A Florida woman uses Instacart’s grocery delivery service to save time. However, she shares her frustration when she had to scrub each item in the sink due to a pungent, cigarette smell.
In a video with over 2.2 million views, TikToker Quira (@realmrs.mango) places an eight-pack of Gatorade, cheese, and a frozen strawberry-banana package in the sink. She sprays the groceries down with a thick, white soap.
However, this isn’t her usual post-grocery store routine.
Why did her Instacart groceries have a cigarette smell?
She says she immediately noticed that the groceries had an unmistakable cigarette odor when the Instacart driver delivered them to her home.
The on-screen text reads, “POV: I ordered groceries off Instacart and the driver had our items smelling like cigarettes.”
She attempts to remove the odor by washing the outside of all the food items.
Instacart appears to have a strict no-smoking policy for drivers, according to Instacart contractors who post emails from the delivery service threatening to deactivate their accounts for smoky odors on their deliveries. One driver posts a screenshot on the subreddit r/InstacartShoppers, which claims that smoking on the job violates Instacart’s “Full-Service Shopper Account Access Guidelines.”
In the caption, Quira notes that she reported the smell to Instacart, and the delivery service “comped” her order.
How did other Instacart users react?
In the comments, other food delivery customers say they’ve recieved orders that smell of cigarettes.
“One time i was sick and doordashed soup from panera and it smelled like cigs i criedddd,” one shares.
“Doordashed Starbucks and thought my cake pop was an edible. smelled LOUDD,” another writes.
“I had literally had the same issues yesterday but mine was the other stuff you know. I was mad because it was baby food,” a third adds.
Many believe the no-smoking policy is reasonable, despite some drivers not adhering to it.
“You cannot smoke in an office when you’re working, so you shouldn’t smoke in a car that you work with,” a commenter writes.
However, some defend the Instacart driver, saying they can smoke in their personal car if they please.
“It’s definitely annoying, but you guys need to be realistic. These are people who don’t even get physically interviewed. Most people are doing this for extra cash and getting paid bare minimum now you expect them not smoking in their personal car?” a viewer asks.
“It is annoying. I can’t stand the smell. But you could also go get your own groceries lol,” a second suggests.
“I don’t even smoke cigarettes but I’m mature enough to know I can’t control somebody else’s vehicle. If you don’t like something you should probably go do it yourself . If policy is something you feel strong about put it in the notes that you prefer non-smoker,” a third writes.
@realmrs.manigo That’s the only downfall of ordering groceries. Good news is they comped our order. #fyp #relatable #instacart ♬ oh my god bruh oh hell na man
The Mary Sue reached out to Quira and Instacart via email for further comment.
Update Oct. 27, 2025:
In an email to The Mary Sue, Quira questions why commenters are split on whether it’s appropriate for an Instacart driver to smoke after picking up groceries.
“At the end of the day, they are employed. I’m not saying they can’t smoke, but now that said smoke is on customers’ orders. It’s just not right,” she writes.
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