Real Agent Cases

Build a grocery cart and check out inside ChatGPT with the Instacart app

Posted
by Eric Hal Schwartz (TechRadar)
Last checked
Method:
How we verify

Evidence: Article or interviewA newsletter, journalist or interview account of what happened.

Context: In a comparison test: from a head-to-head chatbot review, not a standalone agent test.

Beginner-friendlyNo logins, payments or coding needed. Low risk: paste the prompt and you should get something useful.

Outcome

TechRadar's reviewer connected Instacart to ChatGPT and asked for infant formula, vanilla ice cream and fruit; ChatGPT suggested products, built the cart quickly and opened a checkout window in the chat confirming items, payment and address.

Agent

ChatGPT (Instacart app)

Prompt Recreated prompt

The source didn't share its exact prompt, so we wrote this from what it describes.

Before you start, ask me 1–3 short questions about the details below and wait for my answers. Once I've answered, confirm the plan in one line and run the whole task start to finish.

Goal: Order a short grocery list for delivery without leaving the chat.

Quick-check questions: What's on the list, any brands or sizes you insist on, and when should it arrive? (Connect Instacart in ChatGPT's apps first.)

What I need from you:
- Your list with sizes or brands ([LIST])
- Store preference
- Delivery address and time

Rules:
- Pick exact sizes and brands I name; for anything vague, choose a mid-priced option and say so.
- Never substitute baby formula or medicine without asking.
- Show the cart total, fees and delivery time before checkout.
- Wait for my OK before placing the order.

Output: A cart summary with items, prices, fees and delivery time, ready for my OK.

If my answers leave a gap, make a sensible choice, say what you assumed, and keep going.

You'll know it worked when: the order matches your list and arrives in the window you chose.

Source

https://www.techradar.com/ai-platforms-assistants/i-asked-chatgpt-and-claude-to-do-my-grocery-shopping-one-felt-like-the-future

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