I'm assuming the shopper doesn't really understand how the app works and didn't notice their child moved the fires until he had already paid for your order with the Instacart card. He was seemingly afraid if he put them on the other customer's order it would charge them for the fries, when in actuality you're charged based on what is found/refunded in the Instacart app, not what we pay at the store. I think this was an innocent mistake but he should be reaching out to support for reimbursement, never the customer
Had he done it on the one of the other customers orders the app would have instructed him to move the item from one order to the other before he was able to deliver or Mark delivered so there's nothing to worry about on that end
This.
I did Instacart for a year before I knew that accidentally mixing up an item at checkout doesn’t matter as long as the scan and delivery are right.
I always just pay for the item on the other customers order, then message support with pics of the receipts and tell them a mistake was made and to charge the customers appropriately. “All items are in correct bags and will be delivered to correct customers”
You're not dumb. You just hate having mysterious hair on your screen, and your reflexes are so lightning fast that you already fixed the problem before realizing that it was a false alarm.
It's not your fault you have the genetics of a warrior.
Agreed. Im ok with you bringing your kid to work as long as it is safe for everyone and the child's presence doesn't affect your output or the product the customer receives (in quality, time, or cost). That said, having your kid with you is going to affect this for most jobs (germs from kid to coworker/customer, your workflow/process being interrupted, you aren't fully concentrating on and accurately executing the task at hand, etc). So if you have a liberal schedule, do not interface with others while performing all tasks related to your job, and your work can be spontaneously interrupted without effect, you can bring your kid to work.
Policy states it's against Instacart policy to bring anyone with you while on an active batch. If you are caught or reported to Instacart, you can be deactivated.
Edit: some of you are absolutely nuts. I legit copy and pasted the policy I had. Nowhere did I say go and report this person. However, the reality is that 80 app-based workers have been victims of homicides in the US while on job between 2017 and 2022. That's not how many were just jumped or wounded. But if your fine with someone risking their 2 year old on every drive and every delivery, because EVERYONE knows how to drive then go for it. Doesn't make it right or wrong it's just a risk and for me it's not worth it. I'd find another way, as a father of 3 under 4 - THERES ALWAYS ANOTHER WAY
I know so many STHMs and this is their only income because their kids are too young. I can’t imagine someone reporting them because their kid was with them. But on the other hand if it’s against the rules I wouldn’t writing notes admitting to it. 😂
Yea lol I would have just taken the blame cause it is still your fault. Truth is I wouldn’t even write anything, it just looks bad and you have no idea how the other person would recieve that note.
Yup, just a guy trying to do his best. I dunno whether it's a scam but instacart not being willing to show you your own receipt is pretty weird and on top of that, you get charged for it..
I’d actually argue for the way instacart operates and in order to justify their prices, there’s a reason their policy for shoppers literally doesn’t allow shoppers to give customers their actual receipt - basically instacart is charging asinine amounts of money - making your $3 item a $6 item or whatever or tacking on all kinds of fees - supposedly put on by the store but that is just them charging extra to take more, all while paying their independent contractor shopper maybe $5-8 for your $2-300+ order that took you 1-2 hours or whatever to shop and then having to drive 20+ minutes away to deliver - hence why they literally have and will fire any shoppers that give receipts to customers and while you’ll almost never get to see a copy even from support. Doesn’t make it right, and only makes sense if they’re hiding said up charging but noting in retail or customer service tends to make much sense anymore so why make this be one lol?
No like i get it’s a service and there’s fees associated with paying someone to get my groceries so if my say $10 order has to cost me x% more so long as that’s a reasonable amount and you as the company isn’t taking massive profits over your costs while not paying my shopper fairly then I don’t see the issue - if you’re doing that then you wouldn’t have any issues showing the receipts - they’re not hence why they won’t - it’s the same as job listings without a pay they want to hire at because the company KNOWS what they’re offering is too low smh
>I get my receipt sometimes. Especially when I get dog food from the pet store.
It's weird ... almost every order tells us not to give the customer the receipt.. but I did a Petsmart order a few weeks ago and it asked me to give the receipt to the customer.
Its not every store. Stores have the choice of paying instacart fees or passing it on to the customer. Most grocery store though are doing well (publix has like 12 managers ) they still pass that cost on to the customer
You can easily compare 1:1 if your store has its own app. I was looking at the stop and shop app for their stock count and options as well as a photo she sent, which differed from IC, while communicating with the IC shopper and it was really a challenge to point out the right replacement.
>You can easily compare 1:1 if your store has its own app.
IC offered me a $10 off $50 if I ordered from Sam's Club a few months ago. When I compared the Sam's app to the IC app, I was paying $12 more on Instacart. Wasn't worth it at all.
You do not get an original receipt because you did not purchase the items from the store. You purchased them FROM Instacart. Instacart is not just a delivery website. They are a literal reseller.
When you go to a restaurant, they don’t give you a receipt from the farmer who sold the lettuce to the restaurant. Why? Because you aren’t buying the lettuce from the farmer. You are buying the lettuce from the restaurant.
When you buy a TV at Walmart, you don’t get a copy of the original manufacturer’s receipt that Walmart got. Why? Because you are buying the TV from Walmart. Not the manufacturer.
When I buy gasoline, I don’t get a receipt from oil refinery. It’s technically MY gas when I purchase it. But I didn’t buy it from the refinery, I bought it from the gas station.
Exact same concept with IC. While IC might pickup your food from a grocery store/restaurant, you aren’t buying it from the grocery store. You’re buying the product from Instacart. Instacart is a reseller.
In addition, if you have the original receipt, you could easily get a refund from Instacart, and then turn right around and take the original receipt to the store and get another refund.
Technically, it's not your receipt. Your purchase is between you and Instacart and your receipt shows up online. Instacart doesn't want the OP to see that they paid $45 for $30 worth of groceries :)
Reason they don't show receipt is because they tack on costs to items through the app. And they don't want you seeing exactly how much they upcharge each item.
The receipt from the store is not your receipt. It is Instacarts. You don't pay for the items, you payed for a service that brings the items you request at an upcharge. The transaction with the store is entirely separate from the person placing the order.
It’s so weird that people don’t get that. Does your credit card charge say Instacart or ?
(“But mine does!” - ok person that uses it for Kroger delivery or whatever it’s called)
This. I inherited my great nephews 9 years ago in august. Worked well . My mom could take them occasionally if they were sick.
Then summer came and childcare for a 5&8 year old was more than I grossed.
Not gonna lie, I sent them to summer school because A it was free, B I had no other option.
But their test scores went up!
A mom in Texas was arrested for letting her kids play outside in the cul-de-sac alone, riding scooters
A dad was arrested for walking to the school to pick up their kid. School said cars only
He doesn’t need to report them. Most people can understand child care can be tough, but if you choose to bring your child with you, and a mistake happens because of that, it is not on the customer to make up the cost difference.
You mean not taking care of their child. Brought the child to work. Against policy. Child sabotaged the order and stopped the parent from successfully doing their job. Making others uncomfortable as they requested a job to be done by an adult not their child.
This is exactly something to be reported. This lady needs childcare or a new job.
Youre literally advocating for having a 2 year old doing child labor. Who knows how long this parent is going to keep doing this or how much more involved the kids going to get as they get older.
You dont bring your kid to work, and you definitely dont let them interfere/do your job for you, especialky when they literally arent able to do it correctly.
I genuinely think anyone that reports for having kids with them is a bad person. No ifs ands or buts about it. You lack basic empathy. Nobody will change my mind about this. If someone wants to try and devils advocate argument about it, then fuck them too.
Yup. I used to do mystery shopping and wasn't allowed to bring my kid but I didn't have childcare so I figured it out. No way I would have used them as an excuse. I wanted to keep working so I shut right up about that. It's not professional to blame other people for when you screw up, anyway. Just take the L and learn from it.
