An $8.99 item at Publix becomes a $9.99 item with Instacart. I didn’t order produce or meat; didn’t trust shopper judgement. The lady that brought my groceries was extremely KIND. I didnt mind paying $10 a month since I dont drive and have a toddler paying for lyft would cost me that $10 going one way and trying to carry groceries upstairs with a toddler is hectic and multiple trips but to pay an extra $5-$10 on every order is going to add up and be equivalent to me just going to the store getting the exact item and us getting some fresh air and some excercise. So in my case, I think it is a fair cost for the help it is to me. I guess I'm gonna die, 'cause Instacart can't help. I get the feeling that I should get the same discount sale prices through Instacart that I was getting when I physically shopped. 3. This country needs to join the rest of the modern world and get rid of tipping altogether. Take care please and may God Bless you always. Your roofer, plumber, doctor, yard man, mechanic, etc., don’t work for free either. I honestly have a few more things that concern me. Even though I’m on SSDI, it would cost me a great deal more to use a taxi service. Shoppers selections are not always the best but this is what you get for not doing you own shopping. The person doing this job for you deserves to be compensated fairly. With each of the 3 deliveries, I was not given the opportunity to check the bags before they left and this last one proved costly. My comments above were directly addressed to the people who were complaining that there is obligatory tipping and it was pre-set. Sometimes Google takes 1 day. I have never been given a time limit for each item. So far the worst experiences that I have had is the STORES not having the correct items in stock. I’ll probably come off as a crazy mom, but I don’t see taking my kids places as “dragging them around.” We actually go to the store and pharmacy to get out of the house sometimes, no screaming involved. A standard tip is 15% but most Instacart tips are 5% or less. I shop at Safeway and I have a Safeway card I also use it when I shop in store to get the Club Savings discounts. And I tried a bunch of other items too, but I wasn’t in the mood to start clipping images of everything…you can do your own test to see how your area stacks up. “Unfortunately, I had to create an account first, which I also find to be a pain in the ass and don’t really trust sites that don’t let you see how they work without giving over your personal info.”. Customer service was a nightmare where I couldn’t get them to waive the fees. Not so the shoppers, which in one case left out 12 items with a value of about $50. Instacart did charge anything from 10c to $1.00 over the Publix in store price. Yes but you have to realize that the person shopping for you has to get paid no one works for free got it. That’s a HUGE markup! From what I see, other stores don’t do this. They basically “oh well’d” me and I didn’t get heavy order pay either. This is my business, I take pride in what I am doing for someone else…I want it PERFECT and I want to find every item the customer requested!!! the grocery delivery service industry like any other industry is going to have Growing Pains! Especially to elderly home bound clients. Im 66 and do not drive so i can not carry a case of water and alot of the heavy items i do go and get the smaller items that i can carry so you see its not being lazy the older you get you will see what will be in store for you you are all just behind me and you will get there. Apple and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. I immediately noticed about a $10 increase on the instacart total. I didn’t research ahead of time like you. If one orders alcohol, there is also an additional alcohol delivery fee (why?). 3. I had a $12.00 increase. Publix Supermarket is a 3-minute drive from me. During Covid I … Now, if you would have READ the article–again, I know, something not common these days–you would have seen that it wasn’t just the price differential, or just the shoppers, or just any one thing. I had an order for 24 32 packs of water, and 16 24 packs of soda. Now, in these cases, most shoppers will notify the customer. It is stated on the app. The more complex *any* system is, the more you can be sure you’re being gouged and someone is being exploited. Almost every time there was something wrong with my order and is Eric said the dates. Now, this isn’t to say that all shoppers are bad–there are always good and bad people in any line of work–but a generalization isn’t a shot at anyone in particular so please understand that if you or someone you know is a shopper/driver…no one is speaking about them personally! The smallest things are extremely overpriced, so I’ll just try to find time to get to a store around my schedule. On a hunch, I added more to get over $35. Nonetheless, I got ready to make an order this morning to find fees have gone up. The store receipt reflects that I as an instacart shopper paid with a company credit card. Brokers