# Instacart in these troubled plague-like times?



## Greenfox (Sep 12, 2019)

So does anyone here do instacart?

I signed up 2day, waiting for b.g. check to pass so this fox here can bring YOU HUMANS SOME FOOD!

Anyone with experience on this?

Please let me know.

I need to know what to expect tips, etc, etc. earnings, etc, etc, thanks!


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## Seamus (Jun 21, 2018)

If you keep your expectations very low, they will be met.


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## Greenfox (Sep 12, 2019)

Seamus said:


> If you keep your expectations very low, they will be met.


how low is VERY LOW'???

My guy that referred me said

1. ALWAYS work, especially now
2. 75-80% people tip (as opposed to my flipping 30% tip rate w. schluber/gryft)
3. About 3oo.oo a day???

that's what I was told, anyways ...

ALSO IF I PASSED BG... FOR LUBER/GRYFFT.....

i SHOULD be ok for ic?

thanks.


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## Seamus (Jun 21, 2018)

Greenfox said:


> how low is VERY LOW'???
> 
> My guy that referred me said
> 
> ...


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## ashlee2004 (Apr 19, 2019)

$300/day?

Dude someone lied to you. They're just trying to get the referral fee.


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## Greenfox (Sep 12, 2019)

ashlee2004 said:


> $300/day?
> 
> Dude someone lied to you. They're just trying to get the referral fee.


That crappy huh


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## DarkBerry (Dec 10, 2019)

$300 per day isn’t realistic but it will keep the lights on during these trying times. They give you batches available to work, and the amount includes the tip by the customer. You choose the batch you want to accept. They don’t let you cash out until you do your first 5 batches. And the customer tip money can’t be cashed out instantly. The customer can change the tip amount and you get the tips in your weekly deposit. That I don’t like. I hope these customers aren’t promising a high tip to attract a shopper and then after you do the job, changing the tip amount. IC shouldn’t allow customers to change the tip amount. That’s the downside. The upside is there are jobs available all day from 9am to whenever the grocery stores close. Really busy now.


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## Ubertool (Jan 24, 2020)

Greenfox said:


> So does anyone here do instacart?
> 
> I signed up 2day, waiting for b.g. check to pass so this fox here can bring YOU HUMANS SOME FOOD!
> 
> ...


You couldn't pay me enough to shop for someone, then deliver it to people who don't tip , I don't even like transporting humans ( except the tipping ones , the others get the scenic route and some even get the shuffle, can you shuffle with instacart?


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## UberBeemer (Oct 23, 2015)

Just got my card today. I will let uou know if my experience is any different.


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## ANT 7 (Oct 14, 2018)

The local grocery stores here have their own staff doing pics and the deliveries. 

They will not use third party services due to cost. 

Only problem is, right now it's being quoted as 7-8 days for delivery if you order online.


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## ashlee2004 (Apr 19, 2019)

I'm gonna be 100% honest with you. Yesterday I delivered an order 20 miles from the store and this is the tip I was given.

In an affluent part of town.










Not joking. I sent this to a couple people b!tching about it.

This is not where the money is. If you can do literally anything else, do that.


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## Ubertool (Jan 24, 2020)

some people are just scum , years ago tipping was never an issue , sad that in 10 years people have become cheap in this country


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## DarkBerry (Dec 10, 2019)

IC does tell you how much the customer intends to tip before doing the job. If the tip isn't adequate, I won't accept the job. Like if the customer wants 75 items and only tipping $2, nope! I look for a larger tip, the larger the order and the more items involved. Today I got lucky... the lady tipped $20 on the app and another $20 in cash at the door. But I'm sure those kinds of people are rare. I'm just starting IC. I'm skeptical about just accepting an order that says "No tip" and hoping they'll tip in cash at the door. I personally like to see my tip up front. It also makes me go the extra mile when I know there's a hefty tip to be earned. Just hope they don't change the tip amount in app later. In my area there are so many batches available that I've been cherry picking. IC seems like a better bet to me right now than U/L... sitting around with the app on all day hoping for unicorns.


