photo #583622

Yesterday, while working for another platform, I took this order. Didn't look all that bad... until I saw 7 1/2 lbs of chicken wings. What?? I messaged the client and let them know that the store didn't have that much and it would have to be ordered ahead of time. She responds: I didn't order chicken wings.After sending many images back and forth of her side of the order and my side of the order, we finally had a game plan. She was very worried that she wasn't going to get all the items she ordered. To remedy that, I took a picture of each item and sent it to her as I shopped so she could verify that it was indeed something she had ordered. Turns out, those "chicken wings" on the left were actually supposed to be that "pork shoulder roast" on the right. I figured that out because of the pounds expected on each item.Once the shop was completed she was very happy and satisfied that all her items were being delivered, just as she'd ordered.I've seen several strange things (fried chicken listed in the "personal care" section and Arm & Hammer liquid soap refill bottle that was listed as a "beverage", just to name two) on the apps of the large shopping companies. If no one catches it, then the customer isn't going to be very happy... and neither will the shopper... especially if it results in a poor review... or being deactivated from the platform.There are a few lessons that I took away from this experience.1. You have no idea what's actually showing up on our end of the app. And we have no idea what you may have actually ordered. Chicken wings are a far cry from a pork roast. 2. If you don't make a note of what substitutions you'd prefer for items that may be out of stock, you may get some shocking subs that aren't really too far away from the original item if this is the situation that has occurred on your order -- that being what you order is NOT what shows up on the shopper's end of the app.3. It's EXTREMELY IMPORTANT to stay in contact with customers when there's a need for a substitution. Often times they'll say "no subs" and/or "do not contact" but that's not actually what they PREFER. What they prefer is someone who will ask them what they want and then actually get it. Often there are glitches in the apps (just had one that lasted several days) where it said that NONE of the customers I was shopping for wanted contacted... when that wasn't true at all! The ones that do actually mark "no subs" often do so because some shopper will go through the entire order and just replace items with whatever, even if it makes no sense. But now I suspect that sometimes that "poorly chosen replacement" wasn't actually a poor replacement at all. It may very well have been a good and acceptable replacement for whatever item was actually showing on the shoppers end... which could be something totally different than what you actually ordered.My suggestion is that if you're able to see that replacements were made (or a refund was issued or the item was just marked as unavailable) MESSAGE YOUR SHOPPER!! Ask them what the replacement was, what it was for. If there was a refund and you REALLY want or need that specific item, ASK THEM what else there is that might be a good sub. They can take a picture of the shelves, or give you suggestions of similar items in stock.Here's the good news. If you order with Red E Cart, my preferred app (AnyList) updates in real time. If you add something, I can see it immediately. You can watch as I shop and cross things off the list. There's no question about what you want because we both see the shared shopping list. You add items to the list, I'll add the pictures and details for each item. You can then verify that the pictures and descriptions match what you intended to order. No second guessing. No monkey business. If you're pretty handy with tech and have the spare time, you can add pics yourself (I use the ones directly from the grocery store websites) and edit the information for the items. AND in the notes section you can add one or more possible substitutions for items if they happen to be out of stock. This helps me shop faster and more accurately for you and it keeps me from having to bug you with a call or text every time I have a question.If you've had a not-so-pleasant experience with the large, national, multi-billion dollar shopping services out there I'm here to tell you there is a local alternative. And we CARE about you and the items you order. Give us a try today!