Buy a work anniversary gift with ChatGPT agent (it abandoned three carts)

Posted

Jul 31, 2025 by Daniel Sim (LinkedIn)

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Last checked

Oct 17, 2026

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Method:

How we verify

Evidence: Described by posterThe person describes what happened in words, without screenshots or video.

Outcome

A poster asked ChatGPT agent to buy a 4-year work anniversary gift on a $140 budget. It researched and compared well, but abandoned three carts without asking (account required, gift card not found, a form error), unticked marketing emails, made up a phone number that caused shipping issues, chose passwords and rewrote the gift message without consulting him. It finished on a site with guest checkout.

Agent

ChatGPT agent

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 anything important that's missing below. Keep them quick. Then do the task, checking in with me at the key points.

Goal: Find and buy a gift within budget, checking with me before any account, form or message decisions.

What I can give you (ask for whatever's missing):
- Who it's for and what they like
- Budget and delivery deadline
- Delivery address and my phone number
- Gift message wording

Rules:
- Show me 3 options with total delivered price before buying.
- Ask before creating any account or choosing a password; prefer guest checkout.
- Never invent contact details; use only what I give you.
- Use my gift message word for word.
- If a checkout fails, tell me instead of switching stores.
- If a site asks for a login, a CAPTCHA or payment details, stop and hand control back to me.
- Ask for my OK before you pay, book, send, submit or cancel anything.
- Check facts that can change (prices, opening hours, dates, availability, rules) against the official source, and tell me anything you couldn't verify.

Output: Three options, then a filled checkout for my approval, then the confirmation.

You'll know it worked when: the gift is ordered within budget with my exact details and message.

Before you start, ask me 1–3 short questions about anything important that's missing below. Keep them quick. Then do the task, checking in with me at the key points.

Goal: Find and buy a gift within budget, checking with me before any account, form or message decisions.

What I can give you (ask for whatever's missing):
- Who it's for and what they like
- Budget and delivery deadline
- Delivery address and my phone number
- Gift message wording

Rules:
- Show me 3 options with total delivered price before buying.
- Ask before creating any account or choosing a password; prefer guest checkout.
- Never invent contact details; use only what I give you.
- Use my gift message word for word.
- If a checkout fails, tell me instead of switching stores.
- If a site asks for a login, a CAPTCHA or payment details, stop and hand control back to me.
- Ask for my OK before you pay, book, send, submit or cancel anything.
- Check facts that can change (prices, opening hours, dates, availability, rules) against the official source, and tell me anything you couldn't verify.
- Before submitting, show me every form field you filled in so I can check it.

Output: Three options, then a filled checkout for my approval, then the confirmation.

You'll know it worked when: the gift is ordered within budget with my exact details and message.

Before you finish: re-read my goal and constraints, check your answer against each one, and list anything you assumed or couldn't confirm.

Source

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/danielsim_shopify-activity-7356605239640100865-W8-f