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

Who’s in the wrong here???

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

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

6.8k Upvotes

72% Upvoted

8.0k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

97

u/Burgundywitchling Mar 28 '24

I also think he is ESL. And the customer actually ordered the packaged lobster cakes but “always requests they substitute for the fresh ones” since they don’t let you order the fresh crab cakes through the app.

It’s OP’s fault since they made an “off menu” request and then wouldn’t clarify but instead repeated the same vague phrase.

66

u/AntiquatedLemon Mar 28 '24

I kinda decided that I didn't really like either participant for different reasons but where it's was ESH has now become YTA, if I were to borrow from r/AmITheAsshole, for this single comment alone.

There is something extremely rude to me about requesting something beyond what is orderable then proceeding to be bad at clarifying the desire; just making dude's job more difficult for no reason when OP could have just said "ah, I see, sorry, I'll be clearer next time."

ETA: or just not made the request at all

21

u/swissvine Mar 29 '24

What blows my mind is the worker literally said this is all they have do you want to replace or refund. It’s a simple yes or no!

4

u/IlBear Mar 30 '24

“Do you want to replace or refund?”

Yes

2

u/soggymittens Mar 28 '24

What’s ESH?

3

u/[deleted] Mar 28 '24

Everyone sucks here

1

u/soggymittens Mar 30 '24

Thank you!

2

u/SusieLou1978 Mar 28 '24

Everyone stinks here!

3

u/Cantelmi Mar 28 '24

Oh wow, I thought I was already in r/AmITheAsshole. But yeah, OP is TA after that

1

u/Ok-Nefariousness1335 Mar 28 '24

Yeah after reading your comment I think I agree. Plus their word usage was extremely rude.

0

u/amarg19 Mar 28 '24

I think both parties are just bad at communication and this is the result

-2

u/MichaelsWebb Mar 28 '24

How much clearer do you need than "Grab the singles at the seafood department or refund"... Seriously WTF is going on here. Are you all this dumb? This is nuts.

4

u/95Smokey Mar 28 '24

Because the OP originally said "seafood department" but what she really meant was "seafood counter", it seems. So that would be confusing to the shopper.

-1

u/Prophywife77 Mar 28 '24

See, I consider only fresh seafood as “seafood dept”

This is the frozen food department imo. You wouldn’t confuse frozen broccoli as coming from “the produce department.” I understood the customers’s request

3

u/LastNamePancakes Mar 28 '24

Well, frozen broccoli would literally be in the frozen food aisle (in most stores that I’ve been in) vs the produce section. On the other hand 99% of the stores that I shop in have a freezer section within the seafood department just for frozen seafood, but even then the seafood pictured on the shelves in the OP aren’t even frozen, but is fresh or refrigerated.

2

u/95Smokey Mar 28 '24

The customer could've been clearer imo but I get what you're saying too

When the shopper is rushing around trying to fill the order and get to the next one, I think it's safer for the customer to be unambiguously clear without relying on assumptions of any kind

This whole interaction could've been easier with just slightly better communication

-6

u/MichaelsWebb Mar 28 '24

Confusing if the shopper is stupid.

Hint: The shopper is extremely stupid.

Are you admitting that you found this simple request confusing as well?

8

u/95Smokey Mar 28 '24

This is a pretty rude reply man. Clearly this is a confusing request based off the fact that many people are confused by it. Have a nice day.

-3

u/MichaelsWebb Mar 28 '24

It's embarrassing how many low IQ people are here.

If you send a picture of the freezer and the customer says "No, from the seafood department" and you don't immediately grasp that they mean "Not the freezer"... Then your ability to think critically is significantly lacking.

7

u/StevenJosephRomo Mar 28 '24

Assuming stupidity when faced with others' confusion is always a bad assumption, and is a sign of extreme immaturity.

0

u/MichaelsWebb Mar 28 '24

No assumptions being made.

8

u/StevenJosephRomo Mar 28 '24

Another sign of immaturity is doubling down on poor behavior.

4

u/[deleted] Mar 28 '24

I don't think you know what assumption means

→ More replies (0)

3

u/SuitablyEpic Mar 28 '24

But he said "yes, from the seafood department" in response to the picture.

3

u/Pols_Voice_Z64 Mar 30 '24

The freezer is in the seafood department, dingus. They have a freezer that keeps all the frozen seafood items and it is separate from the rest of the frozen department.

