There’s a theory amongst Instacart customers that male Instacart shoppers are markedly worse than female shoppers.
The theory states that male shoppers are more likely to simply say an item is out-of-stock rather than look for it, misunderstand an order, or they will reject substitutions for reasons that are unknown to the customer.
Several users on TikTok have gone viral after sharing a similar sentiment. In one case, a user claimed that a shopper told her frozen meatballs were out-of-stock and rejected her substitution. When she arrived at the store the next day, the meatballs were in fact in stock, and an employee informed her that they had also been in stock the day before.
In another case, a woman claimed that, after ordering a small amount of cheddar cheese, she was delivered an entire block by a male shopper.
Now, a further user has gone viral with a similar complaint.
@anabana251 #instacart #meninstacart #apples #fyp #fypシ ♬ original sound – Sialaytaa
In a video with over 388,000 views, TikTok user Anastasia (@anabana251) holds up an onion.
“Reasons why we say we don’t like men Instacart shoppers: this was a substitution for a green apple,” she says in the video.
A majority of commenters were quick to side with Anastasia.
“Yea I will cancel until I get a woman,” alleged a user.
“They don’t even be trying,” offered another. “It makes me so mad.”
Others told stories of perceived incompetence on the part of their male Instacart shoppers.
“I once ordered a thing of strawberries and the dude replaced it with a single avocado,” claimed a user.
“I ordered ground turkey and they substituted it with breakfast sausage,” recalled a second.
“One time my friend got mini pumpkins instead of heirloom tomatoes,” wrote a third.
“Girl i needed diapers and they didnt have the brand they brought me pads,” stated a further TikToker. “what my baby going to do with that?”
While Instacart usually allows users to be refunded for specific items, Anastasia claims that the shopper did not inform her of the substitution, nor was it marked on the app.
“He didn’t put on the app he was substituting for me to refund,” Anastasia explained.
This led to some users theorizing that there could have been another reason for the swap.
“If it wasn’t on the app, he might have been doing a double batch where you got someone’s onion and they got your apple,” said a commenter.
“This happened to me once where I got someone’s Roma tomatoes and sliced cheddar cheese and they got my avocados and green onions,” claimed an additional TikToker.
The Daily Dot reached out to Anastasia via Instagram direct message and Instacart via email.
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*First Published: Dec 26, 2022, 9:27 am CST
Braden Bjella
Braden Bjella is a culture writer. His work can be found in Mixmag, Electronic Beats, Schön! magazine, and more.