have to disclose this amount on the final loan documents. It might be fun. the original receipt and you can get a digital one on your account. And it is then that consumers will be heard! And Keeping in constant contact with them, they are more invested… they will take pictures of the items that are available if something is out of stock. We do not live in a fair society, tho. The receipt is for instacart’s purchase of the items they are selling you from the website. These stores have a contract with Instacart. I shouldn’t have to hold their hand during the shopping process. Thank you for the article. They don’t hire employees to make deliveries anymore. I know I take major pride in my work….and it sounds like you do as well. Par rate means the broker would get paid nothing for giving you that rate. I do think I’m getting a bad deal, price wise, but can’t put my finger in it. Get groceries delivered from local stores in two hours. And at times, both Amazon Fresh and Amazon Now have had a much higher upcharge. My children sometimes say they will come by in the evening, or ask me to keep the grandkids at the last minute. Instacart is one of the many delivery apps that saw an explosion of popularity in 202. due to the Covid-19 pandemic. I could be completely off base as to whether this is actually how they are doing business. Take care now. I also said that while it’s not for me, I don’t think that it’s not beneficial in general. You do realize Instacart is a company they have to make money the drivers are independent contractors and do not make a hourly wage they get paid a percentage of your delivery fee and your order they don’t get paid extra for spending extra time in the store. As far as I’m concerned, Instacart is doing a good and much needed job. Thanks for this article Eric. It was definitely more expensive (by a lot, especially because I gave a generous tip) but it was so, so worth it. That’s why I made sure to never say that this was a “review” and simply laid out facts and concerns I found with proof . So I called customer service and questioned the young lady that answered she didn’t seem to understand what I was trying to tell her. I shopped from a store that has many locations with one being 5 minutes away. Heck no, just like all companies that become corporate, the more customers pay, the profits go straight to the top to a bunch of CEO’s that sit on their asses, and not to the hard workers at the bottom. I’m a big detractor of those kinds of fees. I shop for others as I would for myself and my family. I already knew there were some upcharges, so why hide it from me. I don’t understand quibbling about the price, though. Only for price discrepancies should upcharges be applied in this case. For instance, I don’t want to pay $5.49 for a pack of 50 solo cups JUST BECAUSE they are on sale and promoted to me online. And the one that makes me most incensed? You are never obligated to pay them ANY tip but you will need to adjust your settings and select None as your tip preference. Unfortunately, there are people who experience the same thing as you. Honestly, a majority of the time all the stuff on the shelf is from the same case and has the same date. I do this now because I still wanted to help others and I really do care. I got the receipt from my shopper also. Each batch that I have done I have made at least $12 off of and have never shopped more than 1.5 hours. Customer service people are unfailingly polite, but can't seem to make it happen. This is why the receipts aren’t allowed to go out: https://newfoodeconomy.org/a-reddit-user-calculated-instacarts-markup-its-pretty-high/. I appreciate the thoughtful response, James! The personal information of thousands of users of the grocery delivery service Instacart is being sold on the Dark Web for around $2 per customer. Instacart drivers are not even making minimum wage without tips…plus having to use their own cars and gas. My very first instacart order for 31 items at Safeway cost me $159 with everything, fees, tip and their horrendous markup… c’mon eliminate all of that and it would probably be closer to $75-$80; honestly they need to revamp their delivery/service fee. If I worked or stayed at home, I may have a different opinion. If they cancel after the purchase has been completed, you have to take the groceries back to the store and get a refund to credit the customer. This was a case of trial and error and I hope my review helps someone. You never know, one of those might be your new go-to service! This adds up to a HECK of a lot more than $10. When it comes to price of the items yes you have a point to some extent. Also had issues where items were not cold. I have one customer I deliver to regularly who stopped tipping in-app because their tip was always sliced. I spent at least 30 minutes on Instacart’s site attempting to find out what they charge for an Express subscription. Not only is it difficult to even find that membership information, the company even make it *mandatory* for certain “Express Only” locations however