Popular online grocery services often include hilarious substitutions during pandemic

A new type of gambling has emerged in the COVID-19 pandemic, involving online grocery services and the things they provide as substitutes for out-of-stock items.

On a good day, shoppers say the replacement can be bigger and better at no extra cost.

On a bad day, it’s ridiculous ... like “a 22 lb bag of wheat flour because they were out of the bread you ordered,” as one shopper put it on Facebook.

“Grocery substitution shaming” is now a trend on social media, with Facebook groups like “Dumb Instacart & Shipt Substitutions” and “Supermarket Substitutions” popping up to give shoppers a place to share stories of odd replacements from Walmart, Instacart and other online grocery services.

Among the most active is one called ”That’s it, I’m Grocery Substitution Shaming” created this month by three woman who experienced odd grocery substitutions in recent weeks.

Ame Nielsen of Richland, Washington, is one of the creators and she says avid online shoppers are accustomed to getting odd substitutions from time to time. But it seems to have gotten more common during the coronavirus pandemic.

“I’ve had weird substitutions way before the pandemic, (but) I think the lack of product recently has led to some stranger substitutions,” said Nielsen, who lives in Richland, Washington, told McClatchy News.

“It’s so ridiculous you have to laugh ... I also think with everyone under the stay-at-home order, we need to laugh. That might be why we got so many members so quickly. We all need something besides news on the pandemic.”

Supermarket News predicts online grocery shopping will rise by 40% in 2020, due largely to the pandemic. Not only are people buying more online, but they’re doing it more frequently, the site noted.

Meanwhile, store shelves are famously empty of essentials like toilet paper and cleaning products, due to hoarding and high demand. Meat and flour have recently joined the list of items in short supply, media outlets report.

Shopper Brandi Roediger, who lives in Kennewick, Washington, says Facebook pages like ”That’s it, I’m Grocery Substitution Shaming” aren’t about venting because you got “one green bean or 34 pounds of jalapenos.” It can also be about camaraderie, online shopping tips and sharing victories, like when a generic item is replaced with something great. It does happen on occasion, she says.

“I actually treat my online shopping experience like a trip to the casino. Walmart doesn’t upcharge if they have to substitute for higher priced item. When I get Reddi-wip for Great Value (Walmart’s less expensive brand) price I actually shout ‘Jackpot!’ And ask security to escort me inside with my groceries,” she told McClatchy News.

Examples of substitutions cited on the Facebook page range from the reasonable to the strange.

Kelli Wright, for instance, reports she ordered Hostess orange cupcakes and instead got coffee cakes that sort of look orangeish when held up in the right light. “Not the same. Not even close,” she said.

Stranger still is Terri Rogers’ saga of every fresh produce order being replaced with broccoli florets.

“Lettuce = broccoli. Cole slaw = broccoli. Green onions = broccoli,” Rogers posted on “That’s It, I’m Grocery Substitution Shaming.”

“I finally used up the last of what I had. Then yesterday, I picked up another grocery order and got ... a giant family sized bag (of broccoli). I think big broccoli is out to get me,” wrote Rogers, who lives in Atlanta.

Online grocery services like Walmart and Instacart warn in advance that an item on an order might “default” to a replacement if out of stock. Shoppers are given the option not to have replacements added, or to get refunds if not satisfied with what they got.

“Most of the time, the substitutions are on par with what you were buying,” Slickdeals.net columnist Ashley Eneriz reported in a March 12 article.

“For example, I ordered a three-pack of romaine lettuce and it was substituted with the organic version that costs $1.50 more. You don’t have to pay the price difference if your replacement costs more, though.”

Here are other examples of some questionable online grocery shopping substitutions shared recently on Facebook.

This story was originally published May 20, 2020 at 8:28 AM with the headline "Popular online grocery services often include hilarious substitutions during pandemic."