GoPuff Auto-Adds $50.30 to User Cart, Deepening Backlash Over Predictive Food Apps
Updated
Updated · Salon · Aug 20
GoPuff Auto-Adds $50.30 to User Cart, Deepening Backlash Over Predictive Food Apps
1 articles · Updated · Salon · Aug 20
Summary
$50.30 in snacks and household goods appeared in a GoPuff cart after the app’s new “Curated for You” feature auto-added items rather than merely recommending them.
The list mixed plausible late-night picks like Uncrustables and chocolate-covered raspberries with paper towels, cleaner and antibacterial wipes, while the “undo auto-add” option appeared less prominently inside the cart.
That design pushed the app from remembering past orders to acting on presumed future wants, prompting the user to delete items one by one and stop using GoPuff.
The episode reflects a broader shift in food and retail apps toward faux-personal familiarity and predictive selling, extending from loyalty nudges to AI tools that try to detect demand before shoppers explicitly express it.