# Online Grocery Shopping - Beware - Safety Issues



## Holly667 (Jun 3, 2003)

Hi,

Unfortunately I had a very scary experience when my supermarket groceries were delivered today.  I feel I need you know as it could save someone some heartache.

My 2 year old twins were playing in the garden when the delivery arrived.  Ok, perhaps I should have taken them inside but they had only been out the garden for a short while and would not have been happy about that.

The driver bought in the first 2 plastic crates of shopping, I shut the gate after this first trip.  I was unpacking these 2 crates while he went back to the van for more.  He came in with another 2 crates and said "your children have just ran out of the gate".  I said "what, you left the gate open?"  He said "yes, I couldn't shut it with my hands full".    I then ran outside to find my 2 year old son running up the middle of the road.  The delivery driver came out and I said "what the hell do you think you're doing, leaving the gate open". He said "I didn't know they would run out in the road did I?"   

Anyway, I screamed at him to take all the delivery back as I didn't have time for it.  The twins were both screaming and crying by now, probably because I was so freaked out.

I immediately phoned the superstore involved (where I also happen to work) and made a complaint.  The manager I spoke to said that "it is not the driver's responsibility to ensure the safety of my children" but she would have a word with him.

So there you go, if you have grocery shopping delivered, beware of any animals or children getting out because the driver's don't have to shut the gate behind them.

I am shaken, shocked and disgusted.  I'm wondering whether he would purposefully left the gate open if I had 2 dogs in the garden - bearing in mind we live on a main road??

My employment contract is terminated with them as of today!!

Holly


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## Amee (Nov 14, 2005)

Holly - just wanted to send u loads of      that is awful...anything could of happened, obviously this man has no sense at all,   he would of seen them go out, and should of told u or brought them back in...I would have another word with mgt once u have calmed down..I dont blame u at all for being angry   

Ax


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## dakota (Feb 6, 2007)

Aww hun   

Yes it might not be the drivers responsibilty to shut the gate but you would of though he had some commen sense   Its not hard to see what could happen. Maybe its a man thing

Big hugs to you hun  

Nikki xx


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## wouldloveababycat (Mar 21, 2004)

hunny glad your little ones are ok 
Cat x


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## carrie3479 (Nov 30, 2005)

Oh hun    so glad the LOs are ok.
I totally agree with Nikki.... how much common sense is needed to realise that if a gate or door is open a child of a young age is going to investigate whats beyond it!  

Corrina xx


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## Caz (Jul 21, 2002)

Holly 

The driver could very easily have asked you (or suggested to you) to take the children inside for safety reasons or, have called you over to shut the gate after him or discussed how you were going to get the good inside the gate safely. I can think of a dozen scenarios where he could have and should have acted more responsibly. And his repsonse when he saw what your son did...well at the very least he should have been utterly appalled at what his actions had caused and completely apologetic and not defensive!

As for the manager  Yes of course she/he is probably right that it isn't the driver's direct responsibility but it's not like you are asking him to babysit for you, merely yo show a bit of common sense. How hard is that! I would also argue that it is the responsibility for any adult to ensure they act with safety in mind there are young children around. I wonder if the manager's attitude would have been different if you had not been an employee there? 
I don't blame you for terminating your employment there but you know I'd bypass the store and the manager you spoke to there and write a letter to the head office and make a formal complaint about the incident. At the very least you may be able to get this supermarket to rethink it's staff training and how they handle this kind of situation because, I am sure you are not the only mum with youngsters who has to deal with home deliveries and, as you're the very demographic they are hoping to appeal to, I'd say they need to pull their socks up.

C~x


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## Holly667 (Jun 3, 2003)

Thanks to everyone who read my post and to those of of you that replied.  

As you recommended Caz, I'm going to write to head office to make a formal complaint.  I'm still very angry about it, especially when I keep thinking that neither the driver or the manager apologised!  Ok, my son wasn't injured, thank God, BUT it could so easily have been a different outcome.

