Rip Off: Customer Learns She Paid a $77 Convenience Upcharge After Ordering LobLaws Groceries Using Instacart Delivery Service

An Instacart customer orders groceries from Loblaws and finds out the reality of using a delivery service versus going to the grocery store herself. She posted the cold reality in a TikTok video after discovering her delivery driver accidentally left the real grocery receipt in her bag.

credit: @sophiakokolakis on TikTok 

Sophia Kokolakis found out that she is paying way more to order her groceries through Instacart and have them delivered, thanks to the upcharge, and that doesn't even include the tip.

She posted a video to TikTok on 29 September 2023 after she received her groceries from Instacart, and the reality sets in that she just got ripped off.

TikTok Video: Instacart is Making Serious Money with Upcharge for Convenience

In the TikTok video, she says:

"This is honestly the first time that an Instacart delivery person has left the receipt in the bag and my total was $221 and I paid $298 on Instacart...from Loblaws. Damn." -Sophia Kokolakis

She paid about $77 more to Instacart for the convenience.

The video can be seen below.

TikTok video credit: @sophiakokolakis on TikTok 

Comments on the Video

Users weigh in on the video Sophia posted to TikTok. Here's what they said:

• User 'Cat Officially Cat' says, "That's the price of convenience."

• User 'TikTokMadeMeSayThat' gives a free tip, saying, "just order through Loblaws website itself. They use DoorDash to deliver and you don't pay any upcharges." (word 'upcharges' corrected in comment)
• User 'John C' says, "It clearly tells you on the app whether or not you're going to pay in-store prices or not, depending on what store you choose."
• User 'Wiara953 says, "I put stuff in my Instacart from Aldi's and went to the store myself and checked the prices. They tax the stuff like crazy."

Kate Witmer (Instacart shopper) said:

"As an Instacart shopper, I get sticker shock when I see the price the customer is paying vs. what the store is actually charging."

Jenny (Instacart shopper) said:

"We're supposed to keep the receipt for 30 days per our contract. The price mark up is insane though. Instacart makes money on every item you buy."

Mia (Instacart shopper) said:

"Do you live in the states? In Canada, we have to leave the receipt."

Boopie Jones (former Instacart shopper) said:

"During the brief moment I shopped for them is when I realized they were scamming customers & underpaying shoppers. Def left the receipt in their bag."

Readers, it's time for you to share your thoughts on the subject:

Do you think that customers would tip less or stop using the service if they found out how much Instacart is charging people for convenience?

A Seattle Woman Finds an Urn with a Blue Ribbon on it in Goodwill with a Name on the Bottom & Has Ashes Inside. She Buys it for $3.99

A woman shopping at Goodwill discovers an urn with a blue ribbon tied around it sold under the category of "wares." On the bottom of the urn, it has a name written on it. She opens it and sees ashes inside. She decides to buy it for $3.99 from Goodwill and was trying to locate the family connected to the ashes. Goodwill has retrieved the ashes from her and has also attempted to find out if these belong to a human.

Josie Chase with the urn she purchased

One Seattle, Washington woman that has discovered a love for "thrifting" found something unusual for sale at her local Goodwill, and now is unsure what to do with the item.

Seattle Woman Finds a Blue-Ribbon Urn in Goodwill

24-year-old Josie Chase was in her local Goodwill, and looking for something very interesting among the housewares. Yahoo! reported that Josie "has been collecting vintage clothing and accessories since 2018."

Josie came across a small urn with a blue ribbon tied around it, and she "immediately identified it as a cremation urn."

She said:

"It just kind of shocked me that there was an urn there," Chase said. "So I grabbed it and felt that it had some weight to it and looked at the bottom and saw that I had a name." -Josie Chase (Source: Yahoo!)

When she looked at the bottom of the urn, there is a sticker with the name, "Toby Cava." She assumes this is the name of the person that was cremated. The picture can be seen below.

Urn with name on bottom

Next Josie did what any curious person would do. She unscrewed it and looked inside, and sure enough, found ashes. She assumes these are human ashes.

She said:

"Then, I unscrewed it and saw that there were ashes inside," Chase said. "It was just kind of shocking and struck me and I thought, ‘Who would donate this? This is sad. It must have been a mistake or someone must have misplaced it.’ So, I thought maybe I could find someone who it was connected to [and] give it back." -Josie Chase (Source: Yahoo!)

The picture of the ashes in the urn can be seen below.

Urn with ashes inside

Josie tried to speak to a Goodwill worker about the urn, but since the store was busy, it was difficult. So she decided to buy it for $3.99. The Goodwill price tag labeled it as "wares."

She said:

"I just put it in our cart and me and my partner were like, ‘Well, if we don't get it, this will maybe go to the landfill or something.' We thought we should do it service and spread the ashes somewhere nice or try to find at least a good home for it. So, we decided to buy it," -Josie Chase (Source: Yahoo!)

Josie Chase Posts a TikTok Video About the Urn

Josie posts a TikTok video showing the urn inside of Goodwill in Washington and shows the urn being opened to reveal ashes.

