Here at thebestof we’re always fully behind the virtues of buying local – using local stores, supporting local independent businesses and keeping the pound in the high street; it’s what we do!
But, we also recognise that we live in an increasingly fast paced world, and time is something that’s often in short supply. From time to time, especially when it comes to a ‘big shop’ from a supermarket, it’s quicker and more convenient to place your order online, press send and let someone else walk around the store and pick your goods for you before delivering them to your door.
How easy is that?
Well in theory it’s great, you pick your items, you pick your delivery slot, you pay; then you wait for your goods to arrive.
But there are some drawbacks to online shopping. Use by dates seem to be getting shorter and shorter nowadays and if you’re not careful you may receive goods that are only good for a couple of days let alone a week.
Then of course there is the infamous substitute product.
Occasionally the store doesn’t have the exact item you’ve asked for, so they give you a substitute product instead. Something that’s the next best thing to the one you’ve ordered. Sounds great, and it is - if they get it right!
Which? Magazine recently held their annual supermarket survey and this gave members of the public the chance to share their worst or funniest online substitutions. Naturally, there were some howlers, but the pick of the bunch comes from Which? member Nicola Amato.
Nicola fell fowl of product substitutions twice in the same order. Firstly she’d ordered a bath sponge. The one she’d ordered wasn’t in stock so, instead she was sent a genoa cake! Not quite the sponge she was looking for!
And picture poor Nicola’s face when, instead of receiving a bottle Matey Kid’s Bubble Bath she finds a large pack of Mates condoms in her shopping delivery! Crikey!
Now I’m not suggesting for one moment that online shopping is a bad thing, and you should stop buying things online; it has its place, of course it does. I’m just suggesting that sometimes it’s just easier to go shopping in person, that way you’ll get exactly what you want.
