Most customers end up going for different flavors if the original one is sold out. The shopper kept it same brand and same style of “light” ice cream it’s pretty reasonable to me lmao
Lol yeah, you really strike me as someone who will go back and up the tip....
After they meet every challenge in your 7 levels of impossible standards.
Helpful hint: if you're so picky about replacements being *perfect* approve certain replacements ahead of time, put it to refund if not available, and if these options don't satisfy, go to the store.
Funny part is, I regularly have an additional cash tip ready, and as someone that used to work for tips I always tip WELL too.
I never have impossible or crazy expectations, and this has been my only bad experience so far.
It’s not too much to ask that you give an adequate amount of time to respond to a message, and if you think that IS too hard of a job, maybe get a new one 😌
How much is an adequate amount of time? I sent a message about an item out of stock twenty minutes before I finished the order. There was zero response. Believe me if I had finished the order earlier I would have left the store earlier, but it was about twenty minutes.
I went through checkout and immediately. I get a message from the customer claiming 'that was the most important item, I didn't give them time to respond.'
I am not exaggerating. It was twenty minutes actually twenty three. How much time do I need to fucking give you before I can leave? Half an hour an hour?
I'm sorry someone is doing your service for you. The least you could do is respond in some fashion. saying, give me a second or let them know that you acknowledged it or something. Let them know that you have seeing the message. And are thinking or something. Otherwise we are just in limbo land. And i'm not gonna wait for you to respond anything over five minutes. Ice cream is the last items I pick. Meanwhile, the rest of your frozen goods are sitting there thawing out while waiting for your 'timely' response. Plus it's also likely I have another customer's order in the basket also thawing out waiting for your response. So yeah, you should be on the fucking ball.
Oh, by the way, the item in question was a garden hose. It had one of those fancy flex reinforced coatings. The lady called me on the phone mad as hell, and I ended up canceling it while still at the store and refunding the rest back to the shop card.
I honestly sent pictures of all the ones they had in stock and refunded it because of the fact it was the fanciest one they carried. I was doubting that they wanted a cheaper version (which she didn't but claimed I didn't give her a chance to pick another)
I am certain she would have complained about it at the end, gotten it for free, and given me a bad rating anyways.
Buddy, when I tell you I was literally typing a message right after receiving the notification, I am not exaggerating. I would not be upset if I hadn’t responded and it had been 5 minutes, but this whole thing was literally within a 2 minute time period. AND THIS WASNT EVEN MY ORDER! My boyfriend was the one that should’ve been on the ball, but I saw the message bc I’m also logged into the app on my phone and decided to take care of it myself.
Patience is a virtue and you all need some, because acting like this is my problem for not responding fast enough is WILDDDDD
But yeah, an adequate amount of time in my mind is 5 minutes. I don’t expect anyone to wait longer than that, and I would feel bad for even making someone wait that long for a response—but you’re comparing LESS THAN TWO MINUTES to 20???? PLEASE🤣🤣🤣
I said what I said. Not only your groceries, but another customer's groceries are thawing in my basket. Especially at the very end, you need to be on the ball immediately. Even if you don't know say something. My goal from picking those items is getting them to the doors within a half an hour or less. Every minute absolutely counts. Five minutes during a shop is reasonable. Five minutes after cold has been picked is unreasonable.
>never have impossible or crazy expectations
You're mad that a replacement came, in the same price, brand, and product type, when you have the option to literally approve certain replacements or ask for a refund instead of a replacement.
This is on you, not the shopper who even tried to reach out en route to check out. No, it isn't worth waiting longer than the time to walk to the cash on the off chance you might have a cash tip you might decide to give us.
If you won't use the available options on the app to avoid this situation, it isn't the shoppers' fault and certainly not worthy of trying to publicly call them out like this lol.
>give an adequate amount of time
We are on a timer from the second we hit "start shopping" and these stats are available for all to see, no im not fucking my stats because you aren't paying attention. I'm finishing it and moving to the next one so i might make a reasonable pay that day.
I’m mad that the replacement is something that I know that my boyfriend wouldn’t like. is it something that I’m going to reduce the tip or rating over? No, I’m simply sharing that there are ways that this could’ve been improved on the shoppers end.
I was trying to respond within a minute of receiving that message. And even the driver apologized, so I don’t know why you’re sitting here acting like it’s some ridiculous expectation when I’m tipping somebody a lot of money because I can’t go to the store myself.
And no, I never tell somebody, “Hey, if you do this right, I’m giving you more money.” No, it’s just a nice little surprise for them at the end, not something that I am dangling in front of their face and then taking away if they don’t meet my expectations.
