Coles Using Old (Close to Expiry) Stock for Click and Collect

Andard on 22/01/2020 - 14:43
Last edited 23/01/2020 - 09:57 by 1 other user

This has happened to us a number of times, I wonder if any coles employees can confirm this is a normal practice?

We've gotten our click and collect items home in the past and found mould, rotten fruit (which we've just exchanged thinking it was just bad luck with the pick), but most recently two packs of mouldy pita bread that was set to expire in 3 days. on the 22nd (today).

After calling the store about the bread they said sorry and gave us $20 credit. So that's great but I wonder if it'll happen again.. and maybe this is some kind of practice across Coles stores - older stock for the click and collects ? Maybe we just have a dud store..

Edit: OK so people are saying below that old stock is normal to find on shelves so I should just go in and pick my own stuff to avoid it. I swear there's not this many bad products on the actual shelves when I go in store, and I've never found same day expiry mouldy bread… but people might argue with me it's because the pickers do it quick whilst I would choose stuff more carefully. 🤷‍♂️

Edit 2: the breads expiry was actually the 22nd (today).

Edit 3: I’ve gotten home now and actually found it was 2x packs of bread of the same brand that expired today the 22nd. Took a photo for proof if anyone’s still interested. One of the packs was open too… maybe they were returns and not off the shelf?

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Comments

  • spackbace on 22/01/2020 - 14:45

    Why do you use c&c? Why not just go in and do your shop, and pick what you want?

    • Andard on 22/01/2020 - 14:47
      +4

      saves time?

      • spackbace on 22/01/2020 - 14:48

        Not if you have to go back and change it.

        Not to mention the time taken to go through your order online, choose from the specials, etc etc. Unless you can do that in 5 minutes, then it's still taking around the same time.

        sigh are you another one of these that are happy to just throw a neg vote when you disagree, rather than just simply saying "I disagree?"

        • Andard on 22/01/2020 - 14:53
          +5

          Not if you have to go back and change it.

          Dont you think its reasonable to think I wasn't going to get shitty old stock with C&C ?

          • spackbace on 22/01/2020 - 14:55

            @Andard:

            This has happened to us a number of times

            At what point do you decide to just take the matter in your own hands, and decide to just buy what you see? Grab the milk from the back etc

            Or, grab the bread products/roast chicken when they're being discounted at the end of the day.

            No doubt, if you went in-store with a list, you'd actually spend less and get the quality/expiry that you want.

            Or spend the hour behind the computer screen, and order c&c, and get what you don't want. Up to you, I just know which way I'd prefer to ensure I got the right stuff at the right price.

            • Andard on 22/01/2020 - 14:55

              @spackbace: Thanks for your input.

            • abb on 22/01/2020 - 16:17
              +1

              @spackbace:

              spend the hour behind the computer screen

              I'm being paid to sit behind the computer screen anyway… ;)

              • Yola on 09/02/2020 - 10:17

                @abb: but not all of us are.

      • John Kimble on 22/01/2020 - 14:50

        In theory yes, but we've only done it a few times and most of the time they haven't even picked it yet, so we have to stand there waiting whilst they run around the shop looking for our items! 😡 Again, with Woolies it is usually ready waiting for us…we do have to wait for them to go get the chilled stuff from the fridge/freezer, but that is still pre picked in the back at least.

    • John Kimble on 22/01/2020 - 14:56
      +2

      We do it to save time, hassle with the young kids and reduces impulse buying by the missus (delivery is better for the last one because sometimes when we pick up the click and collect order she still goes in for "one more thing" and ends up getting 20 impulse things…🤦‍♂️)

      The other day we went in literally for one item, so didn't take a bag, I went to take care of something else…come back and she had a trolley full of stuff totalling $130!!!

      • spackbace on 22/01/2020 - 14:57
        +2

        Lol I get the advantages of delivery, but not for C&C, not unless you have the exact same order each time

        Hell, when the kids were younger it was a good escape to go shopping while the other partner looked after the kids!

        • John Kimble on 22/01/2020 - 14:58

          I do go by myself on occasion…but more often than not I pick the wrong things/brands/sizes so have to be on the phone with her almost the whole time anyway :(

          • spackbace on 22/01/2020 - 14:59
            +1

            @John Kimble: "Yeah, which tampons was it honey, the extra large or what?" lol

            • John Kimble on 22/01/2020 - 15:00
              +2

              @spackbace: 🙊

              I will say though, there's a whole wall of them and I find it very confusing…with and without different features like applicators and wings…

        • [Deactivated] on 22/01/2020 - 16:17

          Hell, when the kids were younger it was a good escape to go shopping while the other partner looked after the kids!

          We've always done it the other way round. The partner going shopping took the kids with them and the other one got to have a nap. The threat of being left home to have a nap with the other parent was a very effective one: they were always on their best behaviours at the supermarket🤣

  • John Kimble on 22/01/2020 - 14:45
    +3

    We've had that experience too…sometimes with delivered orders also. They are always apologetic and refund, but like you I wonder if it is a directive from management…Woolies is much better (but still not as good as choosing yourself).

    • spackbace on 22/01/2020 - 14:49
      +1

      Been a while since I ordered online, but is it still the case that Coles charge when it's packed, and charge you to the gram, whereas WW charge when you order, and you get bonus meat etc as they pack more than you paid for?

