With online grocery shopping, it’s unfortunately not uncommon for retailers to automatically substitute products for customers that are jarringly different then the ones they originally intended on purchasing.
Folks have hopped on social media to share some of these bizarre substitutions, like a woman who purchased an electric toothbrush, only to get a bottle of budget mouthwash instead.
And then there was an Instacart shopper who decided to substitute a woman’s fajita chicken for skewers.
A TikToker named Imani (@imananix) documented a substitution that she felt completely missed the point of her order. She says that she ordered pineapple chunks from Walmart. In a trending clip on the popular social media platform, she shared a screenshot of the order she was supposed to receive and the following twist.
She ordered pineapple chunks — pre-cut pieces of pineapple placed on a white styrofoam plate and secured with clear plastic wrap. What she got instead were two whole pineapples. Initially, Imani wasn’t too jazzed about this substitution, citing that she doesn’t have the proper tools to cut a pineapple, nor does she possess the knowledge of proper pineapple-cutting techniques.
@imananix Im lowkey blew asl #greenscreen #fyp #funny #chicago #walmart #pineapples #pineapple #blew ♬ original sound – Imani
“How many Walmarts count every last day that they got because I asked for regular pineapple chunks?” she asks to open her video. “Why are you substituting it with two whole fresh pineapples? I don’t know how to cut a pineapple. I don’t have one of those pineapple cutting things. Like, don’t give me that; that’s not what I asked for!”
Yet, her ire towards Walmart might have been premature. By her own admission In a follow-up video, she recanted her earlier expression of discontent.
@imananix Nevermindddd😭🌚🍍 #fyp #funny #chicago #walmart #pineapples #pineapple #update #stitch ♬ original sound – Imani
In the later TikTok, Imani records herself eating a plate of cut pineapples.
She says in the clip: “I retract my statement. Give me the whole pineapple. Give me the whole pineapple.”
It appears despite the initial fear of not being able to properly cut a pineapple, Imani ended up finding it within herself to get in the fruit with a knife and may have just discovered she’ll never go back to eating pre-cut pineapples ever again.
There were certainly a number of other TikTokers who thought that just buying whole pineapples and cutting them yourself is the way to get your daily dose of bromelain.
One commenter wrote: “Girl you saving money AND helping the planet”
Another said that they thought the swap from a labor-free pineapple to a more labor-intensive pineapple was a pretty good one: “Tbf this isn’t that bad of a substitution for it’s just not pre cut.”
Another user provided instructions on how to cut a pineapple to help Imani out: “It easy boo just cut the top & bottom removing skin is optional cut in half last cut in chunks”
If, like Imani, you have a bit of trepidation when it comes to cutting a pineapple, there are plenty of online tutorials that show you how to effectively and easily do just that, like this one.
And when it comes to online grocery order substitutions, Walmart and many other retailers don’t necessarily force them down customers’ throats. Shoppers do have the option of accepting or declining substitutions and there are settings for food delivery apps one can adjust in case they’re not in a substituting mood.
Walmart notes on its website: “If an item you want is out of stock, we’ll offer a similar item as a substitution. You can accept, decline, or return substituted items.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Imani via TikTok comment and to Walmart via email.