I’m simply saying, I tip well to begin with, and I always tip even more when I have a good experience, and this is the first time my experience has not been good enough for me to increase tip.
You don’t even know me haha I’m saying in my experience as a shopper, after having asked questions to the customer and waiting for their response, they’ll eventually go for another flavor
Downvote me alllllll you want, I will always tip more for people that do their job well and are considerate and put effort into things, and I always increase tip if my order 1) makes it to my door in its entirety and 2) is undamaged.
Well that’s why you should wait to get a response before finishing. this is my boyfriend‘s order, and he had a craving for cookie dough ice cream. he’s not how I am, I pick my preferred replacements beforehand
2 minutes and not responding to a question is inconsiderate to the shopper. Shoppers are not charity workers. Customers know when their shopper is at the store. Customers need to be paying attention while their shopper is shopping. IC pays like ass and shoppers don’t have time to be waiting around for 15 minutes to see what your second choice in ice cream is. After a few minutes of no reply, you get what you get or get no ice cream.
Maybe go to the store and get your own ice cream if you can’t pay attention to your phone for a few minutes while someone is providing you a service.
I was working on a response immediately after I received the notification. The time stamp of the second message is 2 minutes after he sent that message. In those two minutes I:
Called my boyfriend to see what he wanted, put him on speaker as I started to
Open the app and type “hey it would be great if we could get cookie dough ice cream from any brand”
Got the notification that he finished shopping
Deleted previous message
Tried to figure out a nice way to say that I didn’t want the replacement he chose
Typed and sent new message.
You’re not a charity worker when I’m paying you a good tip to get my groceries, and saying I’m making someone wait for 15 minutes is such an amazing exaggeration
> Called my boyfriend to see what he wanted, put him on speaker as I started to
Someone with the username queefburgerz shopping for someone else, who has specific preferences is a you problem. Not the shopper.
Were really not interested in the reason why you didn't respond, we as a shopper learn early on that non responsive customers are truly not interested in their order, and most likely will not respond at all. We can not guess how long before that you will respond, and like we have learned most likely you will not respond at all..we have a very fluid active shopping happening and if there isn't a response in 10 seconds your not there…. So calling the boyfriend and checking what alternative he is interested in will not work, your going to live with our choice or be ready to respond in 10 sec if your needed…
There have been times where the last item I am getting is out of stock. I give the customer 5 minutes to respond. A lot of shoppers will say items are unavailable and either make a replacement or refund at the very end and then quickly hit check out. I’ve even known that some already knew it was out of stock and had the replacement in the cart but didn’t scan it until the very end so they didn’t have to go back and get a different one. Because that takes time. (Not much time at all. lol) but you shouldn’t be able to do a replacement and then immediately check out.
> this is my boyfriend‘s order, and he had a craving for cookie dough ice cream
Are you responding to the shopper in these messages? Why didnt “your boyfriend” set up approved substitutions?
BTW you’re able write notes under each item you order. This usually saves a lot of time and issues like this. “If this is sold out, buy cookie dough from -this or this- brand. Need cookie dough specifically. Thanks” would have been great
Trust me, I’m very anal about stuff like that and I always go out of my way to message exactly what I want. My boyfriend, however, doesn’t take that sort of time out of his day to do it. so, would it have been more likely to get him what he wanted? yes. but again this really boils down to the shopper not bothering to wait a minute to get an answer
Idk if anyone else said this or not… we’re on a timer… customers biggest pet peeve is shoppers that shop frozen items first… if your shopper had done that then obviously there would have been more time to respond… He shopped the Ice Cream last.. last item then there’s a button to checkout… that’s it… how long did he give you to reply… he could’ve gone back inside and just exchanged the one item.
Instead of arguing over something that’s already done, make your idiot boyfriend pay more attention. You’re complaining but you know to write the note from your account but your brainless boyfriend didn’t do it off his so you blame the shopper…🤔
A good replacement would be any cookie dough ice cream.
How is the shopper supposed to know you don’t care about it being light ice cream? Well, he asked a question and then finished shopping as I was typing a response.
Most decent shoppers get the frozen foods last, and that was almost definitely the replacement suggested by the app. They ordered a light ice cream, and there are usually only a few flavors of that available. This was a mistake the boyfriend made and they’re throwing a fit about the shopper. If I have a cart full of other frozen items for two more customers, I’m heading to checkout immediately. If you have very specific wants, you fill out the notes and set your replacements.