I'll let you know the outcome of my letter.

Holly
x


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## jan27 (Aug 19, 2005)

Sorry if you don't like this but to be honest i think you are both to blame in my opinion.

You are responsible for your chidren and are aware of the chance they may go out the gate if open. If the delivery came you should have moved them to a place of safety whilst delivery man being undertaken.

The delivery man was doing his job and delivering your shopping for which he had to go through the gate, when he is carrying crates it is not easy to shut gates again, and he probably assumed you were aware of your childrens safety. He did tell you that the children had gone out the gate, on the other hand he may not have seen them at all and then you would have had missing children. Whats worse? Perhaps he should have dropped the crates and shouted when he realised, but again, where were you?

I am not here to totally criticise. As parents we have all had incidents where similar things have happened. To me the first incident involved a beach. It would have been easy to blame someone else for the incident but at the end of the day it was my fault and would have not have tried to place my guilt on someone else.

No one is perfect and remember *You learn from your mistakes*

Again, i don't mean to cause offence but take a different view.... 

Good luck...there will be more challenges ahead!


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## Holly667 (Jun 3, 2003)

Jan,

Thank you for your opinion. Of course I also blame myself but the main reason I put this post on FF was:



> I feel I need you know as it could save someone some heartache.


I do not take FULL responsibility for what happened, perhaps that does make me a bad mother. If I entered another person's garden and saw dogs or animals in the garden, I WOULD NEVER leave the gate open purposefully even if I had my hands full. That's just common sense and good manners.

BTW, to your question "where was I", I was in my passageway emptying (not unpacking and putting away in the cupboard!) the 2 plastic crates of groceries he had dumped while he was getting the rest from the van.

Holly


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## Caz (Jul 21, 2002)

Jan I am sorry but I don't think your post particularly helpful and constructive and, while I appreciate you are more than entitled to air your views and some of them are very valid, you are missing the point of Holly's initial post which appears to be (to me at least, unless I am reading it completely differently to everyone else) that she _has_ learnt a very important lesson from a mistake/oversight on her part and that she wants to warn others not to go through the same trauma she has. 
Hindsight is a wonderful thing isn't it? I know that, if it were me in the same situation (which is could easily have been as my little one often make a bid for freedom if he sees the front door open) I would be feeling really bad - guilty and my confidence completely knocked for six. I'm not sure coming on here and seeing affirmation of my useless parenting skills and criticism of my actions would be doing much to rebuild that confidence right now and, frankly, it's just a little patronising. 

Yes the delivery man is not responisble but he is a responsible adult and he must encounter similar situations all the time so should, surely, have had the common sense to ask if it was ok to leave the gate open first or point out the hazzard or, yes, even drop the crates and grab the children as they made a break for it! I know when my deilvery man delivers my groceries (also to my back gate) that, if he sees B in the garden, he will point it out and ask if it's ok. Until recently I was a manager in a supermarket and I'm quite apalled that they haven't, in the least, apologised for the incident occuring and seem to have not considered how serious this might have been. To be completely cynical about it, I would think they would want to apologise and offer reassurances just to make sure you shop with them again! 

Anyway, I don't want this thread to start turning into any criticism of any individual as we are all entitled to our opinions but I do feel it helps to consider the impact of your words before you post.

C~x


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## ♥ cat ♥ (Apr 13, 2003)

Tricky one here

I got shoppin delivered once and the bloke left my front door open and my dogs followed him back outside to his van! Lucky for me he picked up the crate with there treats in it and they followed him back in.

I think he was just thinking about doing his job and was not thinkin about the gate, men just cant multytask. 

Maybe the next time you could ask him to leave all the stuff at the other side of the gate and you could take it in from there? I get mine left at my front door and i take it in from there, saves me stressin out 

Its ment to be a great way to get your shopping done but 9 times out of 10 it causes more stress

take care xxxxx


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## watn1 (Mar 14, 2008)

Holly,
   What a scarey experience, Just thought i'd post a hug.   

