Mushrooms swapped for tampons among bizarre UK supermarket substitutions

Mushrooms in place of tampons, a frozen pizza substituted for tinned peaches, and cream crackers instead of Christmas crackers. These are among the “bizarre” supermarket substitutions reported by online shoppers in a new poll.

Just over a third of online grocery shoppers (34%) reported having received a substitution in their most recent grocery delivery, the survey for consumer group Which? found.

Asda was the worst offender with more than half (56%) of customers receiving a replacement product in their last order. When asked about the strangest substitution of the past year, one of its shoppers recounted their bemusement at having ordered washing powder only to unpack 10 cans of beer.

Two in five Sainsbury’s customers (41%) received a substitution. Among the examples of unexpected items in the bagging area were allergy tablets instead of an anti-allergy duvet and a bag of flour instead of a loaf of bread.

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When it came to Morrisons, a third (33%) of shoppers had received a substitution, with one crisps fan surprised to receive actual onions instead of cheese and onion flavour. The level of incidence was similar at Tesco but one shopper revealed a nightmare before Christmas when they received cream crackers instead of Christmas crackers.

At Waitrose, a quarter of shoppers (25%) had received a swap, including one shopper who complained of having received meat sausages instead of vegetarian ones. The figure for substitutions was roughly the same for Iceland, where one confused shopper ordered tinned peaches only to bag a frozen pizza.

Ocado customers were the least likely to have received a substitution, at 17%, but it still managed the occasional doozy, with one customer telling Which? they ordered tampons but got mushrooms instead.

The results came from a poll of more than 3,000 shoppers carried out in October and November 2023. People were asked about their experiences with the supermarkets they used most often in the previous 12 months, including what substitutions they had received.

While for many people grocery substitutions are funny or at worst a nuisance – especially if an essential ingredient is missing for a meal – for shoppers with dietary requirements the implications could be more serious.

Several of these consumers told researchers they had received items that were not suitable. One Tesco shopper’s lactose-free cheese was replaced with regular cheese, while at Sainsbury’s two vegetarian ready meals were replaced with meals containing meat in one order.

“Well-chosen substitutions can be really handy but our research has shown that all too often the replacement item is inappropriate or downright bizarre, said Ele Clark, Which?’s retail editor.

The consumer group said shoppers had the right to reject substitutions at the point of delivery, and that it was possible to opt out of receiving them altogether. “If you end up with an unwanted substitution after the driver has gone, contact the supermarket and ask for a refund,” said Clark, who added there were also online tools that made getting your money back easier.