When I used to shop with Tesco online, yes, the products were often near end of shelf life, in fact, I have since heard / read somewhere that Tesco actually select these products for the online shoppers, as they know people will not usually buy them in store. I switched to Sainsbury's about a year ago, and it's definitely better, but not perfect. Yesterday, my delivery included two substitutes, which were supposed to be for 2 bottles of red wine at around £5 per bottle. These were obviously out of stock, so they sent two bottles at £12.99 per bottle!! That would have increased my bill by about £15, which I think is very naughty. Needless to say, I rejected the offered alternatives, and sent them a snotty email, which they will probably ignore.
All in all, online shopping has it's drawbacks, but it's the price you pay if, like me, you just can't be arsed to do it yourself.