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## Taxi2Uber (Jul 21, 2017)

DarkBerry said:


> IC does tell you how much the customer intends to tip before doing the job. If the tip isn't adequate, I won't accept the job. Like if the customer wants 75 items and only tipping $2, nope! I look for a larger tip, the larger the order and the more items involved. Today I got lucky... the lady tipped $20 on the app and another $20 in cash at the door. But I'm sure those kinds of people are rare. I'm just starting IC. I'm skeptical about just accepting an order that says "No tip" and hoping they'll tip in cash at the door. I personally like to see my tip up front. It also makes me go the extra mile when I know there's a hefty tip to be earned. Just hope they don't change the tip amount in app later. In my area there are so many batches available that I've been cherry picking. IC seems like a better bet to me right now than U/L... sitting around with the app on all day hoping for unicorns.


I should be getting the IC card tomorrow and maybe start this weekend. 
I don't know anybody that does it, so I have some newbie questions.

Do you contact the customer everytime an item is not available?
Every shopping list is going to have hand sanitizer on it, right? Which is likely a NO.
I went to the store for myself today and half the shelves were empty, so it seems a lot of the items on the list would not be available.
Are customers generally understanding?

Have you run into a shopping list with, say, 10 cases of bottled water on it?
I couldn't fit them in the car. 
Whats the move on that one?
Again, does the customer seem upset when you can't fulfill their request?

Without revealing any tricks of the trade, what are some of the general rules to go by?
Like, NEVER do Walmart, or ALWAYS do Whole Foods or whatever.
Or NEVER do 10 or 50 item for less than $XX.

Thanks.


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## MontcoUberDriver (Aug 14, 2018)

Taxi2Uber said:


> I should be getting the IC card tomorrow and maybe start this weekend.
> I don't know anybody that does it, so I have some newbie questions.
> 
> Do you contact the customer everytime an item is not available?
> ...


You won't need to contact the customer over missing items. You have the option to substitute or refund the item. The customer is notified and they have the option to make changes to your choice. They shouldn't be surprised if you can't get certain items right now.

You get to see what items are on the order before you accept so you can avoid heavy orders. Heavy items pay more so keep that in mind. I've done orders that were just cases of water. No big deal but I won't touch an order like that if it's an apartment.

I don't worry too much about which store it is. I like to look at the number of items and driving distance vs pay to decide if I am willing to accept or not.


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## TPAMB (Feb 13, 2019)

This is just like any gig work. You have to treat it like a business. Your business. If it doesnt pay well, pass. There are some batches, 1 order, that pay well (huge tip) but they are far and few between, maybe 1-3 a day. You have to be paitient, wait, pounce on them and then you are running it like a for profit business.Those 3 batch orders for 20 miles and no or little tip with 120 items, screw that.

One other thing... keep in mind that like Uber and Lyft, the Algo is learning. If it sees shoppers (you) taking batches for nothing, it will keep as much of the service fee for IC and keep paying shit. Sadly, newbs are taking everything keeping pay per batches low, especially in areas where there are tons of newbs. Also, like Lyft, the higher your rating, the better the batches (read higher pay and tip) that will show up on your app.


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## Ubertool (Jan 24, 2020)

Your never gonna be able to teach people that picking and choosing is in there best interest , I’ve seen it time and time again, some people choose to take profitable rides/ deliveries , others take scraps like a wild animal and feel grateful to receive them , I prefer profitable rides/ deliveries


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## TPAMB (Feb 13, 2019)

Good, let them tie themselves up with shit orders. Like on Lyft and Uber, let them take the shit X, Comfort, Pet and XL rides whilst I wait for the Premier, Lux Black and Lux Black XL rides. I do less work and make the same amount of money or more with less miles on my car, less fuel, nicer riders, etc.


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## The queen 👸 (Jan 2, 2020)

ashlee2004 said:


> I'm gonna be 100% honest with you. Yesterday I delivered an order 20 miles from the store and this is the tip I was given.
> 
> In an affluent part of town.
> 
> ...


