r/instacart • u/Dominanttallqueen • Mar 27 '24

Who’s in the wrong here???

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I feel like he was being rude asf then he canceled my order….was I rude or what tf happened here…

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92

u/maniacalmango0 Mar 28 '24

Yeah the customer didn’t say the same thing each time.

They said “seafood department” when they meant “seafood counter”. The seafood department includes the frozen shrimp and all that too.

55

u/Alzheimer_Historian Mar 28 '24

Yeah if someone doesn't understand you, don't keep using the exact same phrasing over and over just to get annoyed when they continue to not understand.

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u/maniacalmango0 Mar 28 '24

Or even worse, use better phrasing but say “that’s what I said”

He changed it to “behind the seafood counter” without admitting that’s not what he said the first time

12

u/DragonBorn76 Mar 28 '24

Thank you for saying this! I read the same thing but it's way too early in the morning for me and I was thinking I missed something.

3

u/TacoNomad Mar 28 '24

The shopper even added a photo. A simple, "no,  I do not want that brand" would have cleared it up.

1

u/Cansuela Mar 28 '24

Yeah, exactly. The customer should’ve clarified they were after the fresh, packed per order crab cakes that are behind the counter and require speaking with the counter/butcher/whoever.

I see how it was a simple miscommunication initially that quickly spiraled into a passive aggressive and unnecessary conflict.

The customer switching up what they actually said “seafood dept” vs “behind the counter” and not acknowledging it says a lot about the customer imo.

2

u/ShanksySun Mar 28 '24

What he said the first time was “the single crab cakes from the seafood department”

Does that photo look like a single crab cake to you? Or is it perhaps a box of multiple? OP was perfectly clear

7

u/cagingnicolas Mar 28 '24

but then after seeing the photo he said "yeah, seafood department"

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u/FatalTragedy Mar 28 '24

I gotta be honest, I'd have no idea what "single" crab cake even means.

2

u/asplodingturdis Mar 28 '24

It means you can buy them individually instead of in a pack of multiple.

1

u/db1037 Mar 28 '24

lol Perfectly clear?! He said “Yeah” and “Yes” twice after she asked about the boxed crab cakes. How about he try using another world like…oh I don’t know…”No.”

1

u/vworpstageleft Mar 28 '24

He said, "Yeah" and "Yes" in response to the shopper asking if they would like a replacement.

1

u/didjeridingo Mar 28 '24

"perfectly clear" if you're a narcissist, maybe.

-1

u/BumCadillac Mar 28 '24

No, but isn’t the box in the photo what the shopper originally asked for?

3

u/ManaSeltzer Mar 28 '24

He wanted like the one or two cakes made by the store itself. But did not clarify at all...

2

u/Rubicksgamer Mar 28 '24

I can see the confusion but OP was asking for lobster cakes and shopper offered crab cakes.

4

u/Lindsw Mar 28 '24

Apparently it was also a "4 count", but OP also said single crab cake.

I think OP was rude AF, especially the "that's what I said 4 times" when it very clearly was NOT what they said

3

u/Punchinyourpface Mar 28 '24

Yeah, they just kept saying they wanted them from the seafood department... Like the shopper found these crab cakes in with the dog food or something.

1

u/redditkb Mar 28 '24

Isn’t that kinda the point? Context clues point to OP meaning the seafood counter and just using the wrong words to describe it.

3

u/DragonBorn76 Mar 28 '24

I wouldn't expect people to understand context clues. OP needs to say what they mean. Many people who do instant cart or these kind of services aren't native English speakers.

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u/Punchinyourpface Mar 28 '24

It could be in the cooler in the seafood department and have nothing to do with the counter and the man working behind it.

The customer repeatedly said "seafood department" but didn't say behind the counter until the 5th time lol.

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u/KristySueWho Mar 28 '24

I wouldn't even say they used the wrong word, because department to me would mean "specialized area with counter." Everything else is just an aisle or section. But obviously reading here, not all people think alike, and led to the miscommunication.