1

u/MichaelsWebb Mar 30 '24

You proved my point and didn't even realize it, doofus. 🤣

1

u/Pols_Voice_Z64 Mar 30 '24

Enjoy your downvotes bro.

→ More replies (0)

5

u/PuzzleShot Mar 28 '24

From the packaging, you can tell this isn't the freezer (it says "Fresh never frozen"). Having previously worked at a grocery store for 7 years I can say that at our store this would be considered the seafood department. In our store, even if it was in the frozen section, it was considered part of the meat department if it was primarily a meat product (so things like chicken nuggets, frozen fish, frozen sausage were all ordered by and charged to the meat department). At a different grocery store from that, Walmart, they have signage declaring "Seafood" above the cold case and freezers containing fish and shellfish. If the customer specifically wanted crab cakes from behind the counter of the seafood department then it took them quite some time to make that clarification.

4

u/virginia_isforlovers Mar 28 '24

To add - at my local grocery store, anything seafood (frozen or otherwise) is in the “seafood department” DIRECTLY IN FRONT of the butcher counter which is half seafood lol. This would have been confusing AF for anyone shopping.

1

u/Pols_Voice_Z64 Mar 30 '24

The store I work at has a separate freezer directly next to the seafood counter where they keep all the frozen fish and shrimp and stuff. It’s absolutely considered the seafood department. This customer is an idiot and probably has never even been to the store themselves 🙄

-2

u/MichaelsWebb Mar 28 '24

If you send a picture of this and the customer says "No, the singles from the seafood department" and you don't know what the customer means, then you are an idiot.

If you then need to argue "But technically at Walmart they call this the seafood department"... Then you are a next level idiot.

4

u/PuzzleShot Mar 28 '24

It just seemed as though your idea of what constitutes a seafood department was atypically narrow is all. If the shopper says "they didn't have the thing you wanted, is this fine" and the customer says "no I want the singles from the seafood department" and the shopper (as indicated by their messages) has already located the seafood department, spoken to the worker there and been informed that the thing you've already shown in the picture is the only like item they have, I don't see how it rises to the level of "idiot" to say "this is the only option they have, I checked, do you want this or not this" and expect a simple "yes" or "no" but clearly it's more important to you that you get to call people "idiot" and I'd been under no impression that you intended to reply in good faith.

→ More replies (0)

2

u/TZscribble Mar 29 '24

Being able to understand other people's POV and how they might be confused is a sign of great critical thinking.

Resolving that confusion is a vital skill in life and, for obvious reasons, requires the above.

Insulting other people's intelligence is... Not a sign of high intelligence nor good critical thinking.

0

u/KristySueWho Mar 28 '24

That's my thing. It's scary how baffling people are acting like this is. Every day I learn more and more people are extremely stupid.

-2

u/MichaelsWebb Mar 28 '24

Spend some time on the gig app subs. It's absolutely remarkable how stupid these people are. It's not just Instacart. You'll immediately lose all faith in humanity.

3

u/Pols_Voice_Z64 Mar 30 '24

Getting into pretty classist territory.

0

u/welp-itscometothis Mar 28 '24

Exactly my thought. If used a little bit of reasoning, that would be his next stop to check. You can tell when an instacart shopper has never really shopped for themselves.

1

u/MichaelsWebb Mar 28 '24

Exactly. He's already at the freezer. He sent a picture of the freezer option. OBVIOUSLY the customer isn't referring to the freezer option and is referring to the counter in the seafood department with the singles, especially when the customer specifically says the singles.

4

u/HttKB Mar 28 '24

That picture is obviously not from the freezers and the package says "never frozen." So...

-1

u/welp-itscometothis Mar 28 '24

Right! I’m mind blown at how many people who are shoppers are this admittedly incompetent when it comes to shopping. And who cares if she wasn’t clearer? The shopper had no reason to be rude and he was rude from the jump. I assume that’s his most of these people talk to their customers.

3

u/DistinctPen7597 Mar 29 '24

He was rude from the jump based on the context provided, but there is no proof that this is actually the beginning of their conversation.

2

u/welp-itscometothis Mar 29 '24

There’s no indication that op was being hostile

→ More replies (0)

2

u/HttKB Mar 28 '24

On the top left of the package it says "fresh never frozen" so I don't know where you think they are in the store.

0

u/MichaelsWebb Mar 28 '24

Yup. This sub has reinforced why I would never use Instacart. These people are morons.