I have had this problem on a few occasions but with my dog's not children. With both my couriers and supermarket delivery driver. 

I don't live on a main Road but in a Cul-de-Sac but after there is a main road and then a feild (where we take the dogs) So if they do get out they run for the field!  

Because the back of our house faces the Cul-De-Sac the delivery man always comes round the back because he cannot be bothered to come to the front   We have had discussions about this before! Anyway of course as soon as the gate open's the dog's peg it! The delivery man open's the gate himself (putting his hand over) To give him credit he did try and stop them but 2 dog's just trying to get out he cannot stop both 1 got out and he shut the gate and then walked round and came and tell me (after she's already gone)

The last time this happened i heard a scream from some little girls and car breaks and obviously thougt she'd been hit but luckily not.

I now have to put the bin infront of the gate to stop the delivery guys opening it! I have complained plenty of times and have always got the same responce "Not the drivers responsibility" To which i alway's reply "I ask for the shopping to be delivered to my front door As your slogan offer's not in my back garden!" I did get a FREE delivery though! Woop.. At nearly the exspense of my dog's life.

It would be apparent that all these delivery guys/women care about is getting their rounds done quicker regardless of anything else But i bet it would be much quicker if they did use a bit of common sense because he was waiting there for at least 10 minutes more when i had to go chace my dog! 

xx


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## AmandaB1971 (Feb 19, 2006)

Holly

A big  for you.  I agree with Caz that it's not helpful for other members to be pointing out your errors in this situation I'm sure you have been a harsh critic of your own actions and have gone through the "what if's" in your head a thousand times since it happened   

I agree with most of the other posters though, the fact is they were in the garden and that he does have a responsibility as a human being to make sure that children aren't put at risk unnecessarily!  I am pleased you have written to the head office, I think this is a gap in their training process and perhaps this varies from store to store.

I had a home delivery on Saturday night (first one I've ever had it was great!) and the first question the driver asked was can I prop the gate open or are there any dogs or kids on the loose?  He was a cheery chap and I reassured him dog was in kitchen and no kids and we propped the gate open!  If your guy had done that (even if he was too blind to see the kids in front of him  ) this could all have been avoided.

I'm a big one for personal responsibility and ultimately yes the buck does stop with you as their mother but you know that and don't need it pointing out on here!  I think the wider issue is about the complete brainlessness of this guy and the fact that he had a blatant disregard for their safety!  

I hope your heart-rate is returning to normal hun 

Axxxxx


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## jan27 (Aug 19, 2005)

Caz and Holly,

As i said  in above post, no offence was being meant, however another perspective was aired. I was not being patronising just offering a different view form a mother with older children and have already learnt from (and still learning) from mistakes.  It's only patrononisng when you disagree with anothers opinion.  I think we can agree to diasgree on this subject  

I also said that I myself had similar mistakes, and yes, you learn form them and move on.  I just feel it is wrong to totally have a go at the delivery man and there are faults on both sides.

I also don't want to cause any further disharmony on the boards therefore will not be adding any further comments to this post.  

jan27


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## wouldloveababycat (Mar 21, 2004)

I think it is a shame if we miss the original point of this post and that is to highlight the dangers of home deliveries - thank you Holly for posting if it helps one person avoid this danger it is well worth it  

I hope that something positive can come out of your experience and maybe the supermarket will learn a valuable lesson as like the others said, we all have a responsibility to our fellow human beings ..no matter what our job description  

FF's is all about supporting others and I hope that we can maintain that on this thread. 

Cat x


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## AmandaB1971 (Feb 19, 2006)

wouldloveababycat said:


> FF's is all about supporting others and I hope that we can maintain that on this thread.
> 
> Cat x


Here here.

Axxxx


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## pip34 (Nov 19, 2006)

holly just want to send u a big     hunny what a scare for u hun glad they are both ok i hope yr feeling a little better hun xxxx  i hope the supermarket sends an appology atleast let us know how u get on hun xxxx

love pip xxx


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