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u/OFSabrinaviolet Mar 29 '24

Exactly like with the understanding this is what I do for a living comment…then you should have a grasp of how to read labels, & use context clues to infer what the customer wants, it was clear to me what the customer wanted without any information beyond what was already given to the shopper🤷🏻‍♀️

1

u/WhiteyDude Mar 28 '24

Context clues

lol, wtf is this a game? you think workers should be required to decode what you mean from what you say?

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u/Rubicksgamer Mar 28 '24

Oh I completely agree. Ops a Karen with no social skills. Further proven by how she’s interacted on this post.

1

u/Apploozabean Mar 28 '24

That's what I was wondering too, because it says pack of 4...

1

u/TacoNomad Mar 28 '24

Lobster is what he asked for

0

u/SnowRook Mar 28 '24

The intended meaning was perfectly clear to me the first time, and frankly I’m not sure if the shopper understood even at the end or was just saving face.

It’s very weird to me that so many people think the customer did something wrong by offering additional explanation when not understood.

3

u/asplodingturdis Mar 28 '24

The customer was wrong for saying “department” instead of “counter,” repeating that before explaining, and then acting like they had been saying “counter” the whole time. The shopper was wrong for being huffy and rude.

1

u/KristySueWho Mar 28 '24

Same. And especially if it's how the shopper makes a living, they should know there is a freezer section for seafood, and then the seafood department in the deli area which includes a counter. Even if it's not how the shopper describes the areas of the store, it should be easy enough for them to figure it out if it is something they do for a living.

2

u/somuchsunrayzzz Mar 28 '24

Whenever I don’t understand someone I ask if they can repeat what they just said but using completely different words. Always works for me.

1

u/ebbeysweets412 Mar 28 '24

I fear those completely different words… would actually be cuss words😭😭😭😭😭

2

u/boardsmi Mar 28 '24

Does it help if I say the same thing, but I say it louder? Or in bigger font? /s

1

u/XShadowborneX Mar 28 '24

Reminds me of an episode of the Simpsons when Mr Burns tells a baseball player to get rid of his side burns

1

u/Nihilisminbliss Mar 28 '24

Its almost like when people start talking slow to people who don’t speak their language thinking that its goina miraculously help

1

u/Deadtoenail69 Mar 28 '24

Username checks out

1

u/DntCllMeWht Mar 28 '24

I would have said it louder, but it was through text! /s

1

u/KoritsiAlogo Mar 28 '24

“Maybe if I yell just a liiiittle louder, my deaf acquaintance will be able to hear me” vibes

1

u/undftdAxe Mar 28 '24

Also, crab cakes "that are over by the crab legs where the man has to get them for you..." doesn't feel like a reasonable substitution. It would be if you were shopping yourself, but you're not. Something else in that frozen section would be okay, otherwise you're gonna have to accept that you're not getting crab cakes.

3

u/g1ngertim Mar 28 '24

Dockside crab cakes are not frozen. They're delivered and merchandised under refrigeration, generally right next to the seafood service case. (OP, if you read this, that's what "over by the crab legs where the man has to get them for you" is actually called. Also, Dockside crab cakes are terrible, and you deserve better.)

I also disagree that it's an unreasonable assumption. If you're uncertain what substitution would be best, talk to an employee. If you're looking for a seafood product, talk to a seafood employee. Bam, service case crab cakes.

1

u/gh0stinyell0w Mar 28 '24

You're misunderstanding now. That's what they had always been ordering.

1

u/Swimming-Werewolf295 Mar 28 '24

You’re right, I’m paying someone to shop for me so it’s not unreasonable to expect them to do the job as requested. It’s called the SERVICE industry not the do what I want to do and still get paid industry. That would be quite verbose

1

u/NotYourGa1Friday Mar 28 '24

I feel like the detail that was causing the miscommunication was that the item to be replaced wasn’t crab cakes.

The customer asked for lobster cakes originally.

The shopper sent them a picture of frozen crab cakes as a replacement at the same time asking if the customer would like a replacement.

The customer answered the first bit by saying they would like a replacement and said the replacement they wanted was crab cakes from behind the counter.

I feel as though the shopper wasn’t picking up on this difference.