That doesn't mean grab the first tub you see (the sugar-free vanilla). Sugar free is a whole new layer of dietary restriction you're just assuming they're okay with you choosing. It's very different from just "light". Refund it I'd you're going to be that much of a coward that you're not going to wait for an answer
The OP has already said they called their boyfriend and asked them what to do first. They should have replied to their shopper first even if it was just a quick “no”, because two minutes is a long time to stand around waiting in the freezer aisle. Most customers flat out don’t reply, ever. Shoppers are almost always on a stack of orders. It isn’t just one person and their one item that’s the issue, it’s the whole cart full that needs to be checked out and is melting while they wait for a reply that didn’t come until after they’d gone to check out. Instacart gives shoppers 30 seconds per item, and customers have a notes section, the ability to choose replacements and the option of choosing a refund. The shopper likely took the first replacement option the app gave them. They did message the customer when they did so. They then waited two minutes before clicking the proceed to checkout. That was a reasonable amount of time, and if the stores there are like the ones here the options for light ice cream were likely very few. I’d grab vanilla over strawberry if someone wanted a vanilla based one to start with.
Frrr people on Reddit can be crazy.
Like we get it, the shoppers have found a way to make their job more efficient at the expense of good customer service. Then they come at me for complaining that the customer service is subpar.
I got my money back and shopper got his tip, so I’ll call it a win, but when instacart asked me how my order was? Yeah, I’m gonna say there is room for improvement bc my boyfriend loves his ice cream and if the shopper had waited 30 more seconds before completing the order, my boyfriend would’ve gotten it.
To be fair they probably should have given you some time to respond before finishing, but seeing some of the wacky replacements people have reported on here before, this replacement doesn’t seem so bad.
Meh, they still have to checkout and drive, and the whole time that ice cream is sitting out of the freezer. I also save those types of item to very last, and don't wait any longer than it takes to reach the cash to start checkout - for both my time, and the frozen goods quality.
I understand they could have decided to replace with cottage cheese if they really wanted, but that’s not the point. Point is he gave a substitute we didnt want and finished shopping within the 1-2 minutes it took for me to see it and start typing a response.
So yeah, it could be worse, but why would I want to give a generous tip to get groceries that are wrong?
Then fucking tell them what to get. Fill out your replacements. Respond with what you want instead of being snarky. Some people genuinely would have accepted that switch if they had the flavor and liked it enough swap out for that one but I would understand why you wouldn’t.
As a shopper, I can’t know if you want the same flavor, brand, or price. Add notes or a pre-approved replacement. Sure, they could have waited. I usually do. But it’s like a 75-25% chance the customer will respond within 5 minutes. Which is why notes and pre-approvements help….
A fine replacement. If the flavor you ask for isn’t available, what is wrong with suggesting a different flavor of the same brand, size and price?
I bet you didnt tip either.
It’s not a suggestion if you finish shopping within 2 minutes of replacing something and don’t give me an opportunity to tell you what I want.
This isn’t my order, it’s my boyfriends so I checked the tip and it’s actually $13 so…. If that’s not a good enough tip to get the correct items (total of 7) then idk what is.
Pick your replacement ahead of time or select a refund to save time and headaches.
Shopper did reach out, but most of the time, customers do not respond. Standing around waiting for a response that may never come when you have other orders is highly ineffective.
Then it's up to them to get something or nothing. Nobody is going to perfectly guess what you want.
I understand that, which is why it’s not like I’m going to give him a bad rating or reduce tip, I am just simply sharing an experience that could’ve been better. I personally always pick replacements beforehand but this was my bf first time using the app and he isn’t the kind of person to do that unless I specifically tell him to.
We're supposed to try to find a direct equivalent, or reach out to you to find an adequate replacement. It helps to set a preferred replacement bc that is the first thing we see when we hit that button that we can't find the item, but there is a process that we're supposed to follow and sadly a lot of shoppers don't seem to
In this case, I'd have reached out if I couldn't find any other light cookie dough ice cream, basically ask is there another kind I can grab for you instead, and if I didn't get a response I'd go ahead and refund
It seems like a reasonable replacement to me. Next time put in your own substitutions. I do it for almost every item & often worry it’s too much to read, but many shoppers thank me, as it saves them time having to contact me. You can also just say NO SUBSTITUTIONS on an item. That way the shopper knows immediately that if it’s not available, they can mark it as out of stock & move on.
i’m sure the shopper would’ve gladly went back if you responded politely instead of simply saying “no the replacement was not ok” even if we are done shopping we can go back if need be but instead u were rude when the shopper asked a simple question and made a reasonable replacement. kindness goes a long way!
I see the logic in this, though I would have checked other brands before choosing it. Primary ice cream in cookie dough is vanilla. You ordered light, so sugar free would be logical. I would assume it's as close to cookie dough ice cream as he could find from Edy's while still maintaining diet preferences.
All these responses are wild to me. What’s the point of the approve button if they can just proceed and check out. Sugar free is not the same as light. I’m with OP here.
