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| "No Tuna!" |
What do you do when you put in an order for groceries and the store contacts you to say that they need to cancel your order because they "ran into issues at our end"? Because that is just what happened today (Thursday)!
The last time I bought groceries was on January 15, a little over three weeks ago. I was out of fresh milk (had been for some time) and yesterday, I finished my loaf of bread (although I have a collection of the bread ends/crusts/heels, or whatever you call them). Chicken was on sale at my stock up price of $0.99/lb. and there were other sale items to be had with digital coupons, etc., so I thought this week would be a good week to order groceries!
This morning, I put together a list of groceries: bread, milk, chicken, smoked sausage, canned tuna, bananas, refrigerated crescent rolls dough to try a recipe that was in the store's own online magazine, the box of free cereal to redeem the latest "best customer" coupon they sent me, a carton of ice cream, a can of ready to serve soup to make sure I had at least one item over 5 items required to qualify for the $1 off per item (still smarting from the time I ordered exactly 5 items and they said they were out of one of the items and charged me the full price on the other items without offering a substitute), and two gallon sized bottles of water to restock my emergency supplies. Shortly after I submitted the order, I received a text from Ricky, who often brings my groceries to my car, stating that the store was out of several items I had ordered, too many to offer substitutions, and his manager had suggested cancelling my order! Sigh. I texted back to confirm that there would be no charge and said to go ahead and cancel the order. Then, I received the email confirmation that the order was cancelled due to "issues at our end".
I suppose I should have anticipated problems. For one thing, this weekend there is the Superbowl and people are probably having Superbowl parties and things are probably flying off the shelves. For another thing, we've had rain storm after rain storm and people probably stocked up on groceries in anticipation of the storms and the rain probably disrupted supplies from reaching the grocery stores due to flooded roads and other hazards. It doesn't take a pandemic to deplete store shelves, especially if one lives in an area where one experiences earthquakes and major storms.
Which is why I never let my pantry and freezer get down below a certain level and always keep my emergency supplies well stocked. I might be out of fresh milk, but, I have frozen milk and canned milk. I might be out of bread, but, I do have flour and yeast (although the yeast is expired!) and I can make roti.
Maybe the situation would not have arisen if I had shopped in person. I would have been able to make some substitutes for the items I wanted. However, if they were out of milk or bread or the chicken that was on sale, then, shopping in person wouldn't have helped!
I will try ordering more groceries on Monday - the sale prices will still be in effect until Tuesday. If I wait until Monday, it would have been four weeks since I last bought groceries! Or, maybe I'll change the pick up location to another store and have better luck, although I like my local store.
It was a sunny morning, but, it started to rain, again, in the evening. After I tried to order groceries and failed, I replied to blog comments (thank you, everyone, who reads and comments; I really appreciate it), read and commented on a few other blogs, vacuumed the living room and dining area, paid some bills, ran the dishwasher, and had a nice video chat with my stepfather's sister. Aunt S is in her early 90s and experiencing some health issues, but, she is as sharp as a tack! Later, I video chatted with my daughter.
Brunch on Thursday was pancakes with the last of the mackerel curry gravy and dhal, followed by one with pancake syrup! For dinner, I had:
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| Thursday Dinner: Chicken and Rice |
Sauteed chicken thighs (from the freezer) reheated and green peas (from the freezer) added to it, served with rice cooked in some of the broth from the ham and split peas soup. I usually cook rice in plain water, but, occasionally, especially if I have extra soup on hand, I like to cook it in some of the soup broth. There are leftovers for tomorrow (Friday) and probably for Saturday, as well!
- The sunshine during the day
- The rain in the evening
- Being able to video chat
- Being able to pay bills online
- Having a well-stocked freezer and pantry!
Thursday's joyful activities included video chatting with my step-aunt.
On Friday, I have an appointment with the oncology nurse practitioner for a routine check up, to go over the mammogram results, and to get my bone density injection. Later in the evening, M will be here to tend to the garden.
How was your Thursday? What are your plans for Friday?
What would you do if the grocery store needs to cancel your order due to insufficient stock? Or you go to the store and the shelves are bare of the items you want? Do you have a stock pile of sufficient food to get you through for at least a few days if not a week or two?