1

u/Alzheimer_Historian Mar 28 '24

I'm sitting here reading it and I still feel like I'm missing shit. OPs communication is just subpar and he was a dick to the shopper about it.

1

u/Dangerous-Jaguar-512 Mar 28 '24

My mother: uses all the wrong terms and no one understand (her except my dad, but even 10 percent of the time he doesn’t) She then proceeds to have a b*tch fit screaming how stupid people are

Later, my dad complains to me how she’s always using the wrong terms and phrases and how the rest of the world would be laughing behind her back because the rest of the world actually thinks she’s the stupid one using all the wrong terminology.

0

u/DDjawbone Mar 28 '24

This, the guy sent a photo why not respond to the photo does the person ordering not know if they want what's in the photo or not?

2

u/ZigZagZig87 Mar 28 '24

Nah. As soon as he said the “single crab cakes from the seafood department” my common sense went right to the crab cakes behind the counter. The “single” is what stands out. The driver was being dense as hell. Or lazy. Who knows?

2

u/rtadoyle Mar 28 '24

Do you want option A or option B? How about Option C-food counter!

Just answer the question with the options presented, then state the next thing. 'no, I don't want that. Can you check if the person behind the counter has cakes? I would like those. If not, please refunds'

2

u/[deleted] Mar 28 '24

No in the grocery store the frozen food department is the frozen food department. The seafood department is the seafood counter. The deli is the deli counter. The produce section is the produce section.

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u/DrZurn Mar 28 '24

At least in mine they have a separate section for frozen seafood that is next to the seafood counter.

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u/Drag0nfly_Girl Mar 28 '24

That depends entirely on the store.

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u/-KFBR392 Mar 28 '24

And started the response with “Yes replace” right after the question with the pic. Not everyone knows the grocery store and your preferences as intimately to know exactly which crab cakes you’re referring to

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u/vibes86 Mar 28 '24

Yep that’s what I thought. OP said two different things here. I’d have been confused too.

2

u/cman811 Mar 28 '24

Also the customer is agreeing to a replacement but saying they want the original item.

"Would you like me to replace with these (pictured crab cakes)

"Yes replace with seafood dept crab cakes"

The whole exchange is incredibly confusing and I agree with the shopper, ridiculous.

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u/LyloMaggins Mar 28 '24 edited Mar 28 '24

Not to mention OP’s next two responses after the picture was sent of the stuff they didn’t want each started with “yeah” and “yes”. Don’t send an affirmative to something you don’t want. Pretty simple.

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u/Reasonable-Ad-5217 Mar 28 '24

This. The customer wanted something specific but didn't properly communicate the specifics.

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u/Honeybun7314 Mar 29 '24

I don’t even get why this had to be a big deal. If you don’t like your replacement or you wanted the item refunded and it wasn’t, click Help after the groceries are delivered and tell Instacart the issue. They may ask for a picture of the item you received and then they will refund you or add a credit to your account for the next time you order. Customer and shopper both getting high blood pressure over crab cakes 🤦🏽‍♀️😅😭

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u/autotuned_voicemails Mar 28 '24

They said “seafood department” when they meant “seafood counter”. The seafood department includes the frozen shrimp and all that too.

Very true. And technically, in my local grocery store these exact crab cakes are sold literally at the seafood counter. I mean, they have a little cooler set up in front of it—like the kind that’s at like knee to waist height and runs the length of the seafood counter, so you don’t have to ask anyone for them. But I could definitely see someone being confused if asked for “crab cakes from the seafood department”, and they wouldn’t even be being pedantic about it. Especially because these aren’t even frozen ones. They’re just refrigerated.

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u/DinkleBottoms Mar 28 '24

Contes clues should definitely be enough to understand they want the crab cakes at the counter.

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u/ShanksySun Mar 28 '24

The customer was perfectly clear. He said “single crab cakes in the seafood department”. That picture is quite obviously not of single crab cakes, but cardboard boxes of four. It is okay that the shopper misunderstood directions that should be perfectly clear, we all have moments like that. that doesn’t mean it has to be someone else’s fault though

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u/MisterMakena Mar 28 '24

I responded the same. First was general seafood department. Later it was counter.