those locations aren’t spelled out. Some people have come to me to argue that you don’t get the original receipt from the store because you are buying from Instacart. This is exactly why you should get the original receipt–as a personal services company, you should be allowed to compare what the cost difference is between doing it yourself and what the Instacart costs add. It’s simply my findings and feeling after doing research into the Instaacrt program. Oh yes the Publix guys are in for a tongue lashing, but Aldi’s got it perfectly correct. A lot isn’t available through Instacart. Take care and God Bless you always. Ummm Nopers there’s your answer! Customers deserve to know actual prices, and returning items in store if necessary should be as easy as possible for them. We have to drive by the store and wait a few minutes while they load our groceries into our car but we are charged the same as they charge in store shoppers and get the same sales discounts. I live twenty minutes from the stores. But when you’re dealing with a service that is selling your products second hand, you want to increase the chances of new customers by listing with the provider. I’ve never seen Instacart prices lower than the store’s prices. I eat extremely well on my fixed income because I know how to make good buying choices and budget as best possible. In fact, the only question I received was about an item being out of stock (they asked if they could substitute with a similar item). The issues you have described are Publix issues and not instacart. Many of us do this as a career since being laid off its how we pay our bills. meat I could not have picked out any better. I suspect a lot of them are instacart employees given that they seem to have taken the author’s criticism of instacart personally. A lady who was a Top Shopper with many bonuses said that they’re only trying to “encourage” you to go Fast. Do you get as good a service if you wave the fee? Meagan just so u know,as an instacart shopper,many shoppers wont accept a $0 tip not knowing if they will receive one later or a cash tip,me included.I would at least put the minimum then take it up if u choose afterwards.One reason is that’s not everyone’s thought process,sum just don’t tip. 2) I, too, am worried about the selections. Hopefully more competition is coming. In some regions you can simply order and pay the fee. Loving, meaning that they either need or want the convenience enough. It’s not fine that they are not clear to the consumer that each and every item that is shopped will cost you %10 more. I’ve also had a shopper on her phone while delivering, drop my items when she didnt know i was watching and then when she realized i was she didn’t bother apologising. I totally understand your frustration, and it’s something that a lot of people are complaining about. Or the tip for waitress? I drive for them and it’s not even worth my time or effort if customers aren’t tipping at least 10%. Delivery people who refuse to park their car and insist I come outside despite my tip and delivery fee. Stay healthy and safe. Sure, there are problem customers but that isn’t the issue. And for those that take umbrage…ignore them. Many people won’t enrich Instacart by paying multiple add-on fees you never see on top of higher grocery prices, and then turn around and tip generously on top of it to guarantee you a decent wage. I want to know if Eric does or doesn’t like it and why. This is a business. This may be insignificant to many people. It took many years before Amazon was, but the new ones like Uber, Air BnB, and Instacart are ruined at warp speed as soon as they’ve caught on with the public. I always focus on the nut one get one free from PUBLIX. I’ve never had any issues with expiration dates or bad produce. This service is a godsend for the elderly, disabled, mothers of young children, etc. It’s pretty much that simple. You’re best bet is ordering canned goods, cereals, but as you pointed out even those expire. They’ve increased the price and it’s even more expensive then when I first started shopping there. It takes a total injustice and dishonesty PLUS** for me not to tip. Especially, if you don’t disclose this at checkout or the difference per item and warn customers with more than, “Oh… well it says it on a link when you hover over the name of the store, then click here, look there and read the fine print.” It’s almost 2020 and transparency has been such a huge deal in the media so why is it ok for Instacart to use deceptive practices? 