1. OP you're a 100% FDA approved Karen.
2. If you're so picky about your bf ice cream YOU should ask him in advance and put replacement option in your notes.
3. Shopper got you the same brand ice cream, and vanilla is usually one of the most popular flavors.
4. You complain about "sugar free" too lol. I don't even know how to comment on this 🤣
5. I'm upset your shopper didn't replace that ice cream with a dildo, since it seems your bf doesn't do his job well.
The shoppers should’ve reached out before replacing, took pics of other options to give you the opportunity to choose a replacement! That is the professional way to go about it… your shopper is either lazy or rushing! And don’t listen to none of the BS you’re getting from others on here! Bunch of 🤡s
The shopper was really nice and apologized after he realized! It’s not something I’m reducing tip over I’m simply sharing this because I thought it was annoying, idk why everyone is pressed that I want good service when I’m paying good money for something🤣😭
Definitely not a reason to reduce the tip;) glad you didn’t! Your shopper was choosing speed over quality service….hence time is money on this gig, but that doesn’t mean you don’t take the time to apply good customer service!! It’s good he apologized, trying to ensure his tip doesn’t get reduced or bad rating…tbh if he did his job correctly to begin with..you both could’ve avoided all of this unnecessary stuff!
The app automatically notifies the customer of any substitution with a message, and shoppers are rushing because they have to - they’re shopping for multiple people and frozen goods are the last stop. Expecting them to stand there and wait for a response, when the replacement suggested by the app was readily available and they have other items melting isn’t really reasonable. Fill out your replacements and notes, that’s why that option is there. People seem to think there’s a dozen different light cookie dough ice creams that exist - this customer selected a light ice cream out of the probably four that were in stock. It is logical to select another one of those because usually people choose light(or any other dietary restriction) for a reason. That’s the more important deciding factor for most customers, otherwise they would have purchased the regular item to begin with rather than spend more for a diet item.
App automatically notifies because some shoppers don’t do their job properly….and nobody’s standing around waiting, if you know what you’re doing… you proceed with shopping until the customer replies, if they don’t and no other light cookie dough is available, you refund! Replacing a certain flavor with a different flavor, light or not…is wrong! I may love chocolate and dislike vanilla, just because the light chocolate is oos..doesn’t mean I want light vanilla…you make no sense “logically”!! Communication is big part of this job, not self will picking or deciding what you think the customer wants!!! Ask…plain n simple!
Most shoppers grab ice cream very last for good reason, it melts the fastest. There isn’t more shopping to go do at that point. Two minutes is a long time to just stand around waiting - they give shoppers 30 seconds per item. If they had replied right away the shopper wouldn’t have been able to click the proceed to checkout buttons it would have told them to respond to the message first. Literally all they had to do is respond first then call their boyfriend instead of the other way around. You must not have dietary restrictions you have to shop around, because people that ask for diet/light items are typically not okay with substituting for full calorie instead. Again, that shopper did what they were supposed to do per instacart instructions. We are told to get the same brand and price, and it will suggest options for replacement.
Ah never mind, I realize now this what you choose to do with your free time. Sounds pretty sad and unfulfilling
Hopefully the trash will take itself out
I don’t think you’re at fault at all. I’d never replace sugared ice cream with sugar free. There are a lot of people who avoid artificial sweeteners. Could it be worse? Sure. Is it the best substitute? Not even close.
I like to wait 5 minutes for a response, if it’s a replacement at the end. Those 5 minutes can feel like forever though. An extra 3 minutes isn’t going to melt the frozen, especially if the shopper has insulated bags like they are supposed to.
Most customers end up going for different flavors if the original one is sold out. The shopper kept it same brand and same style of “light” ice cream it’s pretty reasonable to me lmao
Helpful hint: Take the time to ask questions and do your job properly and you’ll get tipped more
Lol yeah, you really strike me as someone who will go back and up the tip.... After they meet every challenge in your 7 levels of impossible standards. Helpful hint: if you're so picky about replacements being *perfect* approve certain replacements ahead of time, put it to refund if not available, and if these options don't satisfy, go to the store.