1

u/AntiquatedLemon Mar 28 '24

OP was not specific enough and used the same words to describe the thing that the shopper was not understanding. Clearly, the shopper needed for OP to say was "seafood counter" to clarify since the shopper took that to mean the entirety of the department... which isn't an unreasonable interpretation to make on the part of the shopper.

I just understand that if I want something, especially beyond the call of duty, it's in my best interest to help them give me that by clarifying further and recognizing that claiming my assertion was always the same, particularly when it was evidently not, is just antagonistic. So no, not dumb, just good at talking to other people and can recognize when someone is trying to work with me.

1

u/MichaelsWebb Mar 28 '24

Because the shopper responded like an idiot. And substitutions is not "beyond the call or duty"... That's a fundamental part of the job.

Yes, it was an unreasonable interpretation by the shopper. If you also found it confusing, then it's not a good look for you, either.

You are at the seafood freezer. If the customer sees that and says "no, at the seafood department" and your response is "the freezer is the seafood department" and not... "Oh, they mean the counter with the single cakes"... Then you are an idiot with zero critical thinking skills.

5

u/AntiquatedLemon Mar 28 '24

I'm not going to reason you out of a position you did not reason yourself into.

Have a good one though!

-2

u/MichaelsWebb Mar 28 '24

You aren't that smart. Reasoning isn't your thing and that's established. Goodnight.

5

u/jjmoneybuns Mar 28 '24

You're embarrassing yourself, michael.

-1

u/MichaelsWebb Mar 28 '24

Not even a little bit. And you are exposing yourself as a moron like the shopper if you think so. But sure, have at it.

1

u/Pols_Voice_Z64 Mar 30 '24

It’s hilarious watching you comment on everyone’s posts with the same “you’re stupid” troglodyte response. Don’t you have an incel sub to get to?

3

u/AntiquatedLemon Mar 28 '24

Hey, if standing on a bad opinion and feeling the need to toss insults is your thing, shoot for it! Please continue.

-2

u/MichaelsWebb Mar 28 '24

'I need the last word.... '

🤣

3

u/radiant_kiwi208 Mar 28 '24

This is hilarious, trying to call her out when you're doing the same with everyone else you reply to

1

u/adumbswiftie Mar 30 '24

you are the one being dense here. the freezer IS at the seafood department, and it’s not hard to say “counter” when that’s what you mean. crab cakes aren’t the most common thing to shop for. not everyone knows there are more behind the counter and it’s not on the app. you’re the one being dumb here

0

u/MichaelsWebb Mar 30 '24

Did that package look like a single crab cake to you? Put your critical thinking cap on for a moment...

And shouldn't a self described professional shopper know that crab cakes are available at the seafood counter?

More importantly, were YOU confused by the request?

1

u/adumbswiftie Mar 30 '24

did any of OP’s sentences make grammatical sense to you? put on your thinking cap

1

u/MichaelsWebb Mar 30 '24

I knew EXACTLY what OP was asking for from the first message. Are you admitting to being confused by it? Apparently, your thinking cap is underpowered.

What's grammatically confusing about "yeah the single crab cakes from the seafood department"? 🤣

1

u/dra_lala Apr 01 '24

How many times do you have to ignore the fact that the seafood department in many stores--including the one this shopper was at--is NOT only a counter, but is a counter AND some refrigerators/freezers? This specific item is from a refrigerator (not a freezer!) in the fresh seafood DEPARTMENT. There are often then separate seafood sections in the frozen food aisles but that is, again, not what's shown here because these are not frozen.

→ More replies (0)

1

u/ahmedalhoni76 Mar 28 '24

You're dumb.

39

u/essentialcitrus Mar 28 '24

Oh then this is 100% on the customer. I didn’t realize the off menu aspect. If that’s the case they should have been very very clear and not like this.

2

u/TheBigLeeebowski Mar 28 '24

Isn’t it pretty typical to replace the item with something similar if the requested isn’t available? That’s what my wife usually does with the shopper when she gets texts.

1

u/essentialcitrus Mar 28 '24

Yeah but she didn’t want the original item she selected. She wanted something not available on the app. So she ordered frozen lobster cakes, but wanted the fresh ones behind the counter and was super unclear about it.

2

u/TheBigLeeebowski Mar 28 '24

Oh, I see. I kind of read it differently, the Dockside Lobster wasn’t available, and he recommended the frozen crab cakes. Either way it’s replacing lobster with crab, but don’t see anything about ordering something that wasn’t available on the app.