10 years ago that price was unheard of! But, instead of doing what most people do–running to every platform and irrationally crying and making zero sense because–I presented it in a way that gives potential customers a non-biased, rational view of the service. This is not an Instacart review. Depends. Happy holidays to you all. Yes finally a shopper who gets it. Instacart plans to lay off more than 1,800 in-store "shoppers" in March as the delivery service moves to cut labor costs. I am a good tipper! I am totally FOR paying shoppers way the heck more than they get paid and would/do contribute with higher tips for those that deserve them. I suspect most non-tippers believe you’re receiving the delivery fees, of which there are between two and four, depending on the order. Check out the yellow box at the end of the article for just a small selection of alternatives and see if any will work for you . So maybe there are other kind drivers out there too. You didn’t expect the price on some items to be more but “on sale”? fee, and gave the shopper that delivered cash. This is on top of the Express or delivery fee and does not include gratuity for your shopper. Yeah, you nailed me, I know nothing of transparency or business. I had to leave my kids car seats at the store in their break room just to fit everything. But it was an intentional strategy from the beginning when Amazon was just selling books. and we are out of everything. There is very little service that the delivery person themselves are actually providing. Instructions box I said I wanted organic Please read the. I’m glad you had a fairly positive experience with IC. Additionally. Home screen on the app? Tried Instacart for the second time today, got charged $25 for a roast when the sticker from the grocery is on the package, $11! It says you do. Children are people, not pets, so they belong out in the world amongst us. I agree with you about sites that require signing up for an account just to receive information when a zip code alone should be sufficient. I greet every customer, I make sure they’re happy with any changes I make for them. The upcharge has also increased. As a small business owner yourself, I am sure you can empathize with a company wanting to expand its business through profit. And they used to telephone you if there was a problem, or text you however now they expect you to watch them for two hours while they shop and if you see something you’re not happy with comment on the app. I decided to google an article to read encompassing the reviews on IC and found yours. Pick a convenient time for you. I happen to see in a couple of you’re comments you think it’s absurd someone who orders from InstaCart has to create an account. If you put in a security system in your home, gone are the days of contracts. I could waive the extra, somewhat hidden service fee on checkout until I bought the membership!!! Why should a shopper be excited to do all that work including milage for most often $7 and a $2 tip? Take care and God Bless you always. . That’s seriously misleading. Look, not everyone is going to agree with me. I called and the service rep informed me it was fixed in my area, and would soon be a fixed amount in all areas soon, as well as a fixed delivery fee, and a fixed minimum tip amount that could be increased. 28.00 may have been fair compensation for somebody driving in their person car, shopping for you, and again using their personal car to deliver to you. Wow that totally cleared it up for me. Okay so for the details, they charge a flat $5.99 delivery fee which is reasonable, recently they started forcing the service fee which in the past you could waive ( Iwould leave a tip instead for the driver) so today those fees totaled about $16.00. If I ask them to check with the stock persons, many times my item is in stock, it just is not out -and they are willing to wait for them to get it. I myself have even had a low paying batch like the lady who had to make 2 trips. I’ll make it easy: It’s ok to charge one or the other, the fee or the upcharged prices to account for the service but not both. So it’s not just about you. So depending what your list looks like, you can assume it typically averages out. Note: Prices at Publix are routinely cheaper in store than on the app. If any of you are friends with me on Facebook or follow my Facebook Page or Instagram feed you’ll know that mention an Italian market frequently when I talk about food (and if you aren’t, go follow NOW ). But like take out food, it’s an excess, not a necessity. You never used the service either. That shopper was nice to give it but also violated a policy. How do you think they make their money? When you become an Instacart shopper, you can reach them in your Instacart shopper app. One does not need a membership to order from there. social distancing or at the very least insulate yourself. You don’t need a membership to order with Instacart. You’ll have a choice of grocery stores to choose for them to shop from for you. 1) Agreed. And don’t make assumptions (you know what they say about those who assume)…I’ve worked delivering Chinese food and newspapers in high school and barback in college–all tip-based jobs. When retailers up-charge so customers are paying more for groceries than they’d pay if they shopped for the same items themselves, customers *are* paying for the retailer to participate. I agree with you that ALL of that should be upfront and available to the customer so they can make as informed a decision about using the service and not be surprised