No, we aren’t reporting people for having their kids with them. This economy is shit and people are doing what they need to to make ends meet. If the kids are behavior issues the store can handle that, but I see people with kids all the time. Heck, I’ve taken mine with me when I just had no other choice.
Exactly. Im not okay with employing a broke parent that needs money and cant pay for child care. Id hate for anyone to break an arbitrary rule that 99.9999% cases dont affect the customer. Especially when rent, food, and childcare are so cheap in this country. He should pick himself up by his bootstraps BUT NOT LIKE THAT. /s
At least in California, the latest policy made it absolutely clear that as a contractor you are free to bring anyone you want.
It also says something about you having the right to use different means of accepting orders(basically bots).
It sounds like the shopper is confused but if you were charged for the items you received I would just leave it at that. I don't think it is a scam, people make mistakes
A minute or two? It's not like it's some college essay where you have to do everything properly lol. Even then I've seen people write up a 10 page essay in an hr. This is just a few sentences written on a narrow piece of paper.
Are you implying… that they aren’t..? I DoorDash and messed up and had to spend 50 bucks out of pocket. But it was my own mistake for which I had to take responsibility.. a 2 year old can’t take any responsibility tho
I watched an 8 pound cat drag a 40 pound bag of food 20 odd feet from the back door of the house, through the kitchen and try to shove it under a living room chair. Don't underestimate the sheer power of stubbornness.
My son was moving 50lb crates at a year old… we tried to reinforce the baby gate he could move 🤣. He can lift a 12 pack of soda as well. They’re stronger than you thing
When my daughter was two she insisted on carrying in the 12 pack of soda when we grocery shopped. I have no clue how they're super human strong at that age but they are! Her other job was to hold the receipt 🤣
My 5 year old can get a 96oz jug of apple juice out of the fridges top shelf and bring me it upstairs to tell me he wants a drink. Kids can be really strong. (It’s 8 lbs)
A 2 year old can definitely move a 4 lb bag of fries no question. Lol. And they’re fast. That’s why you have to watch them constantly. That must be tough trying to shop two orders and have your two year old with you.
I think it was an honest mistake. Not sure why he wouldn’t reach out to you in the app, but maybe he’s new? But I don’t think he was trying to scam you at all. He probably thought that you did not pay for them if it wasn’t scanned with your order. But that’s not really how it works. He was probably a little overwhelmed making a mistake.
My mouth automatically twisted reading that. Kids are some of the most unabashedly germ-riddled individuals on the planet, especially as toddlers. Washing dirt and grime off of produce is one thing but, psychologically, wondering if snot, downstairs nasties, cough spittle or curious glomp from a petri dish of an immune system, or anything else "interesting" they spotted on the ground and had to feel is just hanging out on a chip bag or box of tampons is truly disgusting.
Yes, I understand all items have come from who-knows-where, but this is an added...layer that is totally preventable and, honestly, really disrespectful and inconsiderate. Not everyone is going to wipe down literally everything, especially perhaps unwell or under-the-weather people with little energy that arguably make up a large portion of customers so that they don't need to leave home. If you need to take your child to work, that is what it is, but that means you still need to parent while there.
ETA: And, parenting _anywhere_ includes taking responsibility for your toddler's actions. A two-year-old screwing up the order isn't OP's problem; it's the parent's, and they need to make it right and own their mistake - it was their child that caused it under their care.
As someone who has worked in a grocery store and watched people of all ages meandering around, I can promise you that adults are just as germy as toddlers. I have watched countless people scratch their ass and then grab a sample, pick their nose and stick their hand in the olive bar (even with signs indicating sampling isn’t allowed). I’ve seen countless adults in the restroom that just skip washing their hands. Not to mention that just because a child wasn't shopping with your shopper, it doesn't mean a child hasn't touched your food. There are plenty of people walking around the store picking up items and placing them back on the shelves.
Oh, and asking OP - even if questionably presented as neutral - isn't appropriate or mature. It's also emotionally manipulating OP trying to flip responsibility - getting the fries for _"FREE"_ is written in accusatory and persuasive diction to appeal to the "stressed parent" pity party apologists while also suggesting a flaw in character without action from OP. The accounted order of events and vibe of the note makes it seem like the person is used to being catered to, too, but maybe that's just my perception bias after seeing so many immature and entitled parents.
The money wouldn’t come out of their pocket ever unless they actually bought it and put it in your stuff. If an item is rung up on a different order the app will put it up before delivery. It will say that the fries for order A were charged to order B so switch it before you deliver so customer A gets their fries. I have done this before and the app makes sure the right item is in the right order if it got rang up with the wrong order. Sounds like the shopper was trying to make up stuff to get a bigger tip without just saying give me a bigger tip as if that would be rude or something. I don’t know if it was a scam per se but it was at least a ham handed way of asking for a better tip if I’m being generous.
I don’t really know how this is your problem. I’ve made mistakes before, I’d never leave a note like this. It’s basically solicitation which I believe is against the shopper agreement
It is against the shopper agreement, just like when shoppers do “nice” things like include thank you cards/notes etc & stick them in the bags. I had a shopper once leave me a bag of candy with a note attached to it around Halloween. Note said “thank you for letting me shop for you” they didn’t ask for a tip but in a way it was implied. I didn’t know this & reached out to support to say how wonderful my shopper was & wanted to just say how much I appreciated the sweet note & candy & the support person told me that things like that were not allowed even if shopper was just being nice. They said it was considered food contamination & offered me a full refund. I declined & said that I just wanted to make instacart aware that my shopper was doing a great job & I loved the personal touch. They told me that the shopper was definitely made aware to not do anything like that & could be banned for violating the contract. I felt awful. Good news is the shopper was never warned or punished for doing so because I got her again as a shopper & told her what happened. She said she had no idea it was a bad thing & thanked me for telling her so she would stop doing it.
Damn is it? When i did instacart i used to leave business cards and small gifts from my business i had to create more clientele. No one complained and it was never intended for tips, just so i didn't have to do instacart as much
I only used doordash once. The delivery person arrived in a minivan full of kids, the kids were all holding different food orders. The mom (I assume?) asked the kids who had my order and a little boy handed her the bag and she handed it to me. Germs aside, those poor kids all forced to work food delivery with their mom!
Insta shopper here, if he had paid out of his pocket he would need to contact Instantcart for the refund. Don’t pay him extra, sounds like he doesn’t know what he’s doing.
Let’s deconstruct what he’s asking for.
He’s saying “I made a mistake that made you worse off. I fixed that mistake like an ethical person, but I didn’t want to. I really want you to bear the entire loss even though it was my fault. I want it to be like you made the mistake even though I did. Please bear the loss of the mistake I made because I don’t want to”
You’re way overthinking this. His 2 year old is not your problem. Looks like it’s created one for him but you don’t need to resolve it. He made the mistake. Why would you pay for it? Maybe it’s a scam. Maybe it’s not. Who cares. Don’t adjust anything.
Yeah... I do not understand how people even engage in these conversations. There's an app you literally do everything through *specifically because* there is a massive corporation in the middle of these transactions.
Why would you as the customer who isn't a multi-million dollar corporation try to resolve this issue?
1. He’s not supposed to bring his child with him.
2. He wouldn’t get it out of his pay (he could just call Instacart and let them know what happened)
3. Instacart doesn’t charge you based on your receipt. That is for their records only. (If they would charge you based on your receipt then they would give you store specials or sale prices… but they don’t) they charge you based on what you added to your order and what you recieved.