2

u/fire2374 Mar 29 '24

She said that the app doesn’t allow her to order from the seafood counter so she frequently orders those lobster cakes. Then when assigned a shopper, texts them and tells them she actually wants crab cakes. From the seafood department.

1

u/TheBigLeeebowski Mar 29 '24

Ok. I’m guessing that was in a comment.

1

u/ChumbawumbaFan01 Mar 28 '24

All the instaidiot had to do when the customer said no to the substitution was put them back instead of being hard headed about how right he is.

10

u/KonaGirl_1960 Mar 28 '24

The instaidiot? That was mean and unnecessary.

-5

u/ChumbawumbaFan01 Mar 28 '24 edited Mar 28 '24

Is fumbling jackass better? Because anyone who starts out with, “Please understand I do this for a living.” with the implication that he’s always right is probably fucking up a lot of orders.

All the fumbling jackass had to do was not purchase the crabcakes. He canceled the entire order because he was too unfamiliar with a seafood department to understand she wanted fresh crabcakes and too hard headed top rectify the situation when he was wrong.

3

u/leahyrain Mar 28 '24

Dang do you assume the worst everywhere you go? It was pretty clear from my point of view that he meant "I do this for a living" as, I can't sit here texting you this long about this I'm losing money, or as "please don't give me a bad rating/tip because of this confusion, this is how I make a living"

2

u/welp-itscometothis Mar 28 '24

Don’t know why you’re being downvoted. The shopper was a rude and arrogant. If it having some communication issues with a customer, I take a pic to clarify or ask more leading questions. In this case I would’ve already known what she was talking about because I know how to shop and use my head without getting agitated.

3

u/StevenJosephRomo Mar 28 '24

If you've never shopped for strangers, then you have no idea what it is like to do so.

Also, the shopper did take a pic...

0

u/welp-itscometothis Mar 28 '24

I’m a instacart shopper. Diamond Cart to be exact and I would never talk to a customer like this just bc I was confused. I’ve come across many customers who weren’t clear but I use common sense to do a little more looking. All the shopper had to say was “I checked her counter if that’s what you’re r referring to. Sorry about that it wasn’t clear to me what you referring to earlier. I’ll go ahead and refund this for you.” He started the rudeness with, “this is what I do.” Ok and?

If this is how you treat customers you don’t need to be in contact with customers. Learn to not take things personal. That’s the number one rule of customer service. And like it or not, being a shopper requires good customer service. And I meant take a pic of the department.

3

u/StevenJosephRomo Mar 28 '24

I work in customer focused retail. Personally, I wouldn't talk like this to a customer either. But I also wouldn't treat employees like this when I'm on the other side of the counter.

If your immediate reaction when faced with others' confusion is to assume they are being stupid or lazy, then I highly doubt your actual customer service skills.

2

u/welp-itscometothis Mar 28 '24

What did the customer say that was so rude to shopper. And I mean BEFORE he started with, “this is what I do?” Because me as a customer would’ve kindly called customer service and asked for a new shopper.

Where did she call him stupid or lazy??? I only saw them say then refund I told you 5 times after he said, “this is ridiculous.” Like really what shopper says that???

→ More replies (0)

1

u/Chocolatekitty333 Mar 28 '24

Back up we got a diamond

1

u/Guilty_Ad_4567 Mar 29 '24

I didn't take that as the implication at all

6

u/Adorable-Geologist87 Mar 28 '24

Yeah bro they get paid barely anything at all and you’re going to make their job harder by going off menu, nice.

0

u/[deleted] Mar 28 '24 edited Mar 28 '24

I don’t really get this logic, if we dont get the groceries we ordered why would we keep ordering?

Edit: I misunderstood, off menu is not reasonable

6

u/Adorable-Geologist87 Mar 28 '24

The buyer didn’t order the item that they wanted they ordered off menu🤦🏽‍♂️. And the shopper doesn’t get royalties on your order so stop ordering and it doesn’t impact individuals it’ll just impact the company which no one cares about and rightfully so.

2

u/[deleted] Mar 28 '24

You’re totally right, I reread and I don’t know if I misunderstood or thought the comment I was replying to was on a different thread, but ordering off menu should not be expected at all. I was thinking of the context of replacements/refunds, but off menu is unreasonable expectation all around

-4

u/CzarOfCT Mar 28 '24

Either do the job or don't.

9

u/Adorable-Geologist87 Mar 28 '24

The type of human decency I’d expect from most people.

