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Instacart is an American company that operates a pick-up and delivery service in the United States and Canada, which runs via a website and mobile app.
The idea is simple: a person selects products from participating retailers, and an independent contractor, also known as a shopper, picks up the items and delivers them.
However, the reality is much more chaotic. As the subreddit r/InstacartShoppers shows, the interactions on the platform can get quite funny, weird, infuriating, and even creepy.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
That’s A New One
RELATED:
#2
Tips Pay The Bills But This
The range of stores someone can purchase from (and, in turn, the orders themselves) depends on where they live. Typically, Instacart provides access to a range of retailers, including:
- grocery stores;
- pharmacies;
- big box stores;
- pet supply chains;
- office supply retailers.
#3
Had A Delivery That Was Just 4 20lb Cat Food Bags This Morning, And Upon Arrival
#4
So I Had A First Today. Take The First Load To The Customer’s Door And Come Back For Another And There’s A Damn Goat In My Trunk Investigating Things
#5
The Only Type Of Customer I Like Meeting Me At The Door
Instacart offers free deliveries for new members, but afterward, delivery fees start from $3.99 for same-day orders over the value of $35. Otherwise, they will vary according to these factors:
- the time of day;
- a person’s location;
- the size of the order.
However, it's also important to highlight that the delivery fees do not include tips for the shoppers.
#6
Found Kittens While Shopping
#7
When You Pull Up To A Big A**ed Apartment Complex And Worry About Having To Hunt For The Address, But Then You Realize That Ricky Is A God Damn Hero. 5 Stars Ricky... Would Deliver Again
Penguin Panda Pop 2 years ago
I worked in customer sevice for over 15 years. The customers who put a little bit of thought into how to make your job easier are the best people.
#8
I Thought The Candies Are For Kids For A While
Say No to Downvoting 2 years ago
How many deliveries does that person get that necessitates all that? Do they bring it in at night and when it’s rainy? Do they leave it there until it’s gone/past it’s use by date all all faded and gross? Did they do it for one week, take a picture to show off then eat it all themselves? I have so many questions!
#9
This Order Was 25 Boxes Of Breakfast Bars And 6 Cases Of Water. Didn’t Even Mind Carrying The 6 Cases Of Water!!! I Knew It Was For The March In Dc. Makes Me Proud To See. I Bought Some Fruit Snacks For Them To Give Out For The Kids. #blacklivesmatters
Grocery delivery can be a convenient and potentially safer option for many individuals, including:
- People with certain health conditions: Certain health issues may make in-store shopping difficult or stressful for some. Those who find shopping difficult due to mobility problems, chronic fatigue, or other similar reasons may benefit from a home delivery service.
- People following a meal plan: Instacart makes it easier to stick to a specific shopping list, and this may be helpful for those who are trying to improve the quality of their diet.
- People who want to avoid impulse buys.
- Busy people: Instacart may be helpful for those who work long hours or have caring responsibilities and wish to save time.
#10
Rough Day
#11
Best Delivery Pic Ever!
#12
Kelly Likes Her Job A Lil Too Much
#13
What A $1 Tippers House Looks Like
Jill Rhodry 2 years ago
That's why they've got the house - frugal - or cheapskates, or miserly, or stingy....
There are currently more than 600,000 existing shoppers delivering the things people need.
But the amount of money they earn varies and depends a lot on their role type. In the United States, for example, there are options to become a full-service shopper or an in-store shopper.
#14
Customer Left An Envelope With My Name On It
#15
Be Kind To Your Shoppers!
#16
Met These Characters On A Delivery Today
#17
Well Damn Kimmy
Panda Kicki 2 years ago
What is this ?? Death threats about a order? Karens upgrading their game?
Full-service shoppers:
- Can shop for and deliver groceries (car needed);
- Are independent 1099 contractors (they handle taxes);
- Are able to work when they want;
- Can earn tips on top of pay;
- Option is available wherever Instacart operates.
