An Instacart shopper has gone viral after calling the cops on what he described as a ‘Karen.’ In a two-part TikTok series, which has amassed over 1 million cumulative views, Max Kanner (@maxkanner15) shared how his dealings with an Instacart shopper quickly went off the rails.
In essence, Kanner claims that the woman “flipped out” when he asked to scan her ID on his phone, saying that she was uncomfortable with this. He says that while he repeatedly explained that it was Instacart’s policy to do this, the woman refused to relent. He notes that while she was obviously overage, Instacart wouldn’t let her keep her order if she didn’t have her ID scanned. So, he started grabbing the shopping bags to return this order.
As he started grabbing bags, he claims she started grabbing too, and began recording him. At this point, he called Instacart and explained that the customer refused to have ID scanned—and Instacart, he said, agreed with him, saying that they would need to refund the order.
At this point, the woman threatened to call the police—but Kanner got there first. He said he decided to record her too, and then shared footage of the encounter, where the woman reiterates that she didn’t want her ID scanned.
“I don’t know why you’re being difficult with me,” the TikToker said.
“You are at my house,” the woman shot back.
As he tried to take another bag, the woman could be seen intervening, with Kanner asking her not to touch him. He reiterated that he was doing what Instacart told him to do, and as the woman accused him of “making things up,” he retorted, “When I was grabbing the bag you came at me.”
What happened next?
In the second part, Kanner shared more footage of himself and the woman in conversation with the police. According to him, the woman lied several times to the cops. Her first purported lie was that he tried to take the order back, with Kanner noting that she was “missing the part” when Instacart told him to do so.
The second was when she told the police that she was telling him what to say to Instacart, when, in actuality, Kanner says that she was “screaming” at him. The woman also allegedly claimed that the man gave her “misinformation,” and that she used her phone to call the police, when she was actually using her phone to record him.
Kanner also claimed that the woman insulted him by implying that he was a “he/she” and that he came from a poor neighborhood. At one point, the TikToker called the woman a ‘Karen,’ which, in turn, irked both the woman and the police. Despite the woman now saying she’d scan the ID, Kanner said he was uncomfortable and that Instacart was already processing the refund. So, he left.
He says that he later showed his parents the video. They noted that she comes from a wealthy area that has its own police force, and questioned whether the cops sided with the woman because of this.
Ultimately, he says that Instacart was “really helpful.” The company flagged the woman’s address so that he would never have to deliver to her again.
Kanner didn’t immediately respond to The Mary Sue’s request for comment via TikTok comment. Instacart didn’t immediately respond to The Mary Sue’s request for comment via email.
In the comments, users took Kanner’s side. “She doesn’t want a random person to have an her ID, but she gave a random person her address mind you,” one wrote.
“It’s not just Instacart policy, it’s the LAW to ID for alcohol purchases,” another added.
“It’s honestly that age range,” a third remarked. “They feel [like] everyone is trying to steal their info. Not sure how we can steal info from scanning their ID. I don’t think like a criminal, though.”
While a fourth speculated, “I bet it’s not her first time doing this, she must’ve gotten away with it other times if so.”
A fifth theorized that “100% her ID is expired or suspended. She’d have to do the same thing if she went in person and thought she could work around it.”
Does Instacart always require an ID for alcohol purchases?
According to an Instacart website targeted toward drivers, the shopping service only delivers alcohol to those aged 21 or older.
To release the order, the customer must also present an “Instacart-accepted form of ID” to the driver, along with their date of birth, to verify their identity. The site also recommends telling customers about the policy prior to their delivery because “the customer experience is better if the customer knows what to expect.”
Other rules from Instacart’s alcohol policy include never leaving the alcohol unattended and not allowing an underage or intoxicated person to collect the order.
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Charlotte Colombo
Charlotte is an internet culture writer with bylines in Insider, VICE, Glamour, The Independent, and more. She holds a Master’s degree in Magazine Journalism from City St George’s, University of London.