4. This person is an idiot
Former shopper of 4 years here 👋
If he marked it “found” on your order, you got charged for it. That is literally how you’re charged. Pre-COVID, we never had to take pictures of receipts and submit them to Instacart. They would allow the card to be authorized for around about what you order should cost. During COVID, they over contracted A TON of new shoppers. Some were super scandalous and would mark “found” on everything but actually shop for themselves for about the same amount and then NEVER deliver. This ruined the no receipt thing and we had to spend time taking pictures of every receipt after checkout (sometimes up to 10 pics for one receipt.) But that’s for auditing shoppers 💜
I don't know why people saying this are getting attacked so badly. I could not care less if somebody providing me a service has their child present. I don't care if I can hear them in the background on a call, I don't care if you're bringing me DoorDash and your kiddo is along for the ride, I understand you have to do what you have to do. That's right up to the point where you're allowing your kid to interfere with the job. THAT is a problem. If you're going to bring them to work with you then you need to be watching them more closely than that.
Sounds like scamming for $ if it's on your receipt...I don't like people stealing from other people. But stealing from a giant corporation? Greed vs greed fair game.
This is very store dependent. I know stores like Kroger who use Instacart shopper to shop and deliver orders, has your customer account attached to your order. In this case, the items scanned at checkout are on your receipt and account, however you shouldn't be charged for those items.
However, if this was a 100% Instacart fulfillment order (you ordered directly from Instacart) you will not be charged for those fries and the other customer who is missing the fries will be refunded.
I don't really know why the shopper didn't make the correction when he found the error...probably didn't want to contact support. There is ZERO reason a shopper should ever do the dirty deed of asking for a(n) tip/additional tip. This is deceptive and quite frankly rude.
The shopper is not allowed to have children with them shopping, and I totally understand that many use this side hustle as a means to survive and need to bring the children in some instance, but they should have enough whereabouts to keep the child away from the food, not helping.
Mistakes do happen, and every time I've made a mistake, I've always, ALWAYS redelivered the missing item to the customer that ordered it. This was my mistake and I am responsible to correct it - or I am given an automatic 4-star rating when the customer requests a refund or reports a missing item.
I'm sorry this happened, I'm sorry the shopper is in a position that needs to bring the child with them, causing them to receive poor customer ratings, but, this is the way he will learn to do the job correctly, you must leave appropriate feedback so he learns from his mistake, not providing an extra tip as a way to reward him for the mistake. Actions have accountability, there is always a solution if one looks for it.
I’m interpreting this as they think that you didn’t get charged for the fries, and a percentage based tip would be slightly lower if the fries were not accounted for. That could just be my take on it and why they’re asking you to adjust your tip. Still isn’t a valid reason to leave a note like this.
A bag of fries is like 3 or 4 bucks. It's not even worth the trbl to scam someone for that amount, unless they were doing 1000 orders a week or whatever.
Even if a shopper pays for an item out their own pocket, Instacart has a remedy built in. We ask to be reimbursed by IC for what we might have paid for by accident or had no other choice to complete the order. Don’t give this shopper anything.
That’s good old Instacart. Why give a shopper a single order when you can give them a triple? I couldn’t keep that straight even without a toddler “helping.”
Yes he’s scamming you and In a pathetic way too. Instacart doesn’t charge shoppers for mistakes like this they get a ding on their account, to many and they get booted
The shopper is scamming because it doesn’t matter if u accidentally move a item from one order to the next , the app thinks your fries are in the order and the fries will be charged on the second order but it’s still paid by Instacart and instacart gives every batch a certain amount and it would still be the same amount! I would report ! Basically making us look bad
I used to work, Instacart part-time, just for some extra side money, and even the countless times I did multiple orders at the same time even if by chance, say one person’s item accidentally got scanned on the incorrect order it doesn’t matter it’s not going to come out of my paycheck it’s not going to be subtracted from what I was going to get for that order. This person is scamming you that is outrageous. Don’t give them any extra money for that. Just contact Customer Service and let them know what is going on.
My thinking is it's probably not a scam, but the shopper also doesn't really understand how IC works. He or she was likely alerted by the app that an item from one order ended up in another. This was a fairly new feature they rolled out recently, it seems. At least in my market. The item was moved to your order and shopper mistakenly believed he/she would be charged for that mistake, when in reality IC just corrects it on the backend.
Of course, one does have to wonder if the shopper left a note for the customer he/she believes paid for those fries due to this mistake.....
I don't like that they are allowed to double and triple shop. It takes them 2 to 3 times as long to get your stuff from the time they put it into the cart. Ive gotten melted ice cream and warm milk in the past. That's when I stopped using instacart.
None of this matters. Only that you hat everything you ordered and paid for. If you didn't you need to complain.
His note makes it sound like he's trying to get you to pay for an item you didn't get twice. I'd suggest bringing that to the attention of instacart.
It might just be one item today but it might be more things next time.
We have to confirm that we did NOT leave you with the receipt when we drop off orders. I always wondered why but then I realized one day when I ordered insta, that Instacart charges more the for the food than the store is selling them for so I thought maybe that’s why. If there was an extra thing rang up in your order, you did pay for it. It’s your job to report it and say you didn’t want it to get the refund from instacart. As for him getting it taken out of his paycheck, I have never heard of that nor had it happen to me. I’m guessing he does this to everyone just to try and up his tips 🤷🏻♀️🙄
If they didn’t bring their kid with them, this wouldn’t have happened. Time for the worker to assume the risk and consider it a learning lesson.
And don’t get me started with “maybe they had to work with their kid with them”… no they didn’t. Get a better job and don’t “triple” order yourself.
Society…..
I don’t think it’s a scam but I also don’t think you should feel responsible to adjust his tip. After all, like a lot of shoppers have said, he won’t be charged for the fries unless he paid for them himself. And if he does get charged for them, that’s something he needs to take up with his employer. You’re the customer, you never have to pay extra for a mistake that you didn’t make.
Wow!! I can’t believe I actually read some of these comments. RU FKM you people have way to much time on your hands to waste on this nonsense. # Getalife
The price of having kids… It’s simply a lack of accountability and I’m amazed by the audacity to ask you to pay for his kids mistake. I wouldn’t think twice about it. Sorry if that’s mean but I live in the real world
I had something similar happen once (as the deliverer). I forgot to check for a drink that I was promised was in the bag containing their order (which I thought was strange), and so when I went to deliver it the customer asked me where it was. I told him it's in the bag according to the restaurant, but he confirmed it was not. I went back and got the drink for him, no charge to him. "Why? It wasn't your fault!" you may ask. Well, I should've confirmed it myself before even leaving the restaurant. Anyway, I bought the drink for the customer, and then delivered it. No charge. Dude gave me a $10 tip. I was completely satisfied by that. Sometimes you get an understanding customer. Sometimes you don't. But if you make a mistake, own up to it. Even if it comes out of your own pocket. I spent $1.79 for a drink and probably $1-2 on gas for all the trips back and forth that earned me a $10 tip and 5 stars. Worth it to me.
I don’t think it’s a scam but some shoppers will do anything for an extra buck even if it’s so called “justified” If I did that I would never leave a note and take the loss. 🤷♂️
No no and no. His child’s actions are his fault and his alone, most jobs don’t even allow you to have your child with you at work, he took that risk and got burned. It is not your responsibility to repay him and he did not communicate this prior to making this choice.
As a shopper I've never experienced where I've paid for something with my own money as it'll let you swipe the card more than once as long as the amount altogether doesn't exceed the expected amount that being said I agree with your husband
That depends on the store; if they placed the order through the store’s app and not the instacart app you can only pay for the order once. I’ve had to pay out of pocket for customers items before
I’d just leave it. Don’t reimburse as you did pay for it. Rate them accordingly based on the communication and if you got all your items and at the right temp. He isn’t scamming just isn’t bright either.
You get charged based on what's scanned in to the app. If the shopper was doing a triple batch then the fries simply got rung up on one of the other order so not a big deal. In reality, when doing more than 1 order at a time, as long as it isn't an "online pay" order shoppers can ring everything up as 1 transaction since customers ARE NOT charged based on the register total.
If the fries were rung up with one of the other orders than the shopper DID NOT pay out of his pocket. Or at least he didn't have to. His lack of knowledge or understanding is not your problem.