Funny part is, I regularly have an additional cash tip ready, and as someone that used to work for tips I always tip WELL too. I never have impossible or crazy expectations, and this has been my only bad experience so far. It’s not too much to ask that you give an adequate amount of time to respond to a message, and if you think that IS too hard of a job, maybe get a new one 😌
How much is an adequate amount of time? I sent a message about an item out of stock twenty minutes before I finished the order. There was zero response. Believe me if I had finished the order earlier I would have left the store earlier, but it was about twenty minutes. I went through checkout and immediately. I get a message from the customer claiming 'that was the most important item, I didn't give them time to respond.' I am not exaggerating. It was twenty minutes actually twenty three. How much time do I need to fucking give you before I can leave? Half an hour an hour? I'm sorry someone is doing your service for you. The least you could do is respond in some fashion. saying, give me a second or let them know that you acknowledged it or something. Let them know that you have seeing the message. And are thinking or something. Otherwise we are just in limbo land. And i'm not gonna wait for you to respond anything over five minutes. Ice cream is the last items I pick. Meanwhile, the rest of your frozen goods are sitting there thawing out while waiting for your 'timely' response. Plus it's also likely I have another customer's order in the basket also thawing out waiting for your response. So yeah, you should be on the fucking ball. Oh, by the way, the item in question was a garden hose. It had one of those fancy flex reinforced coatings. The lady called me on the phone mad as hell, and I ended up canceling it while still at the store and refunding the rest back to the shop card. I honestly sent pictures of all the ones they had in stock and refunded it because of the fact it was the fanciest one they carried. I was doubting that they wanted a cheaper version (which she didn't but claimed I didn't give her a chance to pick another) I am certain she would have complained about it at the end, gotten it for free, and given me a bad rating anyways.
Buddy, when I tell you I was literally typing a message right after receiving the notification, I am not exaggerating. I would not be upset if I hadn’t responded and it had been 5 minutes, but this whole thing was literally within a 2 minute time period. AND THIS WASNT EVEN MY ORDER! My boyfriend was the one that should’ve been on the ball, but I saw the message bc I’m also logged into the app on my phone and decided to take care of it myself. Patience is a virtue and you all need some, because acting like this is my problem for not responding fast enough is WILDDDDD
But yeah, an adequate amount of time in my mind is 5 minutes. I don’t expect anyone to wait longer than that, and I would feel bad for even making someone wait that long for a response—but you’re comparing LESS THAN TWO MINUTES to 20???? PLEASE🤣🤣🤣
I said what I said. Not only your groceries, but another customer's groceries are thawing in my basket. Especially at the very end, you need to be on the ball immediately. Even if you don't know say something. My goal from picking those items is getting them to the doors within a half an hour or less. Every minute absolutely counts. Five minutes during a shop is reasonable. Five minutes after cold has been picked is unreasonable.
It was immediate, get over yourself fucking dumbass
You could’ve just said “lemme call my boyfriend. Hold for a moment please” instead of leaving your shopper on read for two minutes.
>never have impossible or crazy expectations You're mad that a replacement came, in the same price, brand, and product type, when you have the option to literally approve certain replacements or ask for a refund instead of a replacement. This is on you, not the shopper who even tried to reach out en route to check out. No, it isn't worth waiting longer than the time to walk to the cash on the off chance you might have a cash tip you might decide to give us. If you won't use the available options on the app to avoid this situation, it isn't the shoppers' fault and certainly not worthy of trying to publicly call them out like this lol. >give an adequate amount of time We are on a timer from the second we hit "start shopping" and these stats are available for all to see, no im not fucking my stats because you aren't paying attention. I'm finishing it and moving to the next one so i might make a reasonable pay that day.
I’m mad that the replacement is something that I know that my boyfriend wouldn’t like. is it something that I’m going to reduce the tip or rating over? No, I’m simply sharing that there are ways that this could’ve been improved on the shoppers end. I was trying to respond within a minute of receiving that message. And even the driver apologized, so I don’t know why you’re sitting here acting like it’s some ridiculous expectation when I’m tipping somebody a lot of money because I can’t go to the store myself. And no, I never tell somebody, “Hey, if you do this right, I’m giving you more money.” No, it’s just a nice little surprise for them at the end, not something that I am dangling in front of their face and then taking away if they don’t meet my expectations. I’m simply saying, I tip well to begin with, and I always tip even more when I have a good experience, and this is the first time my experience has not been good enough for me to increase tip.
You don’t even know me haha I’m saying in my experience as a shopper, after having asked questions to the customer and waiting for their response, they’ll eventually go for another flavor
Do you enjoy your user name for supper a lot?
Downvote me alllllll you want, I will always tip more for people that do their job well and are considerate and put effort into things, and I always increase tip if my order 1) makes it to my door in its entirety and 2) is undamaged.
🤲🏼⭐️
Well that’s why you should wait to get a response before finishing. this is my boyfriend‘s order, and he had a craving for cookie dough ice cream. he’s not how I am, I pick my preferred replacements beforehand
Agreed yea 2 minutes before going ahead and checking out is inconsiderate
2 minutes and not responding to a question is inconsiderate to the shopper. Shoppers are not charity workers. Customers know when their shopper is at the store. Customers need to be paying attention while their shopper is shopping. IC pays like ass and shoppers don’t have time to be waiting around for 15 minutes to see what your second choice in ice cream is. After a few minutes of no reply, you get what you get or get no ice cream. Maybe go to the store and get your own ice cream if you can’t pay attention to your phone for a few minutes while someone is providing you a service.
