"Don't Try to Bait and Switch': Instacart Shopper Uses a Video to Prove That Customer Lied About Not Receiving a $500 Order

An Instacart shopper is speaking out against "bait-and-switch" orders after a customer allegedly lied about not receiving their groceries in order to be compensated. In the video, user Aria Grayson (@argograyson) shows herself shopping and loading a large Instacart order, with a voiceover telling the viewer that the footage was helpful in disproving the customer's complaint.

“For those of you ordering on Instacart, please be considerate and be real,” she says in the video. “This one single order required two carts and held up the line. The customer was not responsive, and what initially started out as a $35 order—the customer ended up reporting to Instacart that they didn’t receive their order.

If I didn’t have proof of this video, I wouldn’t have gotten my money. Instacart was about to not pay me for two and a half hours of my time.”

Instacart is a grocery delivery service that sends a personal shopper to the store for you and then delivers the groceries to your home. It partners with several large grocery store chains and offers same-day delivery in many cities. Over 600,000 people work for Instacart as 'shoppers,' who pick up items from stores and deliver them to customers.

Unfortunately, it seems that many people try to cheat the system and get items for free. They believe it is acceptable because they are cheating billion-dollar companies. However, it is the little guy who pays the price.

Aria Grayson (@argograyson) is shown shopping and loading a large Instacart order. A voiceover tells the viewer that the footage was helpful in disproving a customer’s complaint that they had not received a $500 order.

Viewers expressed their frustration on the shopper’s behalf, with some suggesting that the delivery service does not seem to be doing enough to support their shoppers in cases like the one shared.

“I’m a shopper, and Instacart does not support their shoppers—I feel you...” one commenter wrote.“Instacart ALWAYS puts the blame on the shopper,” another user alleged. “ALWAYS.”“Instacart treats us like trash. I’m considering applying for SHIPT; people there seem happier,” a third added.

Others remarked on the size of the order and the strain on the shopper to complete it, all to claim that it wasn’t received.

“That’s sad. If I know I’m going to shop like this, I’ll go to the store or ask somebody who has the time, smh,” one commenter wrote.“I can’t imagine doing this to someone,” a second stated. “Even when they mess up, I give a perfect review and a 20% tip because, hey, people have bad days.”“I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad experience with a shopper using Instacart,” a third claimed. “The produce picks are phenomenal. It’s awful that there are people who are trying to screw over those who are just trying to make a living.”

An Instacart driver in the United States earns, on average, $13.88 per hour. However, this number can range from $7.25 to $25.59, depending on the area and city in which the driver is making deliveries. This means that, over the course of an 8-hour shift, a driver can expect to earn a minimum of $111.