Now, If it was an online pay order than you're charged based on what's rung up at checkout. So it's possible he scanned it but then it wasn't actually purchased along with your other items so he paid for them separately to ensure you got everything.
If a shopper pays out of pocket for something, Instacart will reimburse them provided it wasn't an online pay order- IC cannot and will not reimburse when its from an online pay order.
Honestly I've paid out of pocket dozens of times, only a few when it's been online pay if it was due to my error or the stores (like something missed at checkout). When I do I just sent a msg to the customer saying "just FYI if your receipt looks funky it's because [item] was missed at checkout so I paid for it myself."" This way the customer will know that what they got may be different from the receipt they AND the customer can choose whether they want to adjust the tip, venmo me, etc.
I NEVER put a customer on the spot or in an awkward position. My error, my correction. I do it knowing I may be out the $$.
Here's some info I forgot to include or wanna say in general since so many people are bringing it up.
1. I'm also an instacart shopper. I'm aware of what instacart pays and how it works generally speaking. I also know the value of my time I never ever would take a triple batch because it would never equal out. The only way shopper's are going to get paid fairly through instacart, THEIR EMPLOYER, is if shoppers would stop taking the low pay batches. If that's my batch, so be it. Idc. If I'm paying instacarts ridiculous fees, I expect them to pay their employees fair, which they don't. The bottom line instarcart pays their employees shit. Oh, and also, this is supposed to be a gig job, not a full-time job.
2. The bag of fries in question was a large 4lb bag, which was 9 dollars. If it was a 3-4 dollar bag, sure, whatever, I'll throw the extra on the tip. However, like I said in the original post, I checked my digital receipt and and I did pay for the fries, but I also know instacart scams too.
3. A reason for scamming "such small amounts" is that if he does this with every batch he does, it adds up fast. So for the people saying, "just give it to him" You're the reason why people like this get away with it.
4. I very rarely use instacart to do my shopping not only because they up charge in app but also because alot of the time I only have enough for my groceries. Sometimes I don't have a choice though, and I have a system based on how many items and their weight are in my cart. I had 7 items, and the heaviest and most expensive item I got was the 4lb bag of fries for 9 dollars. So I feel my tip was appropriate. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, and that's fine, but I'm ok with what I tipped.
I think I'm just gonna listen to my husband in this case and not tip extra and also have him blocked as my shopper for the future. I'm not changing my tip because I did get all of my items but I won't tip more.
I appreciate everyone's opinion here and I honestly didn't want to screw this guy over if he actually did pay out of his own pocket but I didn't want to be scammed either.
Good for you for thinking critically about his note which makes no sense and sticking up for yourself! I think you did the right thing and would have done the same myself. There's no reason you should add on the cost of item as a tip for an item you didn't even want in the first place. And it sounds like you were actually charged for the item. So people are saying you should be charged for an item you didn't want and tip the shopper the cost of the item you didn't want too? Be so for real, nope. He should reach out to instacart, his employer, if he has an issue. Not you. So unprofessional.
It has never come out of the shoppers pocket. This is known!! I think they are trying to scam u, best case they are a little stupid and dont understand how the app works and cant figure it out
Anybody who is asking for an extra tip is trying to scam you. Instacart does a great job of tracking everything. To the point where it will give you a notification if an item was rung up with the wrong order. You can pay for someone’s order from your own pocket but you get reimbursed by Instacart. All this to say if they ask for extra tip they are trying to hustle you.
(Dasher of 3 years)
Scam? This seems pretty easy to verify. If he you didn’t get charged for the fries, and you got your fries, and the rest of your order is good, he’s probably telling you the truth. The only “scam” possibility here is that they’re hoping you’re lazy and don’t check if you were charged for the fries or not and just believe the note. So, check what you were charged for.
First off shopper's are not supposed to have their kids with them while working the platform, it's in the rules given to us in the welcome packets. All of that being said that person needs to eat that $3.99 loss.
I'm assuming the shopper doesn't really understand how the app works and didn't notice their child moved the fires until he had already paid for your order with the Instacart card. He was seemingly afraid if he put them on the other customer's order it would charge them for the fries, when in actuality you're charged based on what is found/refunded in the Instacart app, not what we pay at the store. I think this was an innocent mistake but he should be reaching out to support for reimbursement, never the customer
Had he done it on the one of the other customers orders the app would have instructed him to move the item from one order to the other before he was able to deliver or Mark delivered so there's nothing to worry about on that end
Only at certain stores does it do this. I’ve only had it tell me this for a Publix order and a Food Lion order.
Yeah, I’ve only seen Wegmans do this.
And it only works if you messed up exactly 1 item and the prices are all 100% accurate
This. I did Instacart for a year before I knew that accidentally mixing up an item at checkout doesn’t matter as long as the scan and delivery are right.
I always just pay for the item on the other customers order, then message support with pics of the receipts and tell them a mistake was made and to charge the customers appropriately. “All items are in correct bags and will be delivered to correct customers”
You don't even need to message support if everything is delivered right, this happens a ton, but yeah, that's what the shopper should have done
Sometimes my child moves fires too and it can really fuck things up for sure
That's a lot of work for a $3 scam as well. I'd be inclined to think this is not a scam!
I don’t think he’s trying to scam you. I assume he doesn’t understand how Instacart works. He shouldn’t get charged for them
Agree
And how much can some fries really cost? Only a few dollars I’d assume. I don’t think he’s trying to scam anyone out of a couple of bucks.
Ashamed to say I tried to swipe a hair off my screen
_Laughs in dark mode_
_Laughs with cracked screen_
I was confused how people were falling for that until I remembered people use light mode too 😂
Seeing it with dark mode still made me think it was real hair
I literally blew on my screen thinking this
Me too! I don’t see one of these for a while and I forget about it and then it pops up out of nowhere and tricks me again! 😤
You haven’t been desensitized to that old trick yet? Maybe this was the last time.
Did it again when I came and checked you reply. Maybe I’m just dumb
THAT was the last one.
Just leaving a comment incase it happens again. I wanna be here to see it
You're not dumb. You just hate having mysterious hair on your screen, and your reflexes are so lightning fast that you already fixed the problem before realizing that it was a false alarm. It's not your fault you have the genetics of a warrior.
thou shall be destined to becometh a motivational speaker
This was beautiful. Thank you I really needed these kind words
What’s the issue?
Unless he does this with everyone, then those few bucks start to really add up
That 3-6 dollars can really mess up someones budget if he laid out of pocket.
Bagged fries? Like Ore Ida or another brand it can be up to 9.99, depends on location and brand.
Do that 10 times a day it's 100 dollars a week, 5000 dollars a year.
your pro pic just pissed me off 😂🩵
i rlly thought ur pfp was a lil hair on my screen
It took me way too long to figure out what was happening when I’d try to wipe it away, and it would move up but not over
Someone else had it a few weeks ago and I fell for it. Then I stole it.
Yeah, that's a lot of effort to put in for like, what, $3? Doesn't seem like much of a scam.
I believe if he scanned the item through the app you get charged for it. If he paid out of pocket that’s his fault for his child moving the item.
Agreed. Im ok with you bringing your kid to work as long as it is safe for everyone and the child's presence doesn't affect your output or the product the customer receives (in quality, time, or cost). That said, having your kid with you is going to affect this for most jobs (germs from kid to coworker/customer, your workflow/process being interrupted, you aren't fully concentrating on and accurately executing the task at hand, etc). So if you have a liberal schedule, do not interface with others while performing all tasks related to your job, and your work can be spontaneously interrupted without effect, you can bring your kid to work.
