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I ordered a new electric toothbrush, but guess what? They gave me a wireless mouse instead. Plot twist!
Ordered a $35 Saalt menstrual cup. Only item. And the shopper just dropped off... something else entirely.
Here’s the deal with Instacart: You pick your store and add stuff to your online cart. Then, a shopper runs to the store, picks your groceries, and delivers or hands them off quickly. Sounds simple, right? Well, it is in theory.
In reality, it’s one human hustling through aisles they might not know, trying to track down every item, swap out sold-out things, and beat the delivery clock - all while hoping their star rating doesn’t tank. That’s when the chaos starts!
Got 30 bananas because the shopper figured, why not replace every missing fruit with bananas? I didn’t even order bananas!
This guy replaced a bag of frozen red and green peppers with a single strawberry milk. Why. Just why.
The wildest part? Substitutions! If something’s out, shoppers should ask you before swapping it out. Sometimes it works like a charm. Other times, it’s like they spun a wheel of random and picked whatever landed.
He dumped all the groceries, started cursing, sent wild messages, and got fired. What a meltdown!
Ordered almond milk. Apparently no more left. So, the shopper sent me a single almond instead. Yep.
Like one person ordered lettuce and got zero lettuce, but a box of molasses cookies instead. Or folks getting cottage cheese swapped for ricotta, or pork snacks replaced by turkey ones. Not even close!
I once canceled a huge order just because my shopper was a dude. Didn’t have the brain power that day. Sorry not sorry.
He literally drove to the store in the middle of the night just to prove he didn’t even look for the stuff. Wow.
New bakery employee here! A male doordasher asked where the Pillsbury cookie dough was. I told him it’s in the coolers near dairy but he insisted it should be in the bakery freezer. Then he got mad and marked the item not found. Classic.
And sometimes shoppers just skip the whole "ask first" thing. One woman in Colorado got $140 worth of groceries instead of her $40 order because her shopper quietly swapped everything for crazier expensive stuff. No text, no ask, just surprise!
Ordered 6 chocolate cupcakes. Shopper wanted to replace them with parmesan cheese. I had to text him: "Are we good? Get the cake, not the cheese. I’m on my period!"
Instacart says they can kick out shoppers who pull these stunts, but ignoring instructions seems to be a classic move people complain about. So yeah, it’s a minefield out there.
One time buddy brought me a bag of avocados instead of oranges. No way the store was out of oranges and avocados are fine substitutes... right?
On the bright side: Instacart gives you a few days to complain if things are missing, messed up, or weird. You might get a refund or credit. And if your shopper sends you mystery stuff, you can just keep it (or toss it) without paying extra. So there’s some peace of mind.
They were looking for my neck brace in the candy section. Later told me, "Oh, it was in the pharmacy." Sure, buddy.
I ordered a sale $1 watermelon. Shopper was out, so he swapped it for a $43 watermelon. WHAT?!
Had a male shopper swap 14 items for pricey versions, jacking up my bill by $70. I warned him after 5 swaps to keep it close to the original prices... ignored! Ended up tipping less and got refunds for the extra pricey stuff. Budget life!
Got smoked turkey legs that smelled rancid and leaked nasty fluid on my other groceries. I’m baffled how the shopper missed the stink before leaving the store.
Once had a male shopper who couldn’t find the aisle for pads, so he just left the store and didn’t do the order. But he also refused to cancel on his end. Classic.
Had a next-day delivery (Target). It got stolen by the male driver, who’s on camera doing the theft. Reported it, found out this happens a lot with male drivers. Hopefully he gets kicked off.
Bought two bouquets for $11 and $9. Shopper swapped both for flowers that totaled almost $49. First time ordering, didn’t realize. Later got hit with the charge. Yeah, no thanks.
Ordered a 24-pack of water for $4. Shopper replaced it with a 6-pack costing $10. I was not thrilled.
When I was sick and ordered soup, the shopper sent pasta sauce instead. Close enough? Definitely not.
Ordered a $30 blanket. Got a $180 electric blanket instead with no extra charge. Best substitution ever!
My driver gave me 2 loaves of bread from another order. I ordered deli meat and guess the bread was the substitute? Smh. Deli meat ain’t cheap! Hope whoever got my order enjoyed it.
Just happened! Got spoiled fruit — pineapple juice was murky, with some gross brown stuff. Sure, the store messed up, but why no refund?
Ordered $4 pack of 30 turkey snack sticks. Shopper swapped it for $8 pack of only 4 beef chomps. Not cool.
Had a man ignore my refund request and pick a completely different supplement instead. Banned him from my account. Usually women are better at this, but this was a first!
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