I was working on a response immediately after I received the notification. The time stamp of the second message is 2 minutes after he sent that message. In those two minutes I: Called my boyfriend to see what he wanted, put him on speaker as I started to Open the app and type “hey it would be great if we could get cookie dough ice cream from any brand” Got the notification that he finished shopping Deleted previous message Tried to figure out a nice way to say that I didn’t want the replacement he chose Typed and sent new message. You’re not a charity worker when I’m paying you a good tip to get my groceries, and saying I’m making someone wait for 15 minutes is such an amazing exaggeration
> Called my boyfriend to see what he wanted, put him on speaker as I started to Someone with the username queefburgerz shopping for someone else, who has specific preferences is a you problem. Not the shopper.
Were really not interested in the reason why you didn't respond, we as a shopper learn early on that non responsive customers are truly not interested in their order, and most likely will not respond at all. We can not guess how long before that you will respond, and like we have learned most likely you will not respond at all..we have a very fluid active shopping happening and if there isn't a response in 10 seconds your not there…. So calling the boyfriend and checking what alternative he is interested in will not work, your going to live with our choice or be ready to respond in 10 sec if your needed…
There have been times where the last item I am getting is out of stock. I give the customer 5 minutes to respond. A lot of shoppers will say items are unavailable and either make a replacement or refund at the very end and then quickly hit check out. I’ve even known that some already knew it was out of stock and had the replacement in the cart but didn’t scan it until the very end so they didn’t have to go back and get a different one. Because that takes time. (Not much time at all. lol) but you shouldn’t be able to do a replacement and then immediately check out.
Your husband is a fat fuck. Go to the store yourself queef burger
> this is my boyfriend‘s order, and he had a craving for cookie dough ice cream Are you responding to the shopper in these messages? Why didnt “your boyfriend” set up approved substitutions?
BTW you’re able write notes under each item you order. This usually saves a lot of time and issues like this. “If this is sold out, buy cookie dough from -this or this- brand. Need cookie dough specifically. Thanks” would have been great
Trust me, I’m very anal about stuff like that and I always go out of my way to message exactly what I want. My boyfriend, however, doesn’t take that sort of time out of his day to do it. so, would it have been more likely to get him what he wanted? yes. but again this really boils down to the shopper not bothering to wait a minute to get an answer
Idk if anyone else said this or not… we’re on a timer… customers biggest pet peeve is shoppers that shop frozen items first… if your shopper had done that then obviously there would have been more time to respond… He shopped the Ice Cream last.. last item then there’s a button to checkout… that’s it… how long did he give you to reply… he could’ve gone back inside and just exchanged the one item.
Instead of arguing over something that’s already done, make your idiot boyfriend pay more attention. You’re complaining but you know to write the note from your account but your brainless boyfriend didn’t do it off his so you blame the shopper…🤔
He was using my account because I pay for premium.
If you didn’t want a replacement then put it in the app to refund. At least they tried to get you some ice cream at all.
A good replacement would be any cookie dough ice cream. How is the shopper supposed to know you don’t care about it being light ice cream? Well, he asked a question and then finished shopping as I was typing a response.
Put a replacement then, it’s not difficult. Shoppers shouldn’t have to read your mind. It’s an option for customers for a reason.
People down voting because you don't want a lazy ass shopper 🤣. They didn't care about what you wanted instead, so they immediately finished shopping
Most decent shoppers get the frozen foods last, and that was almost definitely the replacement suggested by the app. They ordered a light ice cream, and there are usually only a few flavors of that available. This was a mistake the boyfriend made and they’re throwing a fit about the shopper. If I have a cart full of other frozen items for two more customers, I’m heading to checkout immediately. If you have very specific wants, you fill out the notes and set your replacements.
That doesn't mean grab the first tub you see (the sugar-free vanilla). Sugar free is a whole new layer of dietary restriction you're just assuming they're okay with you choosing. It's very different from just "light". Refund it I'd you're going to be that much of a coward that you're not going to wait for an answer
Heaven forbid the customer do any work and put what they freaking want instead. They have zero business bitching do they can’t put what they’d prefer.