In captions, text in the video reads, "Who donated this person to Goodwill?"

Then the TikTok video shows the urn wrapped in brown paper and the caption reads, "The cashier wrapped him up so nicely." See the picture below.

Urn wrapped in a brown paper

The video ends by saying in captions, "Toby was only $4."

Watch the TikTok video and see for yourself. It has been viewed over 13 million times.

It isn't every day that a person finds an urn filled with ashes at Goodwill, but it does happen.

One person that commented on the TikTok video said:

"The people could have dumped the ashes while driving down the highway and it would have been more respectful than dropping them at goodwill." -User7477347178750 on TikTok

Josie replied to the comment, by saying, "Agreed."

Goodwill workers should probably look inside things while they are pricing the items in the back, just to make sure there aren't any ashes inside.

Josie now believes that it could be pet ashes based on feedback she has received on her TikTok video.

Evergreen Goodwill of Northwest Washington Retrieved the Urn with Ashes

Fox News Digital reported that Evergreen Goodwill of Northwest Washington contacted Josie and retrieved the urn with ashes, and also commented that they believe it was an animal's ashes, and not humans, and that the urn should have never made it out onto the sales floor.

Evergreen Goodwill has also reached out to funeral homes in case these ashes might be human.

Please share this article on social media so others can be informed about this story.

Sources

Josie Chase on TikTok: @chasejosie. Video about urn bought in Goodwill.

Eichenberg, Gretchen. "Washington woman makes 'shocking' discovery after purchasing $3.99 urn at Goodwill." Yahoo! / Fox News Digital. 14 April 2023.

TikTok User @hemanknowit Shares Google Voice Hack on How to Get 10 Tacos at Tasty Casa for $0.48 with Uber Eats

TikTok user hemanknowit posted a video on his TikTok account sharing his Google voice hack to get 10 fajita chicken street tacos for only $0.48 on Uber Eats.

TikTok user hermanknowit; credit: @hermanknowit

User hemanknowit on TikTok shares his secret to getting tacos extremely cheap from Tasty Casa which he believes is "like extreme couponing" in his words.

The restaurant where he ordered from is Tasty Casa located at 1213 S McDonald Street in McKinney, TX.

TikTok User hemanknowit Shares his Google Voice Hack to Get Discount Tacos on Uber Eats

User @hemanknowit shares his secret Google Voice Hack in his TikTok video. He admits in the video, "Uber gonna delete my accounts, but I ain't fixin' to gatekeep this." Uber Eats is probably going to crack down on people taking advantage of this hack.

He says, "Today is Taco Tuesday, and I don't miss a Taco Tuesday."

He points out: "10 Fajita Chicken Street Tacos for $0.48. Look at the breakdown. Let me tell you how I do this."

TikTok user hermanknowit; credit: @hermanknowit

How to Get Extreme Taco Discount with Uber Eats at Tasty Casa in McKinney, TX

User @hemanknowit says, "The thing is...and grab your pen and paper and listen fast."

"You gotta go from your current Uber Eats [account] and get a Google Voice number, and refer yourself from your current to your Google Voice number, sign up, and then get the $20 off of a $25 order, and then you get it on both accounts."

He Warns About the Complexity of the Referral Offer

He warns that if you do this, "then you'll start getting these crazy orders on both accounts, but that particular one I did, it was 'buy one, get one free' [offer] plus $15 off of a $25 [order] but it was already 'buy one, get one free' so it's like extreme couponing but through Uber Eats, and I know that they are going to come back for me. Enjoy."

The TikTok video can be seen below.

Source: @hemanknowit (TikTok)

Would you say this is a form of extreme couponing or just gaming the system?

Gaming the Referral System Violates Google Eligibility Requirements

The Google Voice referral program offers a referral bonus to both the referrer and the referee.

If you sign up for a Google Voice number solely for the purpose of getting a referral bonus, you may receive the bonus if you meet the eligibility requirements and the referral is successful. However, it is important to note that creating multiple Google Voice accounts for the purpose of gaming the referral program is against the program's terms and conditions and may result in the cancellation of your accounts and forfeiture of any referral bonuses earned.

Ohio Couple Pays $30K for a Wedding Only to Find Out Their Marriage License Expired, so it was a $30K 'Social Gathering'

A woman from Thornville, Ohio posts on TikTok the story of trying to get her military husband on TRICARE health insurance, and when she attempted to find her marriage certificate, she learns that the license was never turned in. Now she is calling their $30,000 wedding a "social gathering" and offers her husband the chance to "back out of their marriage" if he wants to.

William Smitley (left) and Madalyn Boucher (right)Photo byMadalyn Boucher

Insider reported "a tragic story" as first told by Madalyn Boucher, posted on her TikTok account "@maddyboucherxxx" on 9 December 2022.

She tells the story about her wedding that took place on 8 October 2022, because her grandfather that officiated their Ohio wedding never sent the marriage license to the county clerk after the wedding took place, and the couple only recently found out.

Keep in mind that this is all "tongue in cheek" as you will find out they are officially married now.