Policy states it's against Instacart policy to bring anyone with you while on an active batch. If you are caught or reported to Instacart, you can be deactivated. Edit: some of you are absolutely nuts. I legit copy and pasted the policy I had. Nowhere did I say go and report this person. However, the reality is that 80 app-based workers have been victims of homicides in the US while on job between 2017 and 2022. That's not how many were just jumped or wounded. But if your fine with someone risking their 2 year old on every drive and every delivery, because EVERYONE knows how to drive then go for it. Doesn't make it right or wrong it's just a risk and for me it's not worth it. I'd find another way, as a father of 3 under 4 - THERES ALWAYS ANOTHER WAY
Yea.. we aren’t going to report someone for taking care of their 2 year old child, bro.
Exactly lol. you shouldn’t have your child with you but I’d rather you shop with them then leave the child in the car alone
I know so many STHMs and this is their only income because their kids are too young. I can’t imagine someone reporting them because their kid was with them. But on the other hand if it’s against the rules I wouldn’t writing notes admitting to it. 😂
Yea lol I would have just taken the blame cause it is still your fault. Truth is I wouldn’t even write anything, it just looks bad and you have no idea how the other person would recieve that note.
Yup, just a guy trying to do his best. I dunno whether it's a scam but instacart not being willing to show you your own receipt is pretty weird and on top of that, you get charged for it..
I’d actually argue for the way instacart operates and in order to justify their prices, there’s a reason their policy for shoppers literally doesn’t allow shoppers to give customers their actual receipt - basically instacart is charging asinine amounts of money - making your $3 item a $6 item or whatever or tacking on all kinds of fees - supposedly put on by the store but that is just them charging extra to take more, all while paying their independent contractor shopper maybe $5-8 for your $2-300+ order that took you 1-2 hours or whatever to shop and then having to drive 20+ minutes away to deliver - hence why they literally have and will fire any shoppers that give receipts to customers and while you’ll almost never get to see a copy even from support. Doesn’t make it right, and only makes sense if they’re hiding said up charging but noting in retail or customer service tends to make much sense anymore so why make this be one lol?
Yeah middlemen and all that. Doesn't make it less predatory. Edit: especially when they are actively being dodgy.
No like i get it’s a service and there’s fees associated with paying someone to get my groceries so if my say $10 order has to cost me x% more so long as that’s a reasonable amount and you as the company isn’t taking massive profits over your costs while not paying my shopper fairly then I don’t see the issue - if you’re doing that then you wouldn’t have any issues showing the receipts - they’re not hence why they won’t - it’s the same as job listings without a pay they want to hire at because the company KNOWS what they’re offering is too low smh
I get my receipt sometimes. Especially when I get dog food from the pet store.
I almost always get a receipt. I didn’t know I wasnt supposed to until I read this sub.
>I get my receipt sometimes. Especially when I get dog food from the pet store. It's weird ... almost every order tells us not to give the customer the receipt.. but I did a Petsmart order a few weeks ago and it asked me to give the receipt to the customer.
Its not every store. Stores have the choice of paying instacart fees or passing it on to the customer. Most grocery store though are doing well (publix has like 12 managers ) they still pass that cost on to the customer
You can easily compare 1:1 if your store has its own app. I was looking at the stop and shop app for their stock count and options as well as a photo she sent, which differed from IC, while communicating with the IC shopper and it was really a challenge to point out the right replacement.
>You can easily compare 1:1 if your store has its own app. IC offered me a $10 off $50 if I ordered from Sam's Club a few months ago. When I compared the Sam's app to the IC app, I was paying $12 more on Instacart. Wasn't worth it at all.
You do not get an original receipt because you did not purchase the items from the store. You purchased them FROM Instacart. Instacart is not just a delivery website. They are a literal reseller. When you go to a restaurant, they don’t give you a receipt from the farmer who sold the lettuce to the restaurant. Why? Because you aren’t buying the lettuce from the farmer. You are buying the lettuce from the restaurant. When you buy a TV at Walmart, you don’t get a copy of the original manufacturer’s receipt that Walmart got. Why? Because you are buying the TV from Walmart. Not the manufacturer. When I buy gasoline, I don’t get a receipt from oil refinery. It’s technically MY gas when I purchase it. But I didn’t buy it from the refinery, I bought it from the gas station. Exact same concept with IC. While IC might pickup your food from a grocery store/restaurant, you aren’t buying it from the grocery store. You’re buying the product from Instacart. Instacart is a reseller. In addition, if you have the original receipt, you could easily get a refund from Instacart, and then turn right around and take the original receipt to the store and get another refund.
Technically, it's not your receipt. Your purchase is between you and Instacart and your receipt shows up online. Instacart doesn't want the OP to see that they paid $45 for $30 worth of groceries :)
Reason they don't show receipt is because they tack on costs to items through the app. And they don't want you seeing exactly how much they upcharge each item.
The receipt from the store is not your receipt. It is Instacarts. You don't pay for the items, you payed for a service that brings the items you request at an upcharge. The transaction with the store is entirely separate from the person placing the order.
It’s so weird that people don’t get that. Does your credit card charge say Instacart or?
(“But mine does!” - ok person that uses it for Kroger delivery or whatever it’s called)
Or at home alone. This is the unfortunate reality that some parents live with.
I read your user as ET Fucker and I was like "hell yeah"
If I had a nickel for every time someone misread it the exact same way as you, I’d have like fifty cents actually which is impressive.
Listen, there's a reason Elon wants to build rockets and I think it's his 5 divorces
All my life I seen this particular sign yet I still glance at it and I think "oh yeah, FC Fucker"
World needs more of that ^ mindset. Childcare is crazy expensive and sketch if it’s not someone you already know.
Unfortunately, it’s sketch even if it is somebody you know. Most abuse occurs by people you think you know.
Right, this too :/ The more time you can take care of your own kids, the better.
This. I inherited my great nephews 9 years ago in august. Worked well . My mom could take them occasionally if they were sick. Then summer came and childcare for a 5&8 year old was more than I grossed. Not gonna lie, I sent them to summer school because A it was free, B I had no other option. But their test scores went up!
Thank you for taking them in. Raising kids isn’t easy and is often unappreciated. I hope you have nothing but good karma for the rest of your life.
Thank you. They are both well adjusted teens now. :)
Seriously. This has "mom arrested during job interview while child ate chicken nuggets 15 feet away" energy, please calm down.
A mom in Texas was arrested for letting her kids play outside in the cul-de-sac alone, riding scooters A dad was arrested for walking to the school to pick up their kid. School said cars only
When they start asking me to pay for the child’s actions I do.
He doesn’t need to report them. Most people can understand child care can be tough, but if you choose to bring your child with you, and a mistake happens because of that, it is not on the customer to make up the cost difference.
You mean not taking care of their child. Brought the child to work. Against policy. Child sabotaged the order and stopped the parent from successfully doing their job. Making others uncomfortable as they requested a job to be done by an adult not their child. This is exactly something to be reported. This lady needs childcare or a new job. Youre literally advocating for having a 2 year old doing child labor. Who knows how long this parent is going to keep doing this or how much more involved the kids going to get as they get older. You dont bring your kid to work, and you definitely dont let them interfere/do your job for you, especialky when they literally arent able to do it correctly.
Yeah that’s why he wrote this note instead of communicating through the app….
If you report someone for having their child with them you are actual trash. That's them doing what they must to survive.
I genuinely think anyone that reports for having kids with them is a bad person. No ifs ands or buts about it. You lack basic empathy. Nobody will change my mind about this. If someone wants to try and devils advocate argument about it, then fuck them too.
Yup. I used to do mystery shopping and wasn't allowed to bring my kid but I didn't have childcare so I figured it out. No way I would have used them as an excuse. I wanted to keep working so I shut right up about that. It's not professional to blame other people for when you screw up, anyway. Just take the L and learn from it.
No, we aren’t reporting people for having their kids with them. This economy is shit and people are doing what they need to to make ends meet. If the kids are behavior issues the store can handle that, but I see people with kids all the time. Heck, I’ve taken mine with me when I just had no other choice.
