An Australian shopper was left bewildered after home security footage captured an Uber Eats delivery driver carefully placing select Coles items on the path before tipping out the rest of their order directly onto the concrete.
The video, which was taken on Sunday evening in Newcastle, shows the delivery driver standing near the front pathway of a suburban home beside a red, insulated Coles delivery bag.
The woman ordered watermelon, rice, iced coffee, fruits, and baby items, such as formula and baby toothbrushes.
At first, the drop-off appears entirely routine.
The delivery worker stoops down and methodically removes individual items — including fresh produce like watermelon and several jars and bottles — placing them onto the pathway with standard care.
However, the delivery takes a dramatic turn seconds later.
Rather than continuing to unpack or hand over the remaining bagged items, the driver lifts the heavy delivery tote, turns it completely upside down, and dumps a pile of boxed goods, ambient pantry items, and crushed packages straight onto the ground.
The driver left the scattered pile of groceries in the customer’s driveway, breaking the packaging for the jelly fruits and one of the baby toothbrushes.
Home delivery services from major supermarket chains like Coles have surged in popularity, promising convenience and door-to-door reliability for busy households. However, it wouldn’t be the first time doorbell camera footage has captured a delivery that went pear-shaped.
The footage quickly sparked a flurry of reactions online after being shared on Facebook and Instagram, with many users stunned by the driver’s sudden decision to empty the contents onto the ground.
The customer, Ashlea Rhodes-Kim, shared the video, captioning it: “This is why I tip after, not before”, and reassured viewers they were not mad.
“I mostly posted this because I find it funny. Yes, it’s horrible service, but I don’t have the energy to be mad,” Mrs Rhodes-Kim commented after posting the video.
Amassing over hundreds of thousands of views across different platforms, many chimed in with their thoughts on the careless delivery.
“Common sense isn’t too common for him,” one person commented.
“The tipping out your groceries on the ground is freaking diabolical,” a second person wrote.
“What the hell?” a third person questioned.
“No way!!! This is diabolical work,” a fourth person claimed.
Although after further investigation, it seems that when you order Coles via the Uber Eats app, items are packed in full-sized reusable paper bags, and a bag fee (typically $2.00 per order) is included during your checkout process on the app.
So perhaps the reason the items were tipped out was that the customer didn’t pay for the bag themselves.
“Sorry, but he has 0 need to buy a bag in order to get you your stuff; that’s on the store entirely. Give him his tip,” one person pointed out.
“Well you clearly didn’t buy a bag, meaning that is his personal bag, so you know what, I don’t blame him. What were you expecting him to just carry the items by hand?” a second user commented.
“At checkout you’re prompted to ask for a paper bag, aren’t you? You said you didn’t purchase them. So he perhaps arrived, and bags weren’t provided to him on collection. He may have purchased that bag himself and … He may have felt not great about also paying out of he’s own money $2 for that insulated bag,” another user shared.
“Perhaps purchase a bag. We know Coles charges for bags. You didn’t pay for one,” one person suggested.
“Just maybe purchase a bag? He probably needed the bag to continue dashing, or because they don’t let you collect without a bag … just a perspective,” another user explained.
Mrs Rhodes-Kim also shared the delivery confirmation they received after the driver left.
“It’s actually diabolical the fact that he took and submitted the picture of his handy work,” Mrs Rhodes-Kim shared.
The image shows some of the items placed quite neatly on the doorstep, next to a cluster of other items that were tipped over.
Coles declined to comment on the video when contacted by news.com.au, but pointed out that when a customer orders groceries directly through Coles, the items are always placed and left in bags and never taken out or tipped over.
Some users shared the sentiment that the customer should have ordered directly from Coles if they wanted their items in a bag, with one person asking, “Why use Uber Eats for this s**t when you can just get Coles Delivery where they actually deliver it in a bag/box for cheaper?”
Speaking out following the overwhelming online response, Mrs Rhodes-Kim said she never expected the clip to blow up the way it did.
“What I do have to say regarding the video is that I literally posted it last night, not expecting more than friends and family to be shocked. So having it get so much attention is rather overwhelming,” they told news.com.au.
Mrs Rhodes-Kim acknowledged that the driver was “trying to be careful” in his delivery, but then it looks like he “gives up” before “dumping” the items
In response to a bunch of commenters explaining they should have ordered a bag, they say they would have “happily paid him for the bag”, but said he should’ve communicated with them.
She also reassured that she wasn’t entirely angry about the incident.
“This delivery worker made a poor choice this time, but it’s really not the end of the world,” Mrs Rhodes-Kim shared.
She confirmed that Uber Eats has since reached out to resolve the incident.
“Uber did respond to me over email and has refunded me for the melon, the jellies, and the missing toothbrush,” they said.
“I hope going forward this is a lesson in the fact that we are all humans, we sometimes make mistakes, but hopefully can learn from them.”
Mrs Rhodes-Kim stressed that everyone should be “kinder” to delivery workers.
They also have a sense of humour, explaining that the ordeal made them “laugh”.
“It just seemed like he didn’t care, and it felt like the photo [of the delivery confirmation] was a shrug to that,” they expressed.
Uber Eats have since seen the footage and responded.
“We are aware of the video and are currently investigating the incident,” an Uber Eats spokesperson told news.com.au
“Delivery people using the Uber Eats app are expected to handle orders with care and follow our Community Guidelines.”