r/InstacartShopping

Hello fellow shoppers,

I’ve learned a lot from this subreddit, especially from people who have been doing Instacart much longer than I have. After getting laid off, I decided to give Instacart a try.

When I first started, I was getting a decent amount of orders. Mostly smaller batches, I got certified for pharmacy, alcohol, cooler bags, etc., and eventually reached Gold status. I thought reaching Gold would help. Instead, I started seeing fewer & fewer batches.

I tried different stores, different neighborhoods, different times of day. I would literally drive around looking for a better area & still sit there waiting. The wear & tear on my car was getting bad. My brakes & tires needed to be replaced, I ended up using a credit card to take care of it. I’m not blaming Instacart for that. I knew what I was getting into when I started using my car for this. But it definitely added to my frustration.

I’ve seen some shoppers here & on TikTok post about getting really good batches, I was mostly seeing $8–$26 orders. I took them because I figured if I kept working, maybe the algorithm would recognize that. A few days ago, I got one of those promotional messages saying I could make an extra $30 if I completed 6 batches in Orange County. I live about 50 miles away from Orange County. But I said let’s give it a shot.

I spent hours driving around & sitting at some of the biggest stores and shopping centers in the area. Nothing. Then California decided to hit us with a major heat wave.

That day my car's dashboard sensor for temperature was high, so I tried not to drive around anymore. I finally got a $57 batch the distance wasn’t bad, about $29 of it was in tips.

I started shopping & then remembered my car had been heating up earlier. Before I checked out, I went back outside to check the car. There was radiator fluid underneath it like the the radiator had blown. I immediately contacted Instacart support. The groceries were still inside the store. I wasn’t trying to take anything. I wasn’t trying to scam anyone. I specifically wanted the three customers on the order to be notified and, if possible, to have their orders reassigned so they could still get their groceries.

When the Instacart specialist came on the phone, I explained exactly what happened. Instead of any kind of understanding, I felt like I was being talked down to. She told me the cancellation could have consequences for my account. I asked what that meant. She told me that my batches could decrease because I would now be considered less trustworthy.

Dayum! Wow!

I said, “Hold up. You can video call me right now and I’ll show you my car.”

My car had literally broken down because of a mechanical failure while I was out there trying to complete the order. And the conversation became about whether I was trustworthy.

That really got under my skin.

She also said they now had to find someone to replace me for the order. I understand that part. Customers were waiting, and Instacart needed to get their groceries delivered. But come on. I was standing outside a grocery store in the middle of the afternoon heat. Also there were other shoppers outside waiting for batches. This wasn’t some situation where I disappeared with someone's groceries.

Now I’m dealing with a car sitting at the mechanic, another repair bill that I’ll probably have to put on a credit card, and the reality that all those miles, gas, & maintenance.

I’m not posting this because I want sympathy.

I made the choice to try Instacart. I knew there would be expenses. I knew some batches would suck. I knew some customers wouldn’t tip.

What bothered me was how quickly I went from being a shopper trying to complete an order to being treated like I was doing something wrong when my car literally broke down.

At this point, I think I’m done with Instacart.

For those of you still doing it, I hope you have a much better experience than I did.

My advice would be to respect your own time, your car, and your labor. If someone wants you to shop for 100+ items and Instacart is offering $13 with no tip, think about what you're actually getting paid for that time, mileage, gas, and wear on your car.

If shoppers keep accepting those batches, the platform has very little reason to offer more.

Take care of yourselves out there. Love and respect!

Both had 30+ items each

What’s the biggest tip bait you have received????? This is the biggest one for me. I guess thank God for the Instacart $10 coverage….but this also was the first time in a long time I needed two carts!!!!

Look at this pathetic offer and how it increases over time. It goes up $6 from the original offer but is still slave wages...all while gas prices are higher than ever