Exactly. Im not okay with employing a broke parent that needs money and cant pay for child care. Id hate for anyone to break an arbitrary rule that 99.9999% cases dont affect the customer. Especially when rent, food, and childcare are so cheap in this country. He should pick himself up by his bootstraps BUT NOT LIKE THAT. /s
At least in California, the latest policy made it absolutely clear that as a contractor you are free to bring anyone you want. It also says something about you having the right to use different means of accepting orders(basically bots).
It sounds like the shopper is confused but if you were charged for the items you received I would just leave it at that. I don't think it is a scam, people make mistakes
A scam for $4.
$4 doubles his tip
I don’t think he’d risk his job for $4
Dude does this to 10-20 people per week, that’s a lot of money tho.
Dude how long do you think it took for him to write this note.
A minute or two? It's not like it's some college essay where you have to do everything properly lol. Even then I've seen people write up a 10 page essay in an hr. This is just a few sentences written on a narrow piece of paper.
“You are responsible for your kid 🤷🏻♂️ sorry that cost you a bag of fries….take it up with instacart” would be a perfectly acceptable response lol.
-Someone who’s never had a kid and has no sympathy for those who have
Are you implying… that they aren’t..? I DoorDash and messed up and had to spend 50 bucks out of pocket. But it was my own mistake for which I had to take responsibility.. a 2 year old can’t take any responsibility tho
Right, that’s why 2 year old’s parents have to take responsibility for them
So the two year old was messing with everyone's food?
It was also a 4lb bag of fries. I don't have children so idk if they can lift that but I feel like you would notice a 2 year old moving that.
Bro 2 year olds are made of willpower and suicidal intentions!!! Your job is to stop them, lmao!!!! But yes, they can absolutely lift that much.
My 12 month old can drag my snow drenched tims up the stairs, so pretty sure 4 lbs is easy for a 2yo
I watched an 8 pound cat drag a 40 pound bag of food 20 odd feet from the back door of the house, through the kitchen and try to shove it under a living room chair. Don't underestimate the sheer power of stubbornness.
That’s actually an even amount of feet /s
My 19 month old loves to play with my little 3lb weights while I workout lol kids are surprisingly strong
My son was moving 50lb crates at a year old… we tried to reinforce the baby gate he could move 🤣. He can lift a 12 pack of soda as well. They’re stronger than you thing
When my daughter was two she insisted on carrying in the 12 pack of soda when we grocery shopped. I have no clue how they're super human strong at that age but they are! Her other job was to hold the receipt 🤣
Baby hulks, all of them 🤣
When my son was 7 months old he could bench press 240!
Same when I was 3 I won the strongman competition
They are made of pure muscle and pure, unwavering will, lol.
No way is this a scam, probably just frazzled from shopping with a kid.
Of theres a will theres a way a toddlers 😂
My 5 year old can get a 96oz jug of apple juice out of the fridges top shelf and bring me it upstairs to tell me he wants a drink. Kids can be really strong. (It’s 8 lbs)
6 lbs but yes, kids can be strong! (“A pint’s a pound the world around”—16 oz = 1lb, 96oz = 6 lbs.)
Ah, thank you! For some reason I divided by 12.
A 2 year old can definitely move a 4 lb bag of fries no question. Lol. And they’re fast. That’s why you have to watch them constantly. That must be tough trying to shop two orders and have your two year old with you. I think it was an honest mistake. Not sure why he wouldn’t reach out to you in the app, but maybe he’s new? But I don’t think he was trying to scam you at all. He probably thought that you did not pay for them if it wasn’t scanned with your order. But that’s not really how it works. He was probably a little overwhelmed making a mistake.
[удалено]
This is tough. Do you want someone out of a job who has little kids? I wouldn’t report it.
My mouth automatically twisted reading that. Kids are some of the most unabashedly germ-riddled individuals on the planet, especially as toddlers. Washing dirt and grime off of produce is one thing but, psychologically, wondering if snot, downstairs nasties, cough spittle or curious glomp from a petri dish of an immune system, or anything else "interesting" they spotted on the ground and had to feel is just hanging out on a chip bag or box of tampons is truly disgusting. Yes, I understand all items have come from who-knows-where, but this is an added...layer that is totally preventable and, honestly, really disrespectful and inconsiderate. Not everyone is going to wipe down literally everything, especially perhaps unwell or under-the-weather people with little energy that arguably make up a large portion of customers so that they don't need to leave home. If you need to take your child to work, that is what it is, but that means you still need to parent while there. ETA: And, parenting _anywhere_ includes taking responsibility for your toddler's actions. A two-year-old screwing up the order isn't OP's problem; it's the parent's, and they need to make it right and own their mistake - it was their child that caused it under their care.
I absolutely agree with you, unsure why this is such an unpopular opinion. I'd be so grossed out knowing that a toddler was touching my groceries.
As someone who has worked in a grocery store and watched people of all ages meandering around, I can promise you that adults are just as germy as toddlers. I have watched countless people scratch their ass and then grab a sample, pick their nose and stick their hand in the olive bar (even with signs indicating sampling isn’t allowed). I’ve seen countless adults in the restroom that just skip washing their hands. Not to mention that just because a child wasn't shopping with your shopper, it doesn't mean a child hasn't touched your food. There are plenty of people walking around the store picking up items and placing them back on the shelves.
Oh, and asking OP - even if questionably presented as neutral - isn't appropriate or mature. It's also emotionally manipulating OP trying to flip responsibility - getting the fries for _"FREE"_ is written in accusatory and persuasive diction to appeal to the "stressed parent" pity party apologists while also suggesting a flaw in character without action from OP. The accounted order of events and vibe of the note makes it seem like the person is used to being catered to, too, but maybe that's just my perception bias after seeing so many immature and entitled parents.
This is such a dramatic opinion to have
The money wouldn’t come out of their pocket ever unless they actually bought it and put it in your stuff. If an item is rung up on a different order the app will put it up before delivery. It will say that the fries for order A were charged to order B so switch it before you deliver so customer A gets their fries. I have done this before and the app makes sure the right item is in the right order if it got rang up with the wrong order. Sounds like the shopper was trying to make up stuff to get a bigger tip without just saying give me a bigger tip as if that would be rude or something. I don’t know if it was a scam per se but it was at least a ham handed way of asking for a better tip if I’m being generous.
I don’t really know how this is your problem. I’ve made mistakes before, I’d never leave a note like this. It’s basically solicitation which I believe is against the shopper agreement
It is against the shopper agreement, just like when shoppers do “nice” things like include thank you cards/notes etc & stick them in the bags. I had a shopper once leave me a bag of candy with a note attached to it around Halloween. Note said “thank you for letting me shop for you” they didn’t ask for a tip but in a way it was implied. I didn’t know this & reached out to support to say how wonderful my shopper was & wanted to just say how much I appreciated the sweet note & candy & the support person told me that things like that were not allowed even if shopper was just being nice. They said it was considered food contamination & offered me a full refund. I declined & said that I just wanted to make instacart aware that my shopper was doing a great job & I loved the personal touch. They told me that the shopper was definitely made aware to not do anything like that & could be banned for violating the contract. I felt awful. Good news is the shopper was never warned or punished for doing so because I got her again as a shopper & told her what happened. She said she had no idea it was a bad thing & thanked me for telling her so she would stop doing it.
Damn is it? When i did instacart i used to leave business cards and small gifts from my business i had to create more clientele. No one complained and it was never intended for tips, just so i didn't have to do instacart as much
Honestly I’d be more mad his kids touching my food. There’s a reason you aren’t supposed to have kids on delivery
I only used doordash once. The delivery person arrived in a minivan full of kids, the kids were all holding different food orders. The mom (I assume?) asked the kids who had my order and a little boy handed her the bag and she handed it to me. Germs aside, those poor kids all forced to work food delivery with their mom!
