# Do instacart returns get charged to the driver?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-instacart-returns-get-charged-to-the-driver/851868>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 15, 2020, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-instacart-returns-get-charged-to-the-driver/851868 "2020-04-15T18:42:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\
**Post date:** [April 15, 2020, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-instacart-returns-get-charged-to-the-driver/851868/1 "2020-04-15T18:42:22Z")

</div>

I just got a Costco delivery and I received regula milk instead of lactaid. I specified that I do not want a replacement if lactaid was not available. I reported the discrepancy and they gave me a refund.

This got me wondering whether the cost of the milk was being charged back to the instacart shopper.

Am I screwing over the instacart shopper (who got a $47 tip, which seemed like a lot but given the circumstances, I can’t really complain).

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\
**Post date:** [April 15, 2020, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-instacart-returns-get-charged-to-the-driver/851868/2 "2020-04-15T20:20:46Z")

</div>

Generally speaking…no.

They do keep tabs on those kinds of errors and complaints which can eventually lead to the end of their “job” ending.

I also know why this tends to happen. With percentage based tips, every item you refund reduces the tip, because tip is a percentage of the total bill. So shoppers will often try to force a substitution to preserve the tip. I had an order come through for 2 packs of toilet paper, 2 24 packs of eggs, hand sanitizer, laundry soap… Basically everything stores were out of. I started with a $50 tip…i received $12 of that after all the out of stock refunds.