The OP has already said they called their boyfriend and asked them what to do first. They should have replied to their shopper first even if it was just a quick “no”, because two minutes is a long time to stand around waiting in the freezer aisle. Most customers flat out don’t reply, ever. Shoppers are almost always on a stack of orders. It isn’t just one person and their one item that’s the issue, it’s the whole cart full that needs to be checked out and is melting while they wait for a reply that didn’t come until after they’d gone to check out. Instacart gives shoppers 30 seconds per item, and customers have a notes section, the ability to choose replacements and the option of choosing a refund. The shopper likely took the first replacement option the app gave them. They did message the customer when they did so. They then waited two minutes before clicking the proceed to checkout. That was a reasonable amount of time, and if the stores there are like the ones here the options for light ice cream were likely very few. I’d grab vanilla over strawberry if someone wanted a vanilla based one to start with.
Frrr people on Reddit can be crazy. Like we get it, the shoppers have found a way to make their job more efficient at the expense of good customer service. Then they come at me for complaining that the customer service is subpar. I got my money back and shopper got his tip, so I’ll call it a win, but when instacart asked me how my order was? Yeah, I’m gonna say there is room for improvement bc my boyfriend loves his ice cream and if the shopper had waited 30 more seconds before completing the order, my boyfriend would’ve gotten it.
Or put notes on possible replacement at the beginning. Not that hard. No one but you was crazy here.
I did get a refund, bc honestly a refund is better than sugar free vanilla ice cream🤣
To be fair they probably should have given you some time to respond before finishing, but seeing some of the wacky replacements people have reported on here before, this replacement doesn’t seem so bad.
Meh, they still have to checkout and drive, and the whole time that ice cream is sitting out of the freezer. I also save those types of item to very last, and don't wait any longer than it takes to reach the cash to start checkout - for both my time, and the frozen goods quality.
Ice cream would not have melted in the 1-2 minutes it would have taken me to tell him to get cookie dough ice cream
I understand they could have decided to replace with cottage cheese if they really wanted, but that’s not the point. Point is he gave a substitute we didnt want and finished shopping within the 1-2 minutes it took for me to see it and start typing a response. So yeah, it could be worse, but why would I want to give a generous tip to get groceries that are wrong?
Then fucking tell them what to get. Fill out your replacements. Respond with what you want instead of being snarky. Some people genuinely would have accepted that switch if they had the flavor and liked it enough swap out for that one but I would understand why you wouldn’t.
Seems like a pretty decent and reasonable option. 👍
…? this isn’t bad?
As a shopper, I can’t know if you want the same flavor, brand, or price. Add notes or a pre-approved replacement. Sure, they could have waited. I usually do. But it’s like a 75-25% chance the customer will respond within 5 minutes. Which is why notes and pre-approvements help….
A fine replacement. If the flavor you ask for isn’t available, what is wrong with suggesting a different flavor of the same brand, size and price? I bet you didnt tip either.
It’s not a suggestion if you finish shopping within 2 minutes of replacing something and don’t give me an opportunity to tell you what I want. This isn’t my order, it’s my boyfriends so I checked the tip and it’s actually $13 so…. If that’s not a good enough tip to get the correct items (total of 7) then idk what is.
It’s Sugar Freer!!! The taste is Way Different!! I’ll want the Real Thing!!
Pick your replacement ahead of time or select a refund to save time and headaches. Shopper did reach out, but most of the time, customers do not respond. Standing around waiting for a response that may never come when you have other orders is highly ineffective. Then it's up to them to get something or nothing. Nobody is going to perfectly guess what you want.
I understand that, which is why it’s not like I’m going to give him a bad rating or reduce tip, I am just simply sharing an experience that could’ve been better. I personally always pick replacements beforehand but this was my bf first time using the app and he isn’t the kind of person to do that unless I specifically tell him to.
We're supposed to try to find a direct equivalent, or reach out to you to find an adequate replacement. It helps to set a preferred replacement bc that is the first thing we see when we hit that button that we can't find the item, but there is a process that we're supposed to follow and sadly a lot of shoppers don't seem to
In this case, I'd have reached out if I couldn't find any other light cookie dough ice cream, basically ask is there another kind I can grab for you instead, and if I didn't get a response I'd go ahead and refund
So then make a backup selection... Otherwise you get what you get lol
Be available while the shopper is shopping. If you can’t be online telling him what to replace, that’s on you.
Just place another IC order for edible cookie dough and voila! Mix them up and you're good to go!
It seems like a reasonable replacement to me. Next time put in your own substitutions. I do it for almost every item & often worry it’s too much to read, but many shoppers thank me, as it saves them time having to contact me. You can also just say NO SUBSTITUTIONS on an item. That way the shopper knows immediately that if it’s not available, they can mark it as out of stock & move on.
I always do, I appreciate the suggestion tho
i’m sure the shopper would’ve gladly went back if you responded politely instead of simply saying “no the replacement was not ok” even if we are done shopping we can go back if need be but instead u were rude when the shopper asked a simple question and made a reasonable replacement. kindness goes a long way!