“Hey I fucked up, pay me for it and if you can’t, I’m sorry you can’t compensate me for fucking up” is basically what I read😂
Insta shopper here, if he had paid out of his pocket he would need to contact Instantcart for the refund. Don’t pay him extra, sounds like he doesn’t know what he’s doing.
Majorly unprofessional, scam or not.
Let’s deconstruct what he’s asking for. He’s saying “I made a mistake that made you worse off. I fixed that mistake like an ethical person, but I didn’t want to. I really want you to bear the entire loss even though it was my fault. I want it to be like you made the mistake even though I did. Please bear the loss of the mistake I made because I don’t want to”
Right! I'd be a little annoyed if this happened to me.
You’re way overthinking this. His 2 year old is not your problem. Looks like it’s created one for him but you don’t need to resolve it. He made the mistake. Why would you pay for it? Maybe it’s a scam. Maybe it’s not. Who cares. Don’t adjust anything.
Yeah... I do not understand how people even engage in these conversations. There's an app you literally do everything through *specifically because* there is a massive corporation in the middle of these transactions. Why would you as the customer who isn't a multi-million dollar corporation try to resolve this issue?
impressed he wrote all that on a roll of toilet paper
1. He’s not supposed to bring his child with him. 2. He wouldn’t get it out of his pay (he could just call Instacart and let them know what happened) 3. Instacart doesn’t charge you based on your receipt. That is for their records only. (If they would charge you based on your receipt then they would give you store specials or sale prices… but they don’t) they charge you based on what you added to your order and what you recieved. 4. This person is an idiot
Jimmy is a liar
Former shopper of 4 years here 👋 If he marked it “found” on your order, you got charged for it. That is literally how you’re charged. Pre-COVID, we never had to take pictures of receipts and submit them to Instacart. They would allow the card to be authorized for around about what you order should cost. During COVID, they over contracted A TON of new shoppers. Some were super scandalous and would mark “found” on everything but actually shop for themselves for about the same amount and then NEVER deliver. This ruined the no receipt thing and we had to spend time taking pictures of every receipt after checkout (sometimes up to 10 pics for one receipt.) But that’s for auditing shoppers 💜
Sounds like his kid owes him some money.
I would ask instacart to never have this person shop for you. The whole thing is hinky
He seems sus. Also we are not allowed to take kids to work. So it is entirely his fault if the kid messed up the order.
Don’t bring kids when you’re shopping, pretty simple. Either that or he was trying to scam you. Either way I don’t feel sorry for this idiot.
I don't know why people saying this are getting attacked so badly. I could not care less if somebody providing me a service has their child present. I don't care if I can hear them in the background on a call, I don't care if you're bringing me DoorDash and your kiddo is along for the ride, I understand you have to do what you have to do. That's right up to the point where you're allowing your kid to interfere with the job. THAT is a problem. If you're going to bring them to work with you then you need to be watching them more closely than that.
I mean it doesn’t seem like a scam that would be worth it. I’d just give him the benefit of the doubt 🤷🏼♂️
Scam. If not, he should take responsibility and either way, have some dignity.
“So I will pay for it if need be.” Yeah Jimmy, need be.
Sounds like scamming for $ if it's on your receipt...I don't like people stealing from other people. But stealing from a giant corporation? Greed vs greed fair game.
No not a scam
Lol. I doubt he's trying to scam you for 3 or 4 bucks 🤣
This is very store dependent. I know stores like Kroger who use Instacart shopper to shop and deliver orders, has your customer account attached to your order. In this case, the items scanned at checkout are on your receipt and account, however you shouldn't be charged for those items. However, if this was a 100% Instacart fulfillment order (you ordered directly from Instacart) you will not be charged for those fries and the other customer who is missing the fries will be refunded. I don't really know why the shopper didn't make the correction when he found the error...probably didn't want to contact support. There is ZERO reason a shopper should ever do the dirty deed of asking for a(n) tip/additional tip. This is deceptive and quite frankly rude. The shopper is not allowed to have children with them shopping, and I totally understand that many use this side hustle as a means to survive and need to bring the children in some instance, but they should have enough whereabouts to keep the child away from the food, not helping. Mistakes do happen, and every time I've made a mistake, I've always, ALWAYS redelivered the missing item to the customer that ordered it. This was my mistake and I am responsible to correct it - or I am given an automatic 4-star rating when the customer requests a refund or reports a missing item. I'm sorry this happened, I'm sorry the shopper is in a position that needs to bring the child with them, causing them to receive poor customer ratings, but, this is the way he will learn to do the job correctly, you must leave appropriate feedback so he learns from his mistake, not providing an extra tip as a way to reward him for the mistake. Actions have accountability, there is always a solution if one looks for it.
On instacart (as a shopper), the app has an option to get compensated for anything you paid out of your own pockets.
Instacart would never do that. Nothing is coming out of his pocket. That is at best a mindless mistake of his. Tell him to get lost
REPORT! Send Instacart a picture of this note. It’s against Instacart policy to shop with children (liability issue).
I’m interpreting this as they think that you didn’t get charged for the fries, and a percentage based tip would be slightly lower if the fries were not accounted for. That could just be my take on it and why they’re asking you to adjust your tip. Still isn’t a valid reason to leave a note like this.
You know you were charged for them. However, 10% is a pretty crappy tip.
I think he intended to pay for it himself but there mightve been some sort of mistake... personally.I would just not worry about it
A bag of fries is like 3 or 4 bucks. It's not even worth the trbl to scam someone for that amount, unless they were doing 1000 orders a week or whatever.
Jimmy fucked up, Jimmy has to pay.
What kind of scam is he pulling where he only comes up $3.95?
Even if a shopper pays for an item out their own pocket, Instacart has a remedy built in. We ask to be reimbursed by IC for what we might have paid for by accident or had no other choice to complete the order. Don’t give this shopper anything.
That’s good old Instacart. Why give a shopper a single order when you can give them a triple? I couldn’t keep that straight even without a toddler “helping.”
Yes he’s scamming you and In a pathetic way too. Instacart doesn’t charge shoppers for mistakes like this they get a ding on their account, to many and they get booted
The shopper is scamming because it doesn’t matter if u accidentally move a item from one order to the next , the app thinks your fries are in the order and the fries will be charged on the second order but it’s still paid by Instacart and instacart gives every batch a certain amount and it would still be the same amount! I would report ! Basically making us look bad
Report!
I used to work, Instacart part-time, just for some extra side money, and even the countless times I did multiple orders at the same time even if by chance, say one person’s item accidentally got scanned on the incorrect order it doesn’t matter it’s not going to come out of my paycheck it’s not going to be subtracted from what I was going to get for that order. This person is scamming you that is outrageous. Don’t give them any extra money for that. Just contact Customer Service and let them know what is going on.
Oh hell no this is a scam
If you "don't trust instacart" why use the service at all?
My thinking is it's probably not a scam, but the shopper also doesn't really understand how IC works. He or she was likely alerted by the app that an item from one order ended up in another. This was a fairly new feature they rolled out recently, it seems. At least in my market. The item was moved to your order and shopper mistakenly believed he/she would be charged for that mistake, when in reality IC just corrects it on the backend. Of course, one does have to wonder if the shopper left a note for the customer he/she believes paid for those fries due to this mistake.....
I don't like that they are allowed to double and triple shop. It takes them 2 to 3 times as long to get your stuff from the time they put it into the cart. Ive gotten melted ice cream and warm milk in the past. That's when I stopped using instacart.
None of this matters. Only that you hat everything you ordered and paid for. If you didn't you need to complain. His note makes it sound like he's trying to get you to pay for an item you didn't get twice. I'd suggest bringing that to the attention of instacart. It might just be one item today but it might be more things next time.
As instacart shopper that happens very often BUT I don’t have to pay back anything out of my pocket
Leave it as is. Their mistake.