&#128563;&#128563;&#128563;&#128563;&#129324;&#129324;&#129324;&#129324;&#129324;&#129324;


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## DarkBerry (Dec 10, 2019)

Taxi2Uber said:


> I should be getting the IC card tomorrow and maybe start this weekend.
> I don't know anybody that does it, so I have some newbie questions.
> 
> Do you contact the customer everytime an item is not available?
> ...


No worries, I don't mind sharing my secrets. I do not contact the customer every time the store doesn't have their item. That would take too much time. I substitute with what I think will be the best replacement if there is one. I always send a greeting to the customer in the beginning that says "Hi I'm (name), I'll be your shopper today. Just want to give you a heads up that the store is running low on a lot of items. I will do my best to get your items but there will be things that have to be replaced or refunded." If you make a replacement they don't like, they can change it and the app will tell you that instead of your replacement, the customer wants a refund. In that case just process the refund and put the item back. It would take too much time to actually contact the customer when each little item is out, you'll be in the store all day. You have to use your judgement and make the best replacements.

There are certain times when I will ask them what replacement they want, like if they want Frosted Flakes, and the the store is out, I'll ask them what is their next choice. Sometimes they get their 3rd or 4th choice down the line, but again, don't do this for every single item. Like if they want unsweetened, vanilla almond milk in a certain brand and its out, and there is another unsweetened, vanilla almond milk, I'll get it. If they want a bag of Hanover pretzels, they may get Herrs pretzels instead.

The app will sometimes make suggestions on what you can replace an item with, if that replacement item is also not available, then you will have to pick a replacement. When you replace an item you may have to "Force Replace" it. Just hit the "Force Replace" button and take a photo of your replacement, which will be sent to the customer and continue to the next item. If there is no replacement available, refund the item.

Most are very understanding. They know items are out at grocery stores. They're not living under a rock. Most understand they have to be flexible. But the other day I got one lady who was super picky and it was so annoying. She kept wanting specific replacements for things, and I would just refund her. I wasn't going to go back and look for specific replacements, I felt that was unreasonable. Time is money. If you're that picky, you need to go to the grocery store yourself.

My experience has been THE ITEM in demand is toilet paper. Most stores are completely out of toilet paper, in which case I'll send them a note and say "Sorry no toilet paper anywhere in the store. I spoke to the manager and they're completely out." even if I didn't speak to the manager I say that, letting them know I'm working very hard for them LOL.

Before you accept the order, view it. There will be a list of the items requested, so if you see 10 cases of water, simply do not accept that order.

If you accept 2 or 3 batch orders, remember you have to have a good system of keeping the orders separate. I used to get a large shopping cart and get a smaller hand basket and put it into the large shopping cart. And I would put customer A's stuff in the large cart, and customer B's stuff in the hand basket. But... they removed hand basket's from some grocery stores during Coronavirus. So now I have a sharpie and tabs and I'll stick tabs on the items to keep them separate. And I'll put customer A's items in the front of the cart and customer B's items in the back. Or you can throw everything together in cart and separate it at the end, whichever works best for you. 2 or 3 batch orders are more work. I've accepted 2 batch orders, never did a 3 batch order. Doesn't seem worth the hassle IMO as long as there are plenty of batches available, you can be kind of picky.

Also, IC doesn't pay out customer tips right away. They pay you in your weekly deposit for the customer tips so make sure you set up your checking information so they can deposit your tips weekly into your account. That's really annoying. So basically if you made $100, $50 of that money may be customer tips, so you'll have to wait for the weekly deposit to get that money. I think the pay day is Wednesday but I'm not sure since I just started. Also, they make you do 5 batches before you can do your first instant cash out.

Also, I always screen shot the order before I accept it so I know what I'm supposed to be paid.

In my area there are certain stores that always have IC orders all day long. They happen to be stores I shop at for myself. So if I can do all my orders at those local stores I'm familiar with, all the better. Like near me there's an Acme and Giant, I always go to for myself. So I prefer getting all my orders at those stores because I'm familiar with where items are, that helps a lot.

And obviously shop for the frozen stuff like ice cream last! Good Luck!


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## TPAMB (Feb 13, 2019)

These are the batches you take.


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## UberCemetery (Sep 4, 2014)

A lot of work picking shelves for items. Then dropping off and sometimes in two different directions if you get a double order. Good luck. That's why they are hiring. People do not stay with it.