So frustrating when stores cannot fulfil the order. I am fortunate to be able to shop in person - but I keep a carton of longlife milk on hand, and I'm trying to get into a routine of making my own bread. I do feel sorry for people who get sent the wrong things, or have important items missed (my daughter's order came without the baby's nappies recently ) I guess the Superbowl really takes over and affects everything for you
ReplyDeleteOh, I do hope your daughter was able to get the nappies, after all! Good idea to keep longlife milk on hand and sufficient quantities of flour and yeast, etc., to make your own bread. The Superbowl is a big deal, here. :)
DeleteIt must be frustrating to find yourself in that position re: the shopping order. I rarely use the delivery / click-and-collect services. I prefer to see what there is & to choose my own produce. If I couldn't go shopping, I'd manage with what's in the freezer & cupboard for me, but Mr FD is a bit fussier & "has" to have certain things. Love FD xx
ReplyDeleteI switched to "click and collect" at the start of the pandemic, when the stores began to offer that service. At first, I missed being able to do my own shopping and look for bargains, etc., but, now I like the convenience (not to mention the safety factor). Having said that, I did step into a small grocery store, today, to buy myself a loaf of bread. :)
DeleteHow frustrating to take the time to order your groceries for the order to be cancelled. I have never had a whole order cancelled but often have an out of stock item and no substitution offered. It's wise to have a back up of food and not to let your supplies run too low. I hope Dancer has some tins of tuna in your stock cupbaord :)
ReplyDeleteI would have been okay if they just filled part of the order and gave me only what they did have, but, I guess it will all work out in the end. What I really wanted was the chicken that was on sale and I hope they will have it on Monday. Yes, there are a couple of tins of tuna for Dancer in my cupboard. :)
DeleteWhat an annoyance for you! It does seem like grocery stores often run out of things on Superbowl weekend and bad weather makes it worse. Poor Dancer, no tuna! I hope they've restocked by Monday. I have enough food in the pantry to last a couple of weeks, but meals would be odd, and my poor kitty would be eating only dry food though she does like it. I hope your appointment with the nurse goes well.
ReplyDeleteIt was rather shocking and I had flash backs to the beginning of the pandemic and empty store shelves! But, it was a good reminder not to let my pantry get too low. Actually, Dancer does have a couple of cans of tuna in reserve. :) Maybe you might want to stock up on a few cans of wet food for your kitty, too. :)
DeleteThank you, Celie; the appointment went well, even if we had a small earthquake in the middle of it! :)
Oh dear poor Dancer, he does look a little weary of thinking about no tuna. I wonder if many of the grocery store's delivery trucks couldn't make the trip because of the mudslides, flooding & such. Good luck with your injection appointment - hopefully quick & easy :)
ReplyDeleteHe does look a bit put out about it, doesn't he? I'm sure the recent storms and the mudslides and floods had an impact on delivery trucks making it to the stores as scheduled. My main reason for ordering groceries this week was the sale on chicken as I had been waiting for it to replenish my freezer. I'll try again on Monday.
DeleteMy appointment went well, thank you. :)
Thank you for your kind reply. I see from all the comments how we still miss our parents long after they’re gone. I loved the exchange between you and Bushlady about the memorial pine tree and the memory garden. ❤️
ReplyDeleteYour Thursday was a busy day with much accomplished. How inconvenient to make a grocery list, and place an order only to have it cancelled. I shop in person and I usually have at least one item on my list every week which is out of stock. Several times it has been half & half for my husband’s coffee. The store often only has fat-free, so I always buy extra when I see regular half & half. Fortunately, the expiration dates are pretty far off. I have been trying to pare down the pantry. Items I used this week from the post-last-date-of-sale collection were creamed corn, instant mashed potatoes, stuffing mix, evaporated milk, and a cake mix. Those are all things I won’t be replacing.
It’s predicted to reach 54 degrees (Fahrenheit) today in NYC and even get a little warmer warmer in Ohio, where one daughter lives, and in Philadelphia, where the other resides. I’m hoping they both get off work on time to enjoy it.
