An Instacart driver who already received a $12 tip rang the doorbell asking for more money, but left the groceries baking in the sun the whole time

Security camera footage of an Instacart driver ringing a customer’s doorbell to ask for more tip money after completing a delivery has gone viral, as reported by the Daily Dot. The clip was shared on X by @TheEXECUTlONER_ and has divided the comments over tipping etiquette and delivery standards. The roughly 30-second clip shows the driver standing on the porch while on her phone, speaking to whoever answered the door and gesturing for more money.

The customer had already set a $12 tip before the order was placed. “Sweetheart, can you ask if somebody could put some extra on my tip?” the driver is heard saying. “Could you ask somebody if they could put some extra on my tip?” It is not confirmed whether she received anything extra, but she did leave after making the requests. While the tip request drew its own reactions, the detail that caught most viewers’ attention was visible in the background the entire time.

The groceries had been left sitting in direct sunlight on the porch. “If you notice, she left the groceries in the sun and not even in the saved part,” the X account wrote, before asking viewers whether they would have increased or removed the tip. Debates over tipping have been a recurring theme online, including a Chicago man who went viral after a server made him feel bad about leaving 14% on a $320 bill.

The comments were mixed

Reactions in the comments ranged from sympathy to outrage. One person said they would have paid but with a condition. “I would of asked her to get the groceries out of the sun and would of given the $12 tip,” they wrote. Another described their own mixed experiences with delivery services, noting a seafood order that had been left several blocks from the delivery address in summer heat.

The same commenter also alleged that Spark drivers delivering for Walmart had made address errors and broken bottles through careless handling. Those claims about Spark drivers could not be independently verified. One user took a harder line. “Hell no, I’d zero that tip out in a heartbeat and report her to Instacart,” they wrote.

“Left the bags baking in the sun like she couldn’t be bothered, then had the nerve to ring the doorbell begging for more on top of $12? That’s straight entitlement. Do the job right or don’t expect a dime extra.” Doorbell tip requests are not a sanctioned part of Instacart’s delivery process. The company has no policy that encourages or endorses in-person tip solicitation after a drop-off. According to Gigs Done Right, Instacart shoppers earn between $7 and $10 per batch before tips.

The identities of the driver and the customer, the delivery location, and the total value of the grocery order have not been confirmed. The events described in the video could not be independently verified. Instacart had not issued a public response to the clip at the time of publication.