Toilet rolls instead of sausage rolls? The worst supermarkets for substitutions

Online shopping is not without risk as one shopper bought sausage rolls only to get toilet rolls delivered by the supermarket.

Imagine ordering sausage rolls or duct tape from a supermarket online only to receive a bag with toilet roll and duck paste. It might sound weird but those are some of the substitutions customers have received, a new survey by consumer group Which? found.

Two in five (39%) shoppers had received a replacement item in their most recent shop, according to the survey.

If an item is out of stock, supermarkets may substitute it with a similar product. However, these replacements can miss the mark and when it comes to the mistakes made by supermarkets when delivering groceries the list only gets weirder.

One Aldi customer was treated to a tub of Ben and Jerry's Phish Food ice cream when actually what he ordered was breaded fish fillets. Another Aldi shopper was left scratching his head when he got cooking oil instead of milk.

The budget supermarket was the worst offender for substitutions with 49% of respondents saying they had received a substitution in their most recent shop.

Sainsbury's was a close second, with 48% of shoppers receiving a surprise replacement. One shopper reported ordering Sainsbury's sponge scourers but instead received a Victoria sponge cake. Another said they had received beef stock instead of brandy butter.

Some 45% of Asda customers found a substitution in their online grocery delievery. One customer received sausage rolls instead of toilet rolls. Another said they had a pack of Cadbury Creme Eggs substituted with a "box of bog-standard hen’s eggs".

One Morrisons shopper ordered breadsticks only to be greeted with dog food upon opening the delivery bag, and another had their Domestos cleaning product swapped out for a bottle of orange squash.

Customers ordering from Waitrose need to be careful when ordering shaving cream as one shopper was baffled when he got tampons instead.

At Tesco, one customer found duck paste in their shopping instead of the duct tape ordered.

When ordering from Tesco, Britain's biggest supermarkets, one customer found duck paste in their shopping instead of the duct tape ordered.

One grandfather who shopped online at Iceland accidentally gave his grandchildren a spicy snack because they had not realized their plain cheese biscuits had been replaced by a chili alternative.

Those ordering a bar of soap at Ocado might be surprised to get a jar of mayonnaise, as was the case for one customer.

One shopper received dark chocolate brunch bars instead of the Dolmio sauce they had ordered.

Customers with special dietary requirements fared badly when it came to getting substitutions, across all the supermarkets included in the study.

Shoppers complained about getting meat or dairy instead of vegetarian or vegan alternatives. One customer said: “As a vegetarian and vegan family, we’ve learnt quite quickly that this isn't on the radar of the substitution system.”

The same was true for customers with food intolerances. One shopper who had their gluten-free plain flour substituted with regular self-raising flour told Which? “It is an allergen food, not just any food”.

Ele Clark, Which? retail editor, said: “While product substitutions in your online shopping can sometimes be genuinely helpful, our research has shown that they can also be downright ridiculous.

“You do have the right to reject substitutions at the point of delivery, or you could opt out of receiving substitutions altogether — though this can result in a real headache if the key ingredient for your dinner that night is missing. If you do end up with a substitution that you don't want, always contact the supermarket and ask for a refund.”