Wishing you good medical reports and appointments! 😊
You are welcome, Taconix; glad you enjoyed the exchange between Bushlady and me. :)
DeleteI was a little concerned about having to cancel my grocery order; I really wasn't expecting that, and I now wish I had asked which items were missing, but, I didn't. I'm hoping to put in another order on Monday. Shopping in person does enable one to make substitutions as needed, doesn't it? Well done on using up some of your pantry items that you don't plan to replace.
Hope both your daughters were able to enjoy the warmer weather. :)
Thank you for the well wishes. Everything went well. :)
We have plenty of food to last for a while. It might not be exactly what we want, but we wouldn't starve. I would probably go to a different store to look for the out of stock items. Dancer does indeed look annoyed in his picture. :)
ReplyDeleteIt's good to know that we can put something together for a meal with what we have on hand if needed, isn't it? I'm trying to make sure that I have, if not exactly meal kits, then, at least things that I can use to make a meal like pasta and pasta sauce, or a can of chicken stock and a can of mixed vegetables to make a soup with perhaps a can of chicken.
DeleteI will try to put another order of groceries in on Monday (or even Tuesday).
Dancer doesn't look too happy, does he? :D
I love your cat! We had our share of cancelations lately, and it does make me wonder... is it just the way of things these days? We shop in person every ten days or so. I am like you; for me I always have flour and frozen milk, frozen vegetables, dried food and some canned food, extra meals in the freezer. For me it is quite a chore:) When we were younger we were in town more often, and were always be able to pick up what was forgotten. For you, I do not know how you can know what is on the shelves or not? For me, i am always happy with less choice, and like last week when all the vegetables are already wilting, i will try to cook and freeze them in the next few days
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jozien; Dancer will be happy to know that! :D
DeleteYes, I am sure people living in areas with more snow in the winter experience shortages on a more frequent basis. Sounds like you are well prepared to outlast any shortages. Good idea to cook and freeze any vegetables that are wilting and will not keep. :) I have no way of knowing what is on the shelves, but, usually, if one or two items I've ordered are out of stock, the store will text me and offer me substitutes if they can or they let me know that they are unable to offer any substitutes. I guess, this time, they were really out of a lot of things.
Dancer looks quite dismayed at the thought of supply issues! I think you already bought more tuna, didn't you? I've sometimes found a few things missing from the shelves so I suppose if I had put in an order on that occasion I might have had problems, too. I do like to keep in a good stock of what I regularly use, because we live out of town and often the grocery truck hasn't arrived or been unloaded when I am in the store.
ReplyDeleteI hope your appointment with the oncology nurse goes well.
He does look worried, doesn't he? :D Yes, I stocked up on tuna, earlier, but, he has made inroads into that as he was on a tuna kick at the time! It's a good idea to keep a stock of the items we use regularly, isn't it?
DeleteThe appointment went well, thank you, complete with a small earthquake! :D
I'm sorry there were supply issues, but glad you have things on hand. I know that when they call for a snow storm near us people shop as though they won't get to a shop for weeks. As we tend to keep some extras on hand we're a little more relaxed about it!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure that it being Superbowl Sunday doesn't help!
Thank you, Sharon. Yes, I could probably go for a some time without grocery shopping, but, I'll miss not having fresh bread and milk, etc. I did stop and buy some bread from a different store on my way home from the doctor's on Friday. I mostly wanted to take advantage of a sale on chicken and get more tuna for Dancer, but, I'll try to put another order in on Monday or Tuesday (last day when the chicken will be on sale for $0.99/lb.)
DeleteOh no - And I was thinking while I was reading of your plans to shop that it had been a while. Hopefully as I read on, you have been able to get an order filled and take advantage of the sales that you were seeking out.
ReplyDeleteIt certainly does pay to have some backup supplies on hand doesn't it? You really never know when a situation might arise.
Yes, things like being short on supplies can happen at any time! But, I was able to get my groceries on Monday, exactly four weeks after the previous grocery pick up! I changed the order a little bit (didn't get the crescent roll dough or the ice cream) and I forgot to order the bottled water, but, I got everything I did order and I'll put in another order for the bottled water, etc., later this month.
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