My wife and I have made a wonderful discovery.

[Native]

39. I had the same issues in the beginning, but the produce I now get is exceptionally better...

Through trial and error I've learned a lot. Like I only do my Whole Foods pickups on Thursdays. According to the produce manager at our store, that's when they get their largest supply of fresh produce. If I wait until Sunday afternoon or Monday morning, just about everything will be disgusting. I found that our Walmart here, as much as I hate shopping at Walmart, has the most gorgeous artichokes imaginable. And their bags of organic russet potatoes are always super fresh. And as for a few of the conventional produce items I buy, our local Publix grocery store has decent stuff. The shoppers have gotten much better at their jobs, and even though I get some duds, for the most part I've been pretty happy. I think what I appreciate most is how easy returns are. If something isn't fresh, I simply go online, click on the box for the item, and I get a credit. Sure beats packaging up rotten crap & having to drive to the store to return it. And what's even better is when they accidentally give you the wrong item but it's something you can still use because you get that item for free. Just the other day I ordered black forest, maple glazed turkey from the deli, and the shopper gave me ham. I went online and clicked the wrong item button and it was credited back to my card. Got to like that!

I buy mostly produce like you. Instacart allows you to write out your preferences for each item, along with substitutions. Green bananas, asparagus that aren't as thick as trees, etc. You can even ask them to take a picture of the item for you so you can approve it. And they're really good about substitutions. For example, when they were out of the eggnog that I like, my shopper sent me a picture of the entire display case and messsged, "We are out of that brand of eggnog, but this is what we have. Would you like any of these other brands?" Once they start shopping for your order and the chat function is up and running, you can basically shop along with them.