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## Taxi2Uber (Jul 21, 2017)

@DarkBerry @MontcoUberDriver @TPAMB

Awesome! Thanks you guys. That was huge!

Never occurred to me that 2 batches come in for the same store at same time.
That might overwhelm me just starting.



TPAMB said:


> These are the batches you take.


So in your example, there aren't any details of the batch (number of items, miles to store and home, etc).
Does that come from tapping the "earning estimate" info or by the "slide to accept order"?


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## njn (Jan 23, 2016)

There should be plenty of work soon as some will 'strike'.

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/...kers-are-planning-a-massive-nationwide-strike


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## UberCemetery (Sep 4, 2014)

If you want to follow what shoppers are saying go here.

https://www.reddit.com/r/InstacartShoppers/new/


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## TPAMB (Feb 13, 2019)

Taxi2Uber said:


> @DarkBerry @MontcoUberDriver @TPAMB
> 
> Awesome! Thanks you guys. That was huge!
> 
> ...


Yeah, all that is in the description when you swipe down and when the batch appears initially.


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## UberCemetery (Sep 4, 2014)

Just wait when you have to drop off an order to include a few bags of groceries, including produce, and deli meat. Oh, don't forget the 3-4 cases of bottled water at an apartment, on the 3rd floor with no elevator. If you have to go to the deli for a pound of ham or turkey or whatever you have to take a number at the counter just like everybody else. Then get in line at the registers.


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## flattenmycurve (Mar 19, 2020)

https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/27/...otest-coronavirus-protections-date-sick-leave
Let's see how this works since they're signing up thousands per day

Lol $5 per order hazard pay it's really pathetic what workers demands are I'd say that would have to be doubled and its not hazard pay its getting to minimum wage pay lol


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## TPAMB (Feb 13, 2019)

UberCemetery said:


> A lot of work picking shelves for items. Then dropping off and sometimes in two different directions if you get a double order. Good luck. That's why they are hiring. People do not stay with it.


There are easy, delivery only batches as well.


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## Irishjohn831 (Aug 11, 2017)

You get an order and it's $23 and a $25.60 tip for 100 items.

Then when they dont have the toilet paper and paper towel bunches your customer wants the tip goes lower and lower w each non available item. Now your tip is down to $15.00, then the customer cancels or reduces it more because the items they wanted weren't received. Your two hours of customer adding items and blaming you for unavailable items made you wish you never accepted the order.



flattenmycurve said:


> https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/27/...otest-coronavirus-protections-date-sick-leave
> Let's see how this works since they're signing up thousands per day
> 
> Lol $5 per order hazard pay it's really pathetic what workers demands are I'd say that would have to be doubled and its not hazard pay its getting to minimum wage pay lol


I agree, we are independent contractors and I'm sure if instacart allocated money for "safety equipment, etc" the drivers would actually use the money to buy the supplies.

Get to work, put a bar of soap in a ziploc bag and fill a bottle w tap water and wash your hands when you get in and out of car. Bunch of pansies w these strikes.


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## DarkBerry (Dec 10, 2019)

Irishjohn831 said:


> You get an order and it's $23 and a $25.60 tip for 100 items.
> 
> Then when they dont have the toilet paper and paper towel bunches your customer wants the tip goes lower and lower w each non available item. Now your tip is down to $15.00, then the customer cancels or reduces it more because the items they wanted weren't received. Your two hours of customer adding items and blaming you for unavailable items made you wish you never accepted the order.


Which is why I don't accept orders where the IC payment is less than $20-$25. If the IC payment is low and they promise a big tip and renege later, you're screwed. IC shouldn't allow customers to adjust the tip amount. I also tell them before I even start shopping that the store is out of many items, but I'll do my best. But unfortunately there will be many substitutions and refunds. I mean are they living under a rock with no access to the news? Everyone knows there's no toilet paper, paper towels, hand sanitizer, bleach, etc. Like really... we're not magicians. We can't make stuff magically appear in the store. They should know they're not getting that stuff when they order it... at best its a very long shot.


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