'No vision': Shopper furious at Coles unattended delivery policy

Coles has been slammed for one of its grocery delivery options over the unnecessary use of plastic bags.

Unattended delivery is a convenient service for time-poor customers who want groceries delivered to their door when they are not home – as a signature is not required for the goods to be left.

However, customers claim they don’t have the choice to opt out of using plastic bags for this type of delivery, and every item needs to be bagged.

“One of the major prerequisites for [unattended delivery] is all goods must be bagged, so rather than trying to move away from plastic bags Coles is actively encouraging its customers to have more of them,” a customer said.

“Clearly there is no vision or care for the bigger picture in their pursuit of sales at any cost.”

For standard delivery, Coles offers customers the option to have groceries delivered in a crate that can be carried to your kitchen bench.

However, fruit and vegetables will still be provided in clear fresh produce bags.

For those who use remote delivery, or the Drop&Go service, have groceries delivered in a temperature-controlled cardboard box.

Coles shoppers also have the option of ordering bagged or bag-free groceries via Click&Collect.

A Coles spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia online grocery shopping was becoming increasingly popular for time-poor customers and Coles offered a range of home delivery options.

“The safety and security of customers who place an unattended delivery order is important to us, and as such their groceries are delivered bagged as we can’t guarantee the customer will be home at the time of delivery,” the spokesperson said.

The latest criticism of Coles comes after a customer complained when items were left loose at his front door by Woolworths delivery drivers.

In July last year, Dan Farthing had arranged for his Woolworths order to be delivered about the same time he arrived back from an overseas trip, but was not prepared for the mess he would come home to.

He photographed the shambles and shared it in a scathing post to the supermarket’s Facebook page.

“Organised online delivery for our arrival home from an overseas trip and found this left at the door,” he wrote to the social media site on Sunday.

“Cheers Woolworths!! Won’t be shopping with you again!”

Somebody suggested on Facebook the items were left in such a state because Mr Farthing had selected a “no bags” option when placing the order.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.