#18
Marie’s Reaction To Me Having To Evacuate The Kroger In The Middle Of Her Batch
#19
I Don’t Even Know How To Respond To This Smh
#20
Best Day Ever!!
#21
Instacart Support Is So Good
LonelyLittleLeafSheep 2 years ago
So 2-3 minutes in Instacart time equals 14 minutes in regular time.
In-store shoppers:
- Shop on an assigned shift;
- Do in-store shopping only (no delivery, so a car isn't required);
- Are part-time employees of Instacart (the company handles taxes);
- Work shifts up to 29 hours per week;
- Option is available in many areas (but not all) to help meet increased demand.
#22
Instacart Sent Me To The Wrong Address. Customer Care Can’t Figure Out Where This Customer Lives Or Phone Number So They Cancelled The Order. So Here I Am With $600 Worth Of Crab And Lobster
#23
Wrong Item My A**
#24
How Am I Gonna Fit This Into A Toyota Camry?
#25
A Delivery I Did A While Ago
For full-service shoppers, Instacart is like Uber for food. While in-store shoppers earn a fixed, hourly wage, these folks earn by the order with varying amounts.
The Instacart app shows an estimate of potential earnings for every order and guarantees shoppers will earn at least $5 for each delivery-only run and $7 to $10 for each full-service (shop, load, and deliver) batch.
#26
I've Always Thought About Doing This
#27
Well There Goes My Tip
#28
Costco- $1,050 Order. Life Changing Tip
Took this thinking it might be percentage based tip. Nah, customer tipped flat 25.
1hr 46 minutes in store. 10 mins loading… which I had to Tetris in my camry. 10mins unloading into cust garage.
Biggest order I’ve done so far. I’ve done orders from the same store, paid 3x more and took less time. Needless to say I was disappointed after all the hard work
Phillip Neely 2 years ago
43 bucks for 2hrs of work and you still crying…come on that’s a good hourly wage in many communities.
#29
The Customer Had This Sign In Front Of Her House. She Tipped $2
Monday 2 years ago
If I have a pro-choice sign outside my house, will you expect me to do your abortion for you? No? So why on Earth are you expecting the person with the raise the minimum wage sign to pay your wage? The whole point of raising the minimum wage is to A: Help people earn a living and B: Get rid of the bloody tip culture.
Earning potential is usually higher when customer demand spikes, so working on Sundays and during popular events, like the Super Bowl, can mean more money, but, as you can see from the pictures, more interaction with customers can increase your headache as well.
#30
And The Trophy For Most Entitled Customer Goes To
Take me to dinner first 2 years ago
Easy, pay the amount of orders they would have working in that hour
#31
Needless To Say, I Had A Bit Of A Crappy Night Last Night. This Lady Summed It Up Pretty Well. She Also Called And Gave Instacart Hell As Well
#32
Cancelled So Quickly Because Ew
Take me to dinner first 2 years ago
Since you were gentle in that message, I would like to get creepy on you :)
#34
Rude Customer Gets Equal Treatment
TheGoodBoi 2 years ago
That would be a waste of time for everyone lol...When I was a delivery driver for pizza, this happened allllll the time. Usually would get the "*grumble* I'll just come to the get and get it a*****e" It's not our fault you ordered something and won't provide the gate code...
#35
You Guys, What???
#36
Go F**k Yourself And Make A Note Of It, Maybe!? No Communication Attempts Until I Was Minutes From Delivery, 50+mins Into The Batch. This Specific Store Doesn’t Even Have Paper Bags, As The Specific Township Is One Of Few That Isn’t Enforcing A Bag Ban In Our County
#37
I Received No Help, But I Did Receive This
#38
Already Had All The Groceries In The Car
#41
When You Provide Really Solid Service For Someone Thanks Instacart For Taking Our Tips Away. More Than Likely Some Of The Best Service They’ve Ever Had
Monday 2 years ago
This is fair. Tips are meant to be something extra added on for good service, not a requirement. A chunk of that service/delivery fee is supposed to go to the employee as pay anyway. I know that doesn't always happen, but it's not up to the customer to make up for s****y wages.
