There are plenty of jokes and videos online criticizing the extremely misguided purchases made by Instacart and DoorDash shoppers on their grocery runs — from blueberries swapped out for pineapples, or a 10-pound bag of limes when you asked for a single lime. But have you ever stopped to wonder about the shoppers’ perspective?

Who is actually shopping for you? And how much are they being paid? Is it even worth it for them to be discerning in the fruit aisle? Do they ever get scared delivering at night? Do they get to keep their full tips? And do the tips impact how they shop?

We dove into subreddits, Facebook groups and online forums for DoorDash and Instacart drivers, and found a robust community ripe with insights about things like “tip baiting,” pay rates and the scams they have to mitigate as drivers.

And there’s plenty you might not know about the person ferrying those late night beer runs or milk deliveries at all hours of the day.

1. Tip baiting is worse than you think

In a Reddit group for grocery delivery drivers, we asked what they wish customers knew. One of the more upvoted and popular posts was someone who wrote about “tip baiting,” which sounds like a particularly cruel thing customers sometimes do.

“Tip baiting” on Instacart, and similar delivery services, happens when a customer “baits” a driver to complete an order (usually one they want completed in a short time period) by luring shoppers with large tips, but then completely removing or reducing the tip after the order is delivered.

Instacart is apparently aware of “tip baiting,” and has taken steps to try and resolve the problem. They’ve implemented a tip protection feature that covers the amount of a canceled tip, but only up to a certain amount, if the customer doesn’t report an issue. And they’ve shortened the time period of when a customer can alter their tip ― to 24 hours (before, customers had up to three days), and also requires customers to report why they are removing or greatly reducing a tip.

In a Facebook group called “Instacart Shoppers Online,” one delivery driver pointed out that not only was he the victim of tip baiting, but also a negative review that lowered his rating on the delivery app.

“Tip bait. Ungrateful customer. This customer lowers my tip to 0, and she told me to move her groceries to the door. I helped her, and this sinister person lowers my tip to $0 after all the work. It was around 70 items. I have a 4.95 rating. Around 2,000 orders.” It’s an unusually cruel move to not only lure a delivery driver to make a speedy shop and delivery, but then to also impact their professional score within the app.

And your tips absolutely matter. One Redditor pointed out that their base pay is around $4 to $5 dollars per order, posting: “If the customer wouldn’t work for $4 to $5 per hour, why would they expect their Instacart shopper to?”

2. Shoppers try to scam drivers in creative ways

In the Facebook group “Doordash Drivers Tips n Tricks (No Scammers)” there are hundreds of warnings, if not more, of scams that drivers have to navigate. The scams are similar to typical phishing schemes, but some are a bit more sophisticated.

One DoorDash driver from the Facebook group was upset that a phishing scam almost got her in the midst of busy orders. She was set to pick up a Taco Bell delivery when she received a call from someone pretending to be DoorDash support. The caller claimed her order was being canceled because it was paid for using a fraudulent card — he even told her to pull over because it was DoorDash policy to park while on the phone. “This guy sounded legit ... and used verbiage that other support calls have used.” He even knew her status level on the delivery app and thanked her for being a “Platinum Driver,” while letting her know she received a bonus — he just needed some information about her bank account. Red flags finally went off for her, but others haven’t always been so lucky.

In a Reddit group for Instacart shoppers, one shopper posted about a new scam he wanted other Instacarters to be wary of. This one was designed to break into the account that Instacart shoppers use, to not only lock the shopper out of their account, but also drain the account of any money within it.

There are also scams that involve underage teens attempting to convince delivery drivers they’re single moms and can’t provide identification, but to leave the bottle of Barefoot Moscato. Others claim missing items, or entire orders that smell like cigarette smoke — even if the driver isn’t a smoker.

3. Delivery is physically dangerous

Some delivery drivers have to deal with robberies, harassment and even animal attacks — and of course the risk of car accidents increases with more driving, but something people might not consider are those drives that look and feel straight out of a scary movie.

One driver commented in a Facebook group that he was unexpectedly involved in a police stake out. “Dropped off an order to a home with 15 cops with guns drawn at home. Police asked me the name of customer that I was dropping off too. And they asked me to ring door bell and run back to my car as fast as I could.”

Dealing with unmarked and poorly lit addresses in rural areas can be nearly deadly. One driver wrote in a message on the “Doordash Drivers Tips n Tricks (No Scammers)” about his experiences in a very small town in Arizona with twisty roads and cliffs, recanting one night in particular that stuck with him: While searching for an address in the dark one night with no street lights, his GPS took him down a dirt road that ended without a clear stop … just at the lip of a steep cliff drop.

4. Delivery drivers typically have higher car insurance rates

This might seem like an obvious one, but delivery drivers have higher insurance rates to deal with. One poster from “Doordash Drivers Tips n Tricks (No Scammers)” was feeling frustrated with the unexpected costs, like the added insurance cost, and wear and tear, so they reached out to that group for advice.

Many commenters pointed out that if you haven’t notified your car insurance company of your independent contractor role, the insurer can deny you coverage if an accident occurs. In their contract with new independent contractors, Instacart is clear that anyone driving for them needs to be insured, but given the cost of living at the moment it seems unfair there isn’t some additional discount or incentive for drivers.

5. They’re often working on multiple orders at a time

In a reddit Instacart group for drivers, one person wrote about the misconceptions people have over timing when it comes to bundled orders with other customers.

“I wish customers knew their orders are frequently bundled. I might have your order for 3 items, plus 2 others for 10-plus items each, sometimes with more than 1 store. It might look like I’m doing nothing but screw around because you’re notified your order is paid, but I’m actually waiting in a half-mile line at Costco, not stopping for a beer while you wait. While we can choose not to take the order as a whole, we don’t choose what orders are grouped and can’t really change the process.”

6. Inventory is a moving target

A commenter in a Reddit group explained that inventory shown on the app is not always accurate in the store, and that it’s often incorrect.

“I don’t mark ‘unavailable’ unless I find the tag on the shelf, I ask employees, and look for displays nearby. I’m not sure if it’s due to errors, stock being delivered to the store but not put on the floor, or somebody buying it out, but it’s a moving target.”

And it might be moving because a customer lacks basic spatial awareness or respect for others. A Redditor from an Instacart Delivery group wrote that the “customers need to be considerate when adding items when we are already shopping. A couple of items is fine, but when they’re adding things throughout the whole shopping, having us run all over the store, it’s rude and inconsiderate. If you have more than 5 items to add, just place another order please!”

And if an item isn’t available, this isn’t the driver’s fault, and you shouldn’t lower their rating because of it. One driver explained this in more detail in a reddit group, writing:

“When a customer rates a shopper that rating is only for the shoppers service. It should NOT be based on; the lack of availability of items in the store, price of groceries/cost of service or delivery fees paid to instacart, timing of the order (if it got sent out too early/late), weather or traffic delays or any other things that are out of the shoppers control.”

7. The recommended tip is woefully under the amount of work provided

A commenter from a delivery Reddit group hopes that customers will understand the “recommended tip” on the Instacart app is not really enough, that it’s “not actually an appropriate amount for the work we do. This ‘recommended’ amount is so IC can control our earnings. There honestly should be a mandatory gratuity amount (that cannot be altered) based on certain factors (heavy items, distance, amount of items, etc.). Also, with that, they need to be aware of how IC is paying us per order.”

There are plenty of posts from drivers who took orders closer to home only to have the customer load up with additional items and provide a severely low tip. Not taking the order could impact their ratings once accepted in some cases.