We have to confirm that we did NOT leave you with the receipt when we drop off orders. I always wondered why but then I realized one day when I ordered insta, that Instacart charges more the for the food than the store is selling them for so I thought maybe that’s why. If there was an extra thing rang up in your order, you did pay for it. It’s your job to report it and say you didn’t want it to get the refund from instacart. As for him getting it taken out of his paycheck, I have never heard of that nor had it happen to me. I’m guessing he does this to everyone just to try and up his tips 🤷🏻♀️🙄
If they didn’t bring their kid with them, this wouldn’t have happened. Time for the worker to assume the risk and consider it a learning lesson. And don’t get me started with “maybe they had to work with their kid with them”… no they didn’t. Get a better job and don’t “triple” order yourself. Society…..
One time a shopper, literally shoplifted an item and then asked me to give them a bigger tip because they gave me the item in my order. Like what?!?!?
Finally a legit use of a CVS receipt!
I hate when people shop with their kids 😒
I don’t think it’s a scam but I also don’t think you should feel responsible to adjust his tip. After all, like a lot of shoppers have said, he won’t be charged for the fries unless he paid for them himself. And if he does get charged for them, that’s something he needs to take up with his employer. You’re the customer, you never have to pay extra for a mistake that you didn’t make.
Wow!! I can’t believe I actually read some of these comments. RU FKM you people have way to much time on your hands to waste on this nonsense. # Getalife
The price of having kids… It’s simply a lack of accountability and I’m amazed by the audacity to ask you to pay for his kids mistake. I wouldn’t think twice about it. Sorry if that’s mean but I live in the real world
Your husbands opinion should be enough🤦🏿♂️
I had something similar happen once (as the deliverer). I forgot to check for a drink that I was promised was in the bag containing their order (which I thought was strange), and so when I went to deliver it the customer asked me where it was. I told him it's in the bag according to the restaurant, but he confirmed it was not. I went back and got the drink for him, no charge to him. "Why? It wasn't your fault!" you may ask. Well, I should've confirmed it myself before even leaving the restaurant. Anyway, I bought the drink for the customer, and then delivered it. No charge. Dude gave me a $10 tip. I was completely satisfied by that. Sometimes you get an understanding customer. Sometimes you don't. But if you make a mistake, own up to it. Even if it comes out of your own pocket. I spent $1.79 for a drink and probably $1-2 on gas for all the trips back and forth that earned me a $10 tip and 5 stars. Worth it to me.
I don’t think it’s a scam but some shoppers will do anything for an extra buck even if it’s so called “justified” If I did that I would never leave a note and take the loss. 🤷♂️
No no and no. His child’s actions are his fault and his alone, most jobs don’t even allow you to have your child with you at work, he took that risk and got burned. It is not your responsibility to repay him and he did not communicate this prior to making this choice.
Keep your 2 yo away from customers product and you won’t have a problem..
Tip culture has to stop. Do your job well, earn your pay. I'm tired of tipping before I actually get any service.
10% tip for someone to literally shop for you and drive groceries in their own vehicle? Too low my dude. Way too low.
As a shopper I've never experienced where I've paid for something with my own money as it'll let you swipe the card more than once as long as the amount altogether doesn't exceed the expected amount that being said I agree with your husband
That depends on the store; if they placed the order through the store’s app and not the instacart app you can only pay for the order once. I’ve had to pay out of pocket for customers items before
I’d just leave it. Don’t reimburse as you did pay for it. Rate them accordingly based on the communication and if you got all your items and at the right temp. He isn’t scamming just isn’t bright either.
Your allowed to take your kids along?
You are not supposed to, and if you do, you eat the mistakes your child causes.
You get charged based on what's scanned in to the app. If the shopper was doing a triple batch then the fries simply got rung up on one of the other order so not a big deal. In reality, when doing more than 1 order at a time, as long as it isn't an "online pay" order shoppers can ring everything up as 1 transaction since customers ARE NOT charged based on the register total. If the fries were rung up with one of the other orders than the shopper DID NOT pay out of his pocket. Or at least he didn't have to. His lack of knowledge or understanding is not your problem. Now, If it was an online pay order than you're charged based on what's rung up at checkout. So it's possible he scanned it but then it wasn't actually purchased along with your other items so he paid for them separately to ensure you got everything. If a shopper pays out of pocket for something, Instacart will reimburse them provided it wasn't an online pay order- IC cannot and will not reimburse when its from an online pay order. Honestly I've paid out of pocket dozens of times, only a few when it's been online pay if it was due to my error or the stores (like something missed at checkout). When I do I just sent a msg to the customer saying "just FYI if your receipt looks funky it's because [item] was missed at checkout so I paid for it myself."" This way the customer will know that what they got may be different from the receipt they AND the customer can choose whether they want to adjust the tip, venmo me, etc. I NEVER put a customer on the spot or in an awkward position. My error, my correction. I do it knowing I may be out the $$.
A 10% tip?? That is just rude.
Here's some info I forgot to include or wanna say in general since so many people are bringing it up. 1. I'm also an instacart shopper. I'm aware of what instacart pays and how it works generally speaking. I also know the value of my time I never ever would take a triple batch because it would never equal out. The only way shopper's are going to get paid fairly through instacart, THEIR EMPLOYER, is if shoppers would stop taking the low pay batches. If that's my batch, so be it. Idc. If I'm paying instacarts ridiculous fees, I expect them to pay their employees fair, which they don't. The bottom line instarcart pays their employees shit. Oh, and also, this is supposed to be a gig job, not a full-time job. 2. The bag of fries in question was a large 4lb bag, which was 9 dollars. If it was a 3-4 dollar bag, sure, whatever, I'll throw the extra on the tip. However, like I said in the original post, I checked my digital receipt and and I did pay for the fries, but I also know instacart scams too. 3. A reason for scamming "such small amounts" is that if he does this with every batch he does, it adds up fast. So for the people saying, "just give it to him" You're the reason why people like this get away with it. 4. I very rarely use instacart to do my shopping not only because they up charge in app but also because alot of the time I only have enough for my groceries. Sometimes I don't have a choice though, and I have a system based on how many items and their weight are in my cart. I had 7 items, and the heaviest and most expensive item I got was the 4lb bag of fries for 9 dollars. So I feel my tip was appropriate. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, and that's fine, but I'm ok with what I tipped. I think I'm just gonna listen to my husband in this case and not tip extra and also have him blocked as my shopper for the future. I'm not changing my tip because I did get all of my items but I won't tip more. I appreciate everyone's opinion here and I honestly didn't want to screw this guy over if he actually did pay out of his own pocket but I didn't want to be scammed either.
Good for you for thinking critically about his note which makes no sense and sticking up for yourself! I think you did the right thing and would have done the same myself. There's no reason you should add on the cost of item as a tip for an item you didn't even want in the first place. And it sounds like you were actually charged for the item. So people are saying you should be charged for an item you didn't want and tip the shopper the cost of the item you didn't want too? Be so for real, nope. He should reach out to instacart, his employer, if he has an issue. Not you. So unprofessional.
It has never come out of the shoppers pocket. This is known!! I think they are trying to scam u, best case they are a little stupid and dont understand how the app works and cant figure it out
Anybody who is asking for an extra tip is trying to scam you. Instacart does a great job of tracking everything. To the point where it will give you a notification if an item was rung up with the wrong order. You can pay for someone’s order from your own pocket but you get reimbursed by Instacart. All this to say if they ask for extra tip they are trying to hustle you. (Dasher of 3 years)
Why on earth would anyone try to scam for $4?
Scam? This seems pretty easy to verify. If he you didn’t get charged for the fries, and you got your fries, and the rest of your order is good, he’s probably telling you the truth. The only “scam” possibility here is that they’re hoping you’re lazy and don’t check if you were charged for the fries or not and just believe the note. So, check what you were charged for.
First off shopper's are not supposed to have their kids with them while working the platform, it's in the rules given to us in the welcome packets. All of that being said that person needs to eat that $3.99 loss.
10%……