#42
It Finally Happened
#43
I Try Not To Judge Others Too Harshly But Come On
#44
No, I Did Not!
Lakota Wolf 2 years ago
As someone who worked retail for 2 1/2 years, I can assure you, what you see on the shelf is what we have. We rarely “have some in back” unless we’ve literally gotten some in that day’s load and haven’t checked it in yet (in which case I couldn’t give it to you anyways!) Whenever you ask us to “go check in the back anyway”, we walk into the back, díck around on our phone or chat with a co-worker for two minutes, and then come back out. “No, sorry, I couldn’t find anything in back…”
#45
I Couldn’t Believe My Eyes!!!
#46
Is This Legit? Have Y’all Paid With Your Card?
#47
Why Are Customers Like This ?
Take me to dinner first 2 years ago
Maybe they have a devastatingly awful jealous wife that feels insecure by female shoppers, which would lead to the new question "why are people like this?"
#49
Instacart Shopper Didn't Want To Get Out And Walk
#50
Never Thought This Would Ever Happen To Me!
#51
First Batch Of The Morning… 30 Pineapples
#52
Insta-Cancel
#53
Gotta Love Support (I Haven’t Been Getting Paid)
#54
“They’re Out Of The Green Celery”
#55
Instacart NY Shoppers
#56
I Think I May Have Finally Snapped
Penguin Panda Pop 2 years ago
A version of this should be the standard message when folks try to reduce the tip.
#57
Why Did She Ignore My Questions Lol
#58
Flat Out Gross. No Other Word To Describe It
#59
Customer Dog Attacked Car During Delivery
#60
4000 Bottles Of Water
#61
Note Left On My Car From Other Shoppers
LonelyLittleLeafSheep 2 years ago
Instacart "batches" multiple orders together and offers them as a group. You have to shop them all simultaneously. They do it to hide non-tipping orders that no one wants. The shopper can't see who tipped what until they accept the order, then they're penalized if they cancel after accepting.
#62
Gotta Have A U-Haul To Do This Order
#63
Yeah How About No
#64
Got A Unique Request Today
#65
What Did They Do With All Those Bananas?
#66
Sorry Ma’am I Don’t Control The Stock Of The Store
#67
Charged $80 For 2lbs Of Salmon
RapidUnscheduledDisassembly 2 years ago
That "~2 lb" means that packages are usually around 2 lbs. on average, but weights vary. The package ended up being entered as 8.99 pounds. Either the package weight was entered wrong, which is a store problem, or the shopper picked out a shopping huge package that was 8.99 pounds. Probably mislabeled weight.
#68
I’m Sad Wanted To Give Back And Was Ignored
I’ve had to instacart shop for living and recently got a good job. I wanted to give back to other shoppers so I did a grocery order while I’m at the beach for a festival. I gave a good tip and was waiting with a thank you bag with snacks and a Java monster. The driver wouldn’t answer the whole order and when it said delivered I asked where and no response. Turns out they left the order in the lobby even tho I had hand to customer on… oh well next time
#69
Im So Dizzy & I Almost Had An Accident
#70
Nahhh, Not Today!
#71
I Delivered To This Apartment Today
#73
I Hope She Gets What She Deserves
#75
My Moms Shopper From A Day Or Two Ago
#76
The Shopper Never Came Back For The Groceries
#78
Do Yall Ever Accidentally Text Your Wives On Here
#79
Is This Crazy To Send My Shopper?
#80
Was I Wrong For This?
#81
Tip Bated In The Worst Way Possible!
LonelyLittleLeafSheep 2 years ago
And the customer will request a no-contact delivery to be left on the porch so they don't have to look the shopper in the eye.