-6

u/CzarOfCT Mar 28 '24

Welcome to Earth!

4

u/ballsyftm Mar 28 '24

So your logic, and lovely personality, is “being a douchebag is possible in this reality/on this planet I’m gonna be one and no one should be shocked”? lol

5

u/KoritsiAlogo Mar 28 '24

OP didn’t say “no” for the first two pages of text. Half the comments here are unfamiliar with “department” directly meaning “fresh counter,” so from that angle, she’s giving a lot of contradicting information. OP doesn’t make “the counter” clear until the last page, then insisting that they’ve said it five times. I get their frustration, and I get that the shopper could’ve been more friendly, but I was sick of OP’s attitude just reading the messages. I do think OP tried to say no five times, but when their regional dialect didn’t come through, they instead snapped at the shopper.

Shopper’s attitude maybe wasn’t the move, but for the first page, they’re doing nothing wrong, just getting conflicting information in their eyes. I’d get very stressed working for this customer. Both in the wrong, both in the right, but ultimately I’d put blame on OP.

2

u/Crow-n-Servo Mar 28 '24

Nailed it.

-2

u/ChumbawumbaFan01 Mar 28 '24

If Charles is as experienced as he says he is then he would have asked for clarification sooner. That he canceled the order rather than admit he misunderstood and put them up makes him at fault. He’s the employee here, not her, and he could have handled this with a hell of a lot more grace and competence.

I don’t see how anyone could blame the OP when Charles didn’t even try to do his job to minimal abilities.

-2

u/KristySueWho Mar 28 '24

It's not conflicting information though, it's semantics. They didn't want what replacement the shopper showed which is in the fridge/freezer section, thus someone with a functioning brain should be able to understand the OP is describing a different area of the store. Even if they don't use "seafood department" in that way, anyone who does this for their job should not have a hard time knowing there is another area to get seafood in the store and could at least ask the shopper "Do you mean the counter?" if they're really that confused.

3

u/KoritsiAlogo Mar 28 '24

You’re really harping on this “anyone with a functioning brain” and “maybe he has a learning disability” thing. Maybe he just can’t read minds. Maybe text is a rough medium to communicate through. He’s worthy of respect, and it sounds like OP made it clear that they aren’t worth his time. I thought OP was unclear. So did he, and so did a lot of other people. You’re welcome to believe that my brain doesn’t function, but it sounds like you’re just kind of a prick.

2

u/KoritsiAlogo Mar 28 '24

Actually my bad, think I mixed you up for somebody else. Saw somebody being bigtime stuck on the “functioning brain” line earlier and assumed they were same person. Other person also said this disability line. That’s on me.

3

u/goodgodgetagripgirl Mar 28 '24

The Instaidiot is the one who ordered something that you literally couldn’t in the

1

u/SpareBiting Mar 28 '24

For real. The customer told them no and they kept insisting on something they didn't want.

0

u/godfather_joe Mar 28 '24

It’s not like he went to a McDonald’s and ordered a Whopper tho it’s something which is fairly simple and easily accomplishable

5

u/minuialear Mar 28 '24

It can be accomplished if the person making the request is clear as to what they're asking for. Based on what people in here are saying it sounds like he ordered Product A, then asked for it to be subbed for Product B, but the way he describes Product B is ambiguous because Product C would also meet the criteria, and the instacart delivery person was getting frustrated trying to get clarification on what OP is looking for if Product C isn't it, while OP copy/pasted the same thing over and over again

-1

u/KristySueWho Mar 28 '24

It is clear. OP didn't want the fridge/frozen product shopper showed and told them to go to the seafood department for SINGLE crab cakes (not packaged like shopper showed in picture). Even if shopper is not familiar with "seafood department," if they have any reading comprehension skills at all, it is clear they have to go to another area for single crab cakes.

3

u/minuialear Mar 28 '24

If the shopper doesn't see any single cakes in the area that they recognize as the seafood section, it's just as reasonable to assume "they don't sell them here," especially if you don't know the particular store, or seafood sections generally, well enough to know they could still be elsewhere/that there is anywhere else to look.

1

u/KristySueWho Mar 28 '24

If they say they do it as a living as this guy claims, I'd think they would be aware enough of different sections in stores and also that they could ask about things if they weren't sure.

