Drivers for DoorDash, Uber Eats, Instacart, and other delivery platforms have shared many wild and wacky stories about customer expectations on TikTok over the years.
From ordering an expensive laptop delivery without a tip to having to travel up overgrown and unsafe stairs, customers have asked a lot of their delivery drivers and often have very specific requests.
One customer has even asked their driver to choose produce with specific expiration dates. In a recent video shared by food delivery content creator Brandon Espinoza (@dasher._.nyc), an Instacart customer specifically requests that their milk be delivered at 40 degrees Fahrenheit—its “refrigerator temperature”—or they will not accept it.
The video has drawn over 15,000 views on the platform.
@dasher._.nyc 😭 taking no chances🤷🏻♂️ #uber #ubereats #doordash #doordashnyc #instacart #lyft #ubereatsnyc #ubereatsdriver #doordashdriver #instacart #instacartshopper #instacartdelivery #instacartstorytime #instacartfails ♬ Creepy and simple horror background music(1070744) – howlingindicator
The clip includes screen grabs of interactions with the customer who ordered a delivery from a grocery store in Manhattan to a customer in Brooklyn. In a chat feature of the delivery app, the customer makes their request for the milk to be no warmer than it is when pulled out of the refrigerator.
“That’s an automatic cancel, because how am I supposed to keep your milk at 40 degrees or below?” Espinoza says in a voiceover. “Even with insulated bags on the 30-40 minute drive, I can’t guarantee that your milk will arrive at that temperature and then risk a bad rating while they get refunded everything or claim missing order or something. I’m going to get deactivated for this. So I hit up Instacart support and I immediately canceled this order.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Espinoza via a comment on the video as other methods of contact were unavailable.
While it is true that milk lasts the longest when stored at 40 degrees, it can last up to two hours outside of the fridge. The true point of concern for milk and other dairy products is when they reach 90 degrees, which facilitates the growth of bacteria.
Some commenters wrote that in their experience working for food and grocery delivery, customers who open with messages of this nature are not a good sign for the order.
“Lol u know it’s going to be bad when u haven’t started shopping yet and they send a message saying hi how are you today never fails,” one commenter wrote.
“You’re not in the wrong,” another said. “I’ve learned real quick that people that message bs like that will never be satisfied.”
