Follow This Basic Etiquette For Adding Items To A Grocery Delivery Order

Shopping for groceries has officially come full circle. Whereas grocery delivery days of yore gave way to supermarkets, grocery delivery is hot once again. Because of companies like Instacart and Amazon Fresh, people can place an order from their home computers or phones and have someone do the actual shopping for them, delivering the orders to their doors in mere hours. You have to hand it to these shoppers since they're the ones battling the grocery store crowds and communicating with you when they can't find it. These shopping and delivery services even allow you to add items to your shopping list while said shopper is already in the throes of the crowded cereal aisle.

They are typically perfectly happy to accommodate the items you initially forgot, but in an effort to maintain courtesy and ensure your groceries arrive in a timely manner, try not to go overboard and keep the additions under five items. Any more than that can turn into a major inconvenience. Many times, these shoppers are filling multiple orders at once or have a shopping schedule to keep, and having to go back through the store to basically re-shop for you can throw their whole schedule off. If you really need those extra five or more items, be kind and communicate first.

Anyone can forget a couple of items, even if you're doing the shopping yourself and have meticulously made a shopping list. Most hired grocery shoppers/deliverers understand this, so if you need to add a couple of things to your list after they've begun shopping, it should be fine. But, if you've realized you've forgotten a handful of items or more, the best thing to do is message your shopper to let them know and ask if it's alright to add them to your order. They will do one of two things — appreciate the heads up and gladly accommodate your request, or cancel the order so that someone else will pick it up.

Remember, many of these shoppers do this task for a living and plan their schedules out by how small or large their orders are, so if your request will affect their day, they may just give it to someone else. Of course, adding to their tip if they are willing to help you out is arguably the most appropriate and appreciated nod to great service. If you've got so many additions to your list that you wonder if it warrants a new, separate order altogether, it probably does. Starting a new order will mean that your items will likely arrive separately. That might be inconvenient but, hey, you've still got people doing the shopping for you.

Now that you know that communication can work wonders between you and your Instacart shopper, remember it's a two-way street. Shopping and delivery services are usually very good at letting you know your shoppers' progress and an app will notify you when the shopping has begun all the way to when your delivery person is on their way to your home. Keep your smartphone handy while all this is going on because your shopper just might need to communicate with you too.

For example, if you've ordered a product but that specific product is not available, the shopper will let you know and ask whether or not it's okay to replace it with a comparable brand, or if you want to disregard it altogether and receive a refund. The quicker you respond, the better. You can even go one step further and note which substitutions are acceptable before you submit the order. Even though you may never lay eyes on the person doing your shopping, you can still be courteous by adhering to these etiquette tips and help make the whole experience more pleasant for you both.