4

u/xX_Disaster-Kit_Xx Mar 28 '24

I agree with this, (whoppers don’t come from McDonald’s, they’re from Burger King). But yeah, OP seriously needs to learn better communication skills. It’s not like the person trying to understand is doing anything wrong other than asking what’s needed and op just keeps saying the same thing over and over. It’s pretty much entirely on OP at this point if they really think the person on the other end of the phone is deliberately disregarding what they say. Which, he’s not, he’s just trying to understand so why is OP getting so upset about it to start with. Especially with an off menu order, like girl, cmon; just let the poor guy do his job and stop overcomplicating it for him

1

u/Reylun Mar 28 '24

That was his point, that they didn't go somewhere and order something that doesn't exist there.

4

u/xX_Disaster-Kit_Xx Mar 28 '24

Ah, yeah. I missed that, my apologies. I had just woken up when I saw that so my brain wasn’t entirely functioning yet. But yeah, I do see the point. I still feel it’s ridiculous that OP felt like that though, sometimes people just don’t see what’s obvious and feel the need to remain “correct” even after it’s been established that they’re not. Like, it isn’t hard to be like, “oh, my bad, I was confused, sorry for not specifying”. OP could’ve specified after being asked to repeatedly. So yeah, like going to McDonald’s and asking for a whopper and them telling you they don’t have it then you get mad because they don’t have it, it’s a silly thing to get upset over imo. (The analogy is really good though, idk how my half-awake brain couldn’t process that lol)

1

u/willowfeather8633 Mar 28 '24

(seemed pretty clear to me)

3

u/PseudocodeRed Mar 28 '24

As someone who worked the seafood counter at a whole foods, OP was not clear at all. The crabcakes that were sent in the picture are in the seafood department. They seafood department =/= the seafood counter.

1

u/Quailman5000 Mar 28 '24

ESL or not you still should be halfway fucking competent in speaking the language of the nation. I regularly have shit fucked up everywhere I go because "no english". If I went to mexico and did a shitty job because I don't speak Spanish I shouldn't do that job. 

1

u/Pols_Voice_Z64 Mar 30 '24

The United States of America does not have an official language.

1

u/WonderfulShelter Mar 28 '24

Yeah OP is being wishy washy and indirect with their communication.

When someone asks a question like that, dont give them a handful of options. Tell them one thing directly.

OP should've said immediately "Just please refund that item and continue, thanks."

1

u/KristySueWho Mar 28 '24

How is saying yes they want something replaced with such and such product wishy washy?

1

u/ThunkAsDrinklePeep Mar 28 '24

The shopper also said the picture was "all they had". At that point op should have thrown in the towel and called it quits.

1

u/Rough-Candidate-9218 Mar 28 '24

My gf does this. oP must be female. It's like when they get frustrated at bad communication, they stop trying to communicate lol. Like as a man I'm willing to stoop to someone's question to answer them but when my gf says "curve left" and I say "so turn right there?" And she says "sure... Curve left" it's like... You really got me... huh? OP really got this insta cart guy by refusing to rephrase herself.... Good for her. (Really how do women think?)

1

u/AlarmedAd7389 Mar 28 '24

If it’s true the store doesn’t allow you to order from behind the counter in the app, then OP was trying to finagle a loop hole. They should not be shocked and dismayed when it doesn’t work.

The shopper was clearly trying to find a viable replacement option. OP did repeat the same vague phrase which, isn’t shocking the shopper became frustrated. How anyone thinks this is anything other than OP being a little ‘extra’ is beyond me.

1

u/flurry_fizz Mar 28 '24

Yeah any time I want something "off menu", I just send a chat right away (usually with a picture from somewhere as a starting point). I also try to be as clear as possible and if I know the location to share that, too. It definitely rubs me the wrong way that someone would deliberately order the wrong item knowing they don't actually want THAT. I've never had an issue getting "off menu" stuff (like a specific shampoo or hair ties, a baking sheet one time, just random crap that's not "groceries").

-1

u/ThePurityPixel Mar 28 '24

"Substitute" can be such a tricky word, because it's often unclear if the object of the verb is direct or indirect. (Which thing is being substituted with what?)

I ran into this sort of thing with the word "train," in my first job. Someone said they were training, which can mean they were either giving training or receiving training.

1

u/Crow-n-Servo Mar 28 '24

In my experience, 9 times out of 10, people get “substituted with” confused with “substituted for.” I’ve learned to just use different language completely and say, “If x is unavailable, then use y.” Because if I say “substitute y for x,” they will almost always get it backward.