Madalyn Boucher Tells 'A Tragic Story' on TikTok Account '@maddyboucherxxx'

Madalyn Boucher first posted a video on TikTok on 9 December 2022 with the caption "A tragic story" and the description of the video says, "Haha if you need me I'll be at the courthouse..." (Please be mindful that there is NSFW language at the end if you watch the video).

A very animated Madalyn Boucher says in the TikTok video:

"K. So, I'm trying to get my husband on TRICARE through the military and I needed our marriage certificate. So like, okay, let me look for the marriage certificate. So I'm looking everywhere for the marriage certificate, and I realize I threw it away, and I'm like, 'Okay, that's okay, maybe I didn't throw it away, maybe we should look, we should look elsewhere'...and then my husband, my husband finds this." -Madalyn Boucher (Source: '@maddyboucherxxx' on TikTok)

Madalyn Boucher explaining her $30K social gatheringPhoto by@maddyboucherxxx on TikTok

She reveals a marriage license, with the bottom portion still attached, and not submitted.

She shouts:

"This is the marriage license...and this is the portion that the officiant is supposed to send to the probate court to legitimize our marriage! It expired nine days ago! We are not married. We spent thirty-thousand dollars...not for a wedding, but for a [expletive] social gathering. Now we have to go to the courthouse, and get married...and our officiant was my [expletive] grandpa. Congrats!" -Madalyn Boucher (Source: '@maddyboucherxxx' on TikTok)

Her husband sits quietly in the background sipping on hard liquor throughout the video, which elicits many comments from users on TikTok.

One user 'BigTyme94' says in the comments, "Buddy back there drinking the bottle like water," and others point out that he is drinking straight from the bottle.

Another user 'lgarcia1489' says in the comments, "Grandpa was all: 'I'll just leave this here in case she changes her mind.' 😂"

Follow up TikTok Video: Marriage License Accepted, 'We're Married Now'

In a follow-up TikTok video, Madalyn explains that the courthouse was willing to "make an exception" for their situation and accept their marriage license ten days past the expiration date.

She shared, "We're officially married now."

Her husband looks happy. He says in the follow-up video, "Four don't get tens."

Moral of the story? 

Make sure your wedding officiant submits the wedding marriage license after performing the ceremony.

Do you have an interesting story to share about a wedding that didn't go as planned? (Please share it in the comments)

Sources

Leighton, Mara. "A couple found out their marriage wasn't 'official' after discovering their expired marriage license — 'we spent $30,000, not for a wedding, but for a social gathering'."

Wedding: Madalyn & William. Theknot.com. 8 October 2022.

TikTok video posted 9 December 2022. "Part 1: A tragic story." '@maddyboucherxxx'

TikTok video posted 10 December 2022. "Part 2 of our illegitimate marriage." '@maddyboucherxxx'

 

$92 Million TikTok Settlement Payment and Class Action Lawsuit

 

TikTok Settlement Payment

$92 Million TikTok Class Action Lawsuit Settlement

TikTok is facing the clock after an Illinois federal judge approved a $92 Million USD settlement for its users that filed class-action lawsuits. Anyone that filed to join this class action lawsuit before the deadline will receive a TikTok settlement payment.

TikTok Case over Unlawful Collection of Users' Biometric Data

The settlement case information:

In re: TikTok Inc. Consumer Privacy Litigation, Case No. 1:20-cv-04699, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

The Illinois federal judge believes that the proposed $92 million USD settlement payment sufficiently resolves the accusations that TikTok was collecting biometric data unlawfully. 

What will people get who filed claims against TikTok?

TikTok users that filed a claim in this $92 Million USD class action settlement will get an equal share in the settlement cash after administrative fees and costs have been taken out.

Who can file a claim, and when is the deadline and hearing date for the TikTok settlement?

People that qualify are considered "class members" and this includes TikTok users who are residents in the United States that used the TikTok app before September 20, 2021. Any class member that is also an Illinois resident may qualify for an increased amount of settlement payment, by as much as six times the amount of someone that is not an Illinois resident.

The deadline for the settlement payment is March 1, 2022. The final approval for this TikTok settlement payment will take place during the hearing currently scheduled on May 18, 2022.

How will I receive my TikTok cash settlement payment?

If you successfully submitted a claim form by the March 1, 2022 deadline, then you should expect to receive your cash payment via PayPal, Venom, a virtual prepaid card, or by a physical check in the mail. Your preferred payment method was provided on the settlement application.

What was the legal issue with TikTok privacy policies?

The litigation against TikTok involved their privacy policies. The claims were that TikTok unlawfully collected users' biometric and personal data in 2021. 

TikTok asserts that users waived their rights in the agreed-upon terms of service, or privacy policies, and have therefore done nothing wrong.

TikTok Privacy Policy Changed

TikTok agreed to stop collecting users' biometric data, geolocation, and GPS data with their app and storing this data outside the U.S. after the $92 million USD settlement payment from the class action lawsuit. TikTok revised its privacy policies.

TikTok was accused of sharing users' biometric data with the Chinese government, while TikTok denied this was taking place.

The class-action lawsuit is against TikTok and its predecessor app, Musical.ly.