for out-of-stock items ordered online at no extra cost.
On the other hand, Woolworths guarantees on its website that if a customer orders an item that is out of stock and there is no suitable alternative available, the customer will receive a refund for the item and the total price of the transaction will be adjusted accordingly.
What are your thoughts, members? Have you ever had something substituted from your online order from Woolies or Coles? Let us know in the comments below!
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