      • John Kimble on 22/01/2020 - 14:51
        +1

        Not sure, will have to ask the missus and get back to you…

      • Yola on 09/02/2020 - 10:13

        I have not ordered from Coles but yes from Woolworths I have received extra amounts for weighted goods. I think the staff cannot be bothered to find a piece that is the correct weight and give you whatever is closest or they are just being nice.

    • mskeggs on 22/01/2020 - 14:54
      +3

      Three days before expiry is hardly “old stock” for an item like bread. It is likely the day it was baked.
      It would be negligent for management not to tell c&c pickers to take stock from the front, as they have their stackers rotate stock by refilling at the back.

      If I am in store, I can reach behind and choose the milk with two extra days of use by, but Woolies interests are served by shifting the older stock first.

      Of course, it is in nobody’s interests to have spoilage. Perhaps the heat/humidity of delivery impacts quality differently? I can happily store bread or fruit several days past best in my cool, dry kitchen, but the same item will be mouldy before the best before date if stored in a hot, humid car.

  • JimmyF on 22/01/2020 - 15:00
    +2

    Coles Using Old (Close to Expirey) Stock for Click and Collect

    This is called stock rotation. Newest stock goes at the BACK of the shelf and oldest at the front of the shelf. So the 'oldest' gets sold first.

    but most recently mouldy bread that was set to expire in 3 days.

    Not sure what you wanted them to do, so it wasn't expired, then how would they know it would have had mold on it? Do you want them to open up and inspect your bread?

    • RockyRaccoon on 22/01/2020 - 15:10

      Not only that, sometimes thats all that is left on the shelf. Remember mskeggs (takes newer items first) was probably there just before the picker picked

      • spackbace on 22/01/2020 - 15:14
        +1

        The picker packed a pot of pickles?

    • Iwilltakeit on 22/01/2020 - 16:28
      +2

      When I worked at coles, all my coworkers told me to avoid rotating stock. Although I'm sure it's different depending on the store, my store wasn't the best one to work at. It wasn't just out of laziness though, our workload far surpassed the expected workload and we would constantly be going overtime without being paid (they kept using the excuse of us being too slow to avoid paying overtime, hold us back, ect). Basically, newest stock sometimes isn't at the back. Even when I've gone shopping at other stores the stock at the back of the shelves would sometimes be older.

      • JimmyF on 22/01/2020 - 18:08

        Basically, newest stock sometimes isn't at the back

        then the store isn't doing stock rotation correctly, simple as that.

        • Archi on 23/01/2020 - 09:16

          depends, brand reps that come into stores to refill shelves sometimes will definitely do a stock rotation. but a lazy, tired or just someone that doesn't give an 'F' will just do what is quickest so they can go home.

          • JimmyF on 23/01/2020 - 09:26

            @Archi: So as above then, someone isn't doing stock rotation correctly.

            There is NEVER a time in a supermarket that the newest stock goes on front and you leave the oldest stock at the back.

            But yes, stores get lazy staff with lazy managers who don't enforce this and the same for reps etc.

  • Archi on 22/01/2020 - 15:15
    +4

    we use supermarket delivery, only for bulky and pantry items where you can rarely damage, get wrong or too heavy.

    everything else is quick enough to do ourselves. cant trust people with fresh food, refrigerated items or perishables.

  • Davo1111 on 22/01/2020 - 15:45
    +3

    Probably just pick the one from the front. which happens to be the oldest.

  • whooah1979 on 22/01/2020 - 16:33

    the breads expiry was actually the 22nd (today).

    Costco sells dinner rolls that is stamped use by the next day. E.g packed 22.01.20 and use by 23.01.20.

  • Seraphin7 on 22/01/2020 - 16:48
    +1

    Of course you'll get "old stock" because of stock rotation as others have described above.

    You're not getting "old stock" because the person doing the picking is sifting through trying to find the oldest one.

  • try2bhelpful on 23/01/2020 - 08:58
    +1

    I’ve never used click and collect and I would never use it for fresh food items. We prefer to buy fresh fruit/veggies/meat, from the market, then drop by at the nearby Woollies to pick up other items. I am that annoying person who looks through the stock to find the stuff with the best use by date. We keep an insulated bag in the car and take an ice brick if we know we will be dropping by the supermarket. If possible I avoid prepacked fresh fruit. I’m careful what I choose. I swear those blueberry punnets are spring loaded. In defence of the “pickers” I have seen some really mouldy fruit on the shelves as well.
    Perhaps OP needs to take a couple of minutes, before driving off, to have a good look at his click and collect purchases to check the condition of the most likely culprits and take them back then and there.

  • deelaroo on 31/01/2020 - 23:50

    There is a specific job that is done at the supermarkets which is to check the shelf stock and try to make sure oldest stock is at the front.

    Then later another job is to go around and collect items off the shelf for click and collect. They grab the items at the front of the shelf of course.

    No conspiracy. When I go shopping for some things like dairy I'll always grab stock behind the front for this reason.

    • try2bhelpful on 01/02/2020 - 06:43
      +1

      I check the use by dates on everything I buy and see if there are ones with better use by dates there. As you say, you normally have to look further back.

  • clover on 10/02/2020 - 21:43

    I love woolies click and collect. There is a note section for individual item. For milk, I always put down expiry date to be at least 1 week from the date of purchase.

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