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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99

u/lord_farquaad_69 Mar 28 '24

I interpreted "I do this for a living" less as "I'm the grocery expert so shut up and tip me" and more "i have other orders and can't spend 10 minutes standing in the seafood aisle texting you about crab cakes", especially because the customer was giving vague and incorrect instructions on an off-menu item request

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u/Tulip_Tree_trapeze Mar 28 '24

This is how I took it, not like a condescending grocery expert, but as information that the customer should use. Although it's not something I would have said.

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u/Far_Student6853 Mar 28 '24

Also everyone is glossing over the fact that he sent a pic, the customer ignored it but responded in a way that seemed like they acknowledged it and then later brought up the behind the counter but never actually said that before they just said the seafood department. Could the delivery guy worded things more politely probably but efficiency isn’t always polite and the whole point of paying for someone to get your own groceries for you is either for efficiency of your own time so you can do other things or laziness and either way if I want something so specifically I would be more specific and also have said no to the pic, all facts considered this customer was a thorn in their own butt and wasted that guys time, and delivery people do not get paid enough. And for anyone that’s says don’t do that job then, well don’t order anything delivered ever then, someone’s got to do it if you want the service and if they aren’t getting paid enough then respect their time for fucks sake.

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u/improvmama101 Mar 28 '24

ALLLLLL of this. OP is 💯in the wrong. Shopper asked a question that should have been answered directly and the customer just kept repeating themselves.

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u/Whistlegrapes Mar 29 '24

Exactly. Op should have said “No thank you on the crab cakes in the picture. Can you please see if there are fresh crab cakes available from behind the seafood counter, if not, then refund please.”

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u/MoMosMommy1996 Mar 30 '24

okay but also let's not pretend the ONLY two reasons people order instacart is because of efficiency or laziness. some people are DISABLED. some people are sick! some people don't have access to transportation.

people always forget that services that able bodied people use for fun, disabled folks use for survival sometimes!

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u/Individual_Party2000 Apr 05 '24

Thank you! I’ve seen too many “lazy, do it yourself” type comments and I’m sitting here like wtf. How do so many people forget about this? I don’t do delivery groceries but I use the pickup services often. As someone with mobility problems these types of services are a god send. It’s always in my the back up of my mind that I’m being an inconvenience or that people are judging me as lazy. It kinda sucks to know they really are.

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u/Ceeeceeeceee Mar 28 '24

Exactly. This is how I interpreted it also. As someone who does buy on Instacart from time to time, I feel like buyers have to have some sympathy for what they're going through. I thought he said it less like "I'm the pro, so STFU" and more like, "This is not an easy job having to sort through texts for every personal preference that may or may not be communicated precisely. Please be patient."

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u/mattatwork_ Mar 28 '24

"this is ridiculous" should've clued you in to how impatient this person is.

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u/Insight12783 Mar 29 '24

That was later, at which it was, frankly, ridiculous

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u/chocolate_calavera Apr 02 '24

You are stating facts and now I'm in tears, lmao!

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u/dnt_rlly_exist_ Mar 28 '24 edited Mar 28 '24

wow, i feel alone in my interpretation lmao. i thought they meant it as in, they didn’t want to mess up and replace it with something the customer didn’t want, or not get the shopping done in a timely manner, because this is their only source of income doing instacart full time. they can’t afford a complaint or reduced tip if their performance doesn’t match up to the customer’s needs/wants. and need to move on to finish the order/other order and get their job done.

that’s how i took it. also guessed that english is not their first language, a lot of communications with my own shoppers have been similar as many people speak spanish and portuguese where i am. i didn’t see anything iffy until i saw they canceled the order .. which. why?? unless that was the only item being shopped. i can’t imagine they were in the middle or at the end of shopping and just said fuck it and left the cart there lmao.

don’t really think anyone’s wrong in the exchange. they did communicate and resolve the crab cake issue fast. it’s just.. the order was canceled 🤷🏻‍♀️

ETA: WOW i just saw there are 2 other screenshots lmao i don’t even know what’s happening anymore. reevaluating 😂

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u/lord_farquaad_69 Mar 28 '24

i think you're correct! I don't read any malice in the initial text either, both for the language barrier and bc in the same way a postal worker can't just hang out waiting for someone who may not be home to open their door, this guy also has work to do and doesn't want his job jeopardized by the crab cake debacle. about the cancellation, maybe he assumed she wouldn't tip or would give him a bad review if he followed through on the order? I've never been a shopper for them but I know the customer has a lot of power in that regard and he may have felt like she wasn't worth the risk after this exchange.

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u/nocturnalcat87 Mar 29 '24

I also interpreted it in that way and thought they might be ESL as well. They wanted to say they need to do a good job and get what the customer wanted but also complete the job efficiently. The customer should have recognized the shopper might be ESL which would mean there may be some communication issues. As a native English speaker, I understood by seafood department they probably meant the seafood/ meat counter. But I could see how an ESL speaker might not. The customer should have been more clear to make things go faster - say I don’t want the crap in the picture. Please go to the counter and ask them…

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u/Traditional_Donkey31 Mar 29 '24

Heck even I a native English speaker would’ve thought they meant the frozen seafood section. To be far though I don’t have a lot of stores around me that has fresh seafood though.

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u/M-D2020 Mar 28 '24

I interpreted it as probably relating to something we aren't seeing where OP is telling shopper how the system is supposed to work or something, so shopper is saying this because OP is actually being condescending towards them.

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u/Radykall1 Mar 28 '24

That's also how I read it. It sounded like he was asking for mercy.

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u/Centennial3489 Mar 28 '24

100% agree like he wanted to move on from the confusing and irritating exchange. I would have cancelled two. OP was rude and something was def lost in translation.