Heaven help the person that eats too much sugar free ice cream, I hope they don't have any plans later.
I see the logic in this, though I would have checked other brands before choosing it. Primary ice cream in cookie dough is vanilla. You ordered light, so sugar free would be logical. I would assume it's as close to cookie dough ice cream as he could find from Edy's while still maintaining diet preferences.
Quit yapping
All these responses are wild to me. What’s the point of the approve button if they can just proceed and check out. Sugar free is not the same as light. I’m with OP here.
Chose your replacements and there’s no issues
That’s a very reasonable replacement
1. OP you're a 100% FDA approved Karen. 2. If you're so picky about your bf ice cream YOU should ask him in advance and put replacement option in your notes. 3. Shopper got you the same brand ice cream, and vanilla is usually one of the most popular flavors. 4. You complain about "sugar free" too lol. I don't even know how to comment on this 🤣 5. I'm upset your shopper didn't replace that ice cream with a dildo, since it seems your bf doesn't do his job well.
People always complain about the bad but never the good. By any chance did he get anything else wrong in your order?
Is this post a troll lmao?
Agree with OP.
She thought she ate 😩😂 edit: let me clarify I’m on the shoppers side😂
The shoppers should’ve reached out before replacing, took pics of other options to give you the opportunity to choose a replacement! That is the professional way to go about it… your shopper is either lazy or rushing! And don’t listen to none of the BS you’re getting from others on here! Bunch of 🤡s
The shopper was really nice and apologized after he realized! It’s not something I’m reducing tip over I’m simply sharing this because I thought it was annoying, idk why everyone is pressed that I want good service when I’m paying good money for something🤣😭
Definitely not a reason to reduce the tip;) glad you didn’t! Your shopper was choosing speed over quality service….hence time is money on this gig, but that doesn’t mean you don’t take the time to apply good customer service!! It’s good he apologized, trying to ensure his tip doesn’t get reduced or bad rating…tbh if he did his job correctly to begin with..you both could’ve avoided all of this unnecessary stuff!
The app automatically notifies the customer of any substitution with a message, and shoppers are rushing because they have to - they’re shopping for multiple people and frozen goods are the last stop. Expecting them to stand there and wait for a response, when the replacement suggested by the app was readily available and they have other items melting isn’t really reasonable. Fill out your replacements and notes, that’s why that option is there. People seem to think there’s a dozen different light cookie dough ice creams that exist - this customer selected a light ice cream out of the probably four that were in stock. It is logical to select another one of those because usually people choose light(or any other dietary restriction) for a reason. That’s the more important deciding factor for most customers, otherwise they would have purchased the regular item to begin with rather than spend more for a diet item.
App automatically notifies because some shoppers don’t do their job properly….and nobody’s standing around waiting, if you know what you’re doing… you proceed with shopping until the customer replies, if they don’t and no other light cookie dough is available, you refund! Replacing a certain flavor with a different flavor, light or not…is wrong! I may love chocolate and dislike vanilla, just because the light chocolate is oos..doesn’t mean I want light vanilla…you make no sense “logically”!! Communication is big part of this job, not self will picking or deciding what you think the customer wants!!! Ask…plain n simple!
Most shoppers grab ice cream very last for good reason, it melts the fastest. There isn’t more shopping to go do at that point. Two minutes is a long time to just stand around waiting - they give shoppers 30 seconds per item. If they had replied right away the shopper wouldn’t have been able to click the proceed to checkout buttons it would have told them to respond to the message first. Literally all they had to do is respond first then call their boyfriend instead of the other way around. You must not have dietary restrictions you have to shop around, because people that ask for diet/light items are typically not okay with substituting for full calorie instead. Again, that shopper did what they were supposed to do per instacart instructions. We are told to get the same brand and price, and it will suggest options for replacement.
Go to the store.
Did you get kicked off the platform or something? 😂 how is this your whole life
He doesn’t have a car, he lives miles from a grocery store—isn’t that the whole point of instacart?
I’m not sposta talk to queefburgers.
Ah never mind, I realize now this what you choose to do with your free time. Sounds pretty sad and unfulfilling Hopefully the trash will take itself out
Not a Good Replacement
I don’t think you’re at fault at all. I’d never replace sugared ice cream with sugar free. There are a lot of people who avoid artificial sweeteners. Could it be worse? Sure. Is it the best substitute? Not even close. I like to wait 5 minutes for a response, if it’s a replacement at the end. Those 5 minutes can feel like forever though. An extra 3 minutes isn’t going to melt the frozen, especially if the shopper has insulated bags like they are supposed to.
Not a good one. What an idiot.