#82
At Least They Said Something, First Time I’ve Received A Message Like This
Tania Minhas 2 years ago
Crazy idea....what if the workers would get a correct payment from their employers?? And not making customers responsible for this f*****g slavery system! Tips are not meant as a main parte of your income, tips are not for just doing your work. Tips are for an exceptional, outstanding service. I really feel sorry for these people being forced to work under such sh***y conditions. All workers deserve a correct payment and should not depend on the kindness of customers.
#83
You Doing It?
Terry Tobias 2 years ago
I'd do it as long as it's just a bag or two. You wouldn't be walking any farther and if the place was a little dodgy, I'd contact the customer and say I couldn't do it.
#84
Suspicious Order
ƒιѕн 2 years ago
Once again, context from OP - 3 Apple Watches totaling around $1000, decided to take it for a possible hidden tip and/or to see how IC handles fraud. I tried talking to support but the chats kept ending for some reason. The lady I delivered it to was blind and had to sign for it her phone (which she did). Asked to take a picture of her with all 3 items to protect myself in the event of fraud (not posting that picture for privacy reasons)
#85
When You Order 6 Bananas, It Means 6 Bananas Lol
#87
Would U Take This?
#89
Pray For Me
Penguin Panda Pop 2 years ago
I get the joke but, there's actually no reason why both those customers were not super nice.
#90
I Want To Share My Best Week Yet
#92
Help. Does Anyone Know About This?
#96
Got Blessed With All This Today. Thanks Ic
Amy Taylor 2 years ago
I ordered something when I was at my cousin’s 2 hours away and forgot to change the address back to mine, so my groceries for my family of 4 wound up at his house 🤦🏻♀️ and he lives alone, lol. I ended up having him share them with his neighbors that I know. Oops.
#97
How To Deal With Scammers 101
#98
100 Bags Of Mulch
#100
Wth. Isn't This Cheating?
Add New Image
What do you think ?
LonelyLittleLeafSheep 2 years ago
To reiterate for the idiots: shoppers are NOT employees! They are independent contractors who get offered a base rate (usually $8-10) to shop and deliver groceries to the customer's door. The bigwigs at Instacart get all those fees, not the person shopping. And to those saying "get a real job" maybe they can't. Maybe they can't afford childcare and work hours opposite their spouse/partner? Maybe they're retired and their fixed income isn't enough to survive? If you want to use the app to get personal shopping services (which saves you time and fuel in your own vehicle) then TIP YOUR SHOPPER! Otherwise go get your own damn groceries!
Ace 2 years ago
Weird. Half of these just don;t seem in any way entitled or strange. The tipping thing rears its head again, but even taking that into account I cannot work out the point of many of these posts.
Betsy Ray 2 years ago
Now I'm upset for the drivers. So many terrible cheap sub-humans out there who cheat these hard workers.
Donkeywheel 2 years ago
Cheat? They paid the asking price. If that’s not enough for the work needed, no one should have accepted. As for tipping, that’s optional.
Load More Replies... LonelyLittleLeafSheep 2 years ago
To reiterate for the idiots: shoppers are NOT employees! They are independent contractors who get offered a base rate (usually $8-10) to shop and deliver groceries to the customer's door. The bigwigs at Instacart get all those fees, not the person shopping. And to those saying "get a real job" maybe they can't. Maybe they can't afford childcare and work hours opposite their spouse/partner? Maybe they're retired and their fixed income isn't enough to survive? If you want to use the app to get personal shopping services (which saves you time and fuel in your own vehicle) then TIP YOUR SHOPPER! Otherwise go get your own damn groceries!
Ace 2 years ago
Weird. Half of these just don;t seem in any way entitled or strange. The tipping thing rears its head again, but even taking that into account I cannot work out the point of many of these posts.
Betsy Ray 2 years ago
Now I'm upset for the drivers. So many terrible cheap sub-humans out there who cheat these hard workers.
Donkeywheel 2 years ago
Cheat? They paid the asking price. If that’s not enough for the work needed, no one should have accepted. As for tipping, that’s optional.
Load More Replies...
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