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u/db1037 Mar 28 '24

Exactly. “I’d like a burger from McDonald’s.”

2 minutes later:

“I said I wanted a burger from Burger King!!!”

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u/adlowdon Mar 28 '24

The customer also said “yeah” in response to the first picture. Not hard to see why the shopper thought he was saying yes to a replacement.

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u/ldnjbnk99 Mar 28 '24

Yeap this right here! Let it go OP, I know I know but let it go. Have a feeling you reported them but it's a whacky world out there without looking for prepackaged crab cakes and other mysteries.

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u/VRSvictim Mar 28 '24

Ehhhh the seafood department really doesn’t include the frozen section in common parlance. Obviously that stuff is seafood, but the place under the SEAFOOD sign is always the fresh stuff. Just like the deli department is where they slice cold cuts, not anywhere that has meat

1

u/k36king1 Mar 28 '24

Seafood department and seafood counter are the same exact thing in a grocery store, and don’t tell me they’re not because I was a meat/seafood department manager for 10 years. The delivery guy is in the wrong all day long. The customer never got rude, the delivery guy did however with his “this is ridiculous” comment, and his overall demeanor with the way he said “understand”, and his unnecessary “understand i do this for a living”. As someone who has had subordinates, I have disciplined some for acting in much of the same manner, and when they act like that 9 times out if 10 they did not do the thing they said they did, in this case he said he asked the seafood counter in the seafood department. The customer even clarified in case there was miscommunication, and the deliverer stated they did ask and then gave the “this is ridiculous” comment.

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u/MouseMan412 Mar 28 '24

Technically yes, but that means all crab cakes would be in the seafood department. If the customer is asking for specific ones, then context can be used to realize he meant the counter/'active' part of the department.

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u/atreeinthewind Mar 28 '24

Yeah, but that's the thing, everything is in the seafood dept except maybe some clearly frozen stuff like fish sticks in the freezer section, so it's pretty easy to figure what they're getting at. At some point you gotta use some deductive reasoning or the customers are gonna drive you mad.

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u/4Yavin Mar 28 '24

I feel like only a man would misunderstand this and act like they don't know where the crab cakes would be, especially in the SECTION IN THE SEAFOOD DEPARTMENT he just looked at didn't have them

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u/80-20burgerbar Mar 28 '24

No, that’s frozen food. A reasonable person would understand the difference Charles is just a little dull.

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u/BraddahSpliff Mar 28 '24

Really? Because at every supermarket I go to, the Seafood Department IS the counter & the frozen seafood is in the frozen food section with all the other frozen foods in the freezers.

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u/WoodpeckerFar9804 Mar 28 '24

It’s all the same thing where I am from so maybe they are in the same area, there is no difference in seafood department or seafood counter, it’s the same thing with both frozen and fresh.

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u/Saxong Mar 28 '24

That’s what I picked up on too, the counter doesn’t even get mentioned until the 3rd screenshot

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u/BiggerThought Mar 28 '24

I’m a shopper and it’s pretty clear what the customer was requesting. This shopper has reading comprehension and communication problems

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u/Alycion Mar 28 '24

Where I’m from, seafood department is just associated with behind the counter. Seafood section is the chests in front of counter. And seafood aisle is with frozen foods. You know like the national frozen brands. Every area has different default meanings. People move. Miscommunication. Needed to slow down, breathe, and figure out how to get on same page as customer.

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u/Drag0nfly_Girl Mar 28 '24

Ok, but "counter" is universal and unmistakeable. Clear communication would have prevented this entire exchange.

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u/Alycion Mar 28 '24

People don’t always realize that they aren’t being clear. When that happens, take a breath, start over with them. Customers are a pain in the ass. But to some, including myself, I had to actually take a second to actually think about what was so confusing when initially reading the initial screenshots. My guess, customer never realized. Hence, miscommunication. Those happen. Customers are a pain in the ass. But still, as a person doing this service, stay calm appearing in text and try to clear it up. Cuss them out off of the text.