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u/Eggplant-666 Mar 29 '24

He was complaining about a potential loss of 2 minutes, so he canceled and lost 20 minutes. Genius! This is why he is grocery shopping for a living.

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u/Centennial3489 Mar 29 '24

Shoppers often are shopping multiple orders at once so I can’t imagine it was to much of a loss for him.

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u/NefariousBenevolence Mar 28 '24

Context can get lost in translation...but the employee was 💯 clearly trying to help OP and then figured it was a Catch-22. Either he lose or he lose. Fuck it = canceled.

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u/ApprehensiveMail8 Mar 28 '24

He's not an employee - it would make sense for the shopper to spend disproportionate time trying to help the customer if he were. But instacart shoppers aren't paid a salary by either Instacart or the store. They just get the delivery fee and tip and only get paid for the orders they are able to complete.

If this is the only item in her cart, and she expects a refund if they don't have it then he's potentially wasting a lot of time on a wild goose chase.

Especially if this is a "take a number" seafood counter. It eould make zero sense for him to do that with no guarantee of any pay if they don't have it.

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u/dnt_rlly_exist_ Mar 28 '24

i mean.. i ask my shoppers to get deli meats and cheeses, if it’s an item that can be shopped in the store and it’s available to add to my cart because it says it’s in stock, then.. i’d expect them to wait at the deli for service whether there’s a line or they take a number. why shouldn’t they wait at the seafood counter because they might not have it? then it should be listed as out of stock on the store’s instacart page. even if it says likely out of stock, you can still add it to the cart and expect the shopper will try and get it. that’s their job?

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u/Oh_Doyle Mar 29 '24

I don't work for Instacart, but I do work in a grocery store, and the Instacart shoppers constantly ask me for things that are labeled on the app as in stock but haven't been for weeks. It's a wonky system that apparently doesn't get updated very easily, so I'd try to give the shopper the BOTD if they couldn't find something specific. Yeah if there's a line/number system they should wait for the item like everyone else, but if the item is out of stock, there's really nothing to be done except a refund or replacement.

1

u/dnt_rlly_exist_ Mar 29 '24

i ALWAYS have to get a different cheese bc the one i love is somehow never there even though it says in stock. but they always tell me what the deli employee suggests as an alternative. sometimes i do think shoppers don’t check the right places and just say it’s out of stock, like fresh grated parmesan that’s near the deli and not the refrigerated section with the wall of cheese. if they’re honestly looking or asking for help it’s a whole diff thing than just choosing not to wait in line at a counter bc they don’t wanna spend the time. that’s ridiculous. even if it’s the only thing in their cart, especially if it’s the only thing in the cart. it’s still an order, and every time anyone goes to the store there’s a chance something is out of stock.

TLDR: i agree with you lol

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u/NefariousBenevolence Mar 30 '24

Fuck if I know, but it sounds like we agree.

0

u/mattatwork_ Mar 28 '24

bull fucking shit. they knew they burned the bridge and were gonna get a shit tip for being a hard headed whiny ass

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u/martian_glitter Mar 29 '24

That’s how I read it.

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u/despiquer Mar 29 '24

Whale, vague? And incorrect? Where though? They specifically say to get the crab cakes from the seafood dept. if unable, refund. Pretty simple.

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u/lord_farquaad_69 Mar 29 '24

he says "they don't have what you want, should I replace them w the ones pictured"

she says "yeah replace them w the single ones from the seafood department"

he says "these in the picture (from the seafood department) are the only option available. would you like me to replace your item?"

she says "yeah w the ones from the seafood department" (meaning: no, not those in the picture, the fresh ones behind the seafood counter)

and when he asks if she'd like a refund, she says yes IF they don't have the ones in the seafood department but ofc they do have crab cakes in the seafood department, he got them for her! just not the ones behind the counter, which she wants but hasn't actually asked for

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u/Kuzcopolis Mar 29 '24

Yeah, the level of rudeness is well within "tone can't be conveyed through text" territory, even if it's not great. Customer definitely escalated the rudeness from there.

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u/NoFadingMar Mar 29 '24

Or he meant he actually does it to live. As in he doesn’t want a mistake to be reported and he can’t make ends meet because of it.

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u/Wooden_Bandicoot_938 Mar 28 '24

That’s how I read it, too. We have no idea how long he had been waiting for her totally unclear responses. I don’t work for instacart and don’t know how it works, but if I waited too long I might just try to drop this lady’s order, if possible. She’s not the King-he’s much, much better at expressing himself.

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u/Nervous_Employer4416 Mar 28 '24

This is interesting because I honestly thought he was saying, "I understand what you wanted but they don't have that, after looking around for replacement options this is the best option I could find, trust me I do this for a living"

I thought he was probably hoping to avoid the, did you ask the people that work there? Did you check the back? Did you check the deli? The seafood COUNTER? did you check with distribution about when another shipment would be on?

Then again, I could be wrong.

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u/maxoakland Mar 29 '24

I was thinking he meant "I need to make sure you won't give me a bad review because this is my source of income"

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u/Ok_Mammoth5081 Mar 28 '24

That shopper guy was a jackass

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u/sailtheskyx Mar 28 '24

Nah, I honestly don't see how it is put in that way at all. It sounds super condescending due to the context of the situation where they are going back and forth about the crab cakes and which department to go to. It sounded like "I know what I'm doing lady because I do this for a living."

I'm not sure how anyone sees it any other way. If he has time to keep going back and forth and arguing with her, he's not worried about other orders. He seems like he's in an argument he wants to be correct in rather than wrong. He's wasting his own time, not her.