Bengaluru Man Calls Out Swiggy Instamart's 'Dark Pattern' For Sending Free Tomatoes

Everyone loves a surprise gift, whether it’s a freebie or a giveaway, right? In today’s competitive market, many brands have embraced the strategy of offering freebies to attract attention, foster goodwill and build customer loyalty. However, not all gestures are well-received. A user of Swiggy Instamart recently voiced his frustration after receiving free tomatoes in his order. The Bengaluru-based customer took to X to criticise the company for what he described as a “dark pattern” of sneaking items into the basket without clear consent.

He also shared a screenshot that shows 500 grams of free tomatoes, added automatically to his order. “Very bad design in Swiggy Instamart, where an item is automatically added to my cart. I don’t want tomatoes but I cannot remove it from my cart. Even if I am not paying for it, this is basket sneaking which is a dark pattern,” he wrote in the post.

A dark pattern is a common trick that websites or apps use to make people do things that they might not want to do. Such patterns can make it difficult for people to opt-out, cancel subscriptions, avoid additional charges, or protect privacy. In this case, the Instamart user explained that he wasn’t able to opt out of the option for freebies.

In an additional tweet, he continued, “Muting this because the idiots of Twitter have found this tweet. The problem isn’t that I’m getting tomatoes. The problem is that basic expectations of e-commerce aren’t being respected. I should have full control as a consumer of what I choose to receive, which isn’t happening.”

The post went instantly viral, garnering a variety of reactions from people. A user wrote, “Customer must have the final say. Offer freebies, but the customer must decide yes or no. Swiggy is losing its way, and Zomato is becoming very dominant briskly. We need a brand that generates profits for businesses & serves us, the consumer better.”

Another added, “This is the nearest dark store having too much stock of tomatoes and want to just dump them off. Give it to your watchman or someone bro.”

A section of users explained how other sites often provide the option of removing free items, suggesting that there might be a bug in this one. Others advised him to donate the free items to the needy.