later. And it does state our policy. Hence, they introduced a 1-hour delivery option. Look, you and I work for Instacart. I know what my kids tell me that make along with tips on the orders. If you don’t then they will do there best to get you a close replacement which may cost more. On my end, I’d see $10 or less. It makes sense that when they see multiple fees on their bill that they would think most of it goes to you. Well, if they got rid of the service fee or whatever and just made one fee that combined the others into one and it was too high then you would complain about that. When I worked at Costco, Neither I nor Costco were paid more for me pulling those big cases of bottled water off of members’ carts, throwing them on the belt and then putting them back on members’ carts. Justifying not taking tipping because they don’t want to pay the person shopping for them. So disappointed with Instacart. I only shop for them because it makes it easy while I’m getting my degree, and I can spend time with my kids while they’re young. Delivery then went back down to $5.99 from $9.99. I’m not surprised at all that stores around me will have different quality of X,Y and Z items. I did a search on the Instacart Publix section and found this: The BOGO is correct, but the pricing is off. Instacart Express members have the ability to shop at multiple stores without ANY delivery fee. I had just come back from … I’ve seen that in the app when I’m scanning it shows a price that probably is in offer and once I scan it and head to the check out it will show the discount and not the price that originally shows in the app that I’m pretty sure is the one the is shown when the costumer buys soo the costumer at the final will be charged for what you paid for. I want to tip 20%, but do I do that on top of the 5% driver tip that is added to the order? Just FYI, prices are at least $0.40 more on Instacart because the shopper is paid a commission on every item picked of $0.40 (as low as $0.20 in some markets). If the reason for ordering contact free groceries was quarantine, you come home without groceries to try to get the wrongful charge straightened out. I mean if the company is trying to sell the markup as a way to cover the delivery costs then don’t charge a “delivery fee”, you know? Lasty, no, you aren’t coming off as rude at all. I also check for freshness of meat and produce but like stated above why check for everything when the store has a system to pull expired dry goods and I am on a time limit or Instacart will quit sending me if I am always late, I usually have about 45 minutes to get to a store and shop and about 15 more to get it delivered. Now I don’t have money to buy groceries. I’ve always took pride at whatever I do or whatever company I work for in this year of 2019 soon to be 2020 things have greatly changed with the workforce. I have to in order to eat well as I am Blessed and thankful to now be on SSDI which I worked many years putting into. I have been told by my doctor to stay home as I am over 80 and have COPD and there are many others like me. I had to use it as it was necessary for a while. The problem I see isn’t the premise of the markup itself but the fact that they try to tack it on in addition to the delivery/membership fee. Instacart Promo Code: Instacart is an online hub for grocery delivery and pick-up services. The company is also working to implement more in-app support features for shoppers. I am a shopper in Texas. so paying a little more doesn’t really bother me. Long story short, what some scoff about can be an answer to someone else’s prayers. Why do we have to change chat sometimes with the costumer because as for ex. Supermarkets are notorious low margin hi waste . It is the policy. I think that Instacart works for some people and it doesn’t work for others. That is something that needs to be reported. I’m still learning about this. Let’s say you paid a $100 ‘finder’s’ fee to Home Advisor and then you found out that you were paying $1200 instead of $1000 for the actual work just because of Home Advisor but you didn’t even know you were paying $200 more than the actual price? The majority of Instacart’s “profit” is from selling shopping trends and advertising space on their app. Going back to your #2. People shouldn’t have to pay a fee PLUS a markup over store prices and then be expected to give a tip on top. I had been using instacart for at least 6 months now, maybe longer. It’s soooo much cheaper than even a low cost taxi service like Lyft to go to and from the grocery store and then to have to entice the taxi driver with a large tip just to bring up the groceries to the second floor apartment door which INSTACART drivers happily do for FREE. Although Publix food store advertised buy one get one free, Instacart delivered only one of the two items. I actually am just commenting to suggest you do a review of POSTMATES if you really want to see some extreme markups, extra taxes and fees, plus a delivery fee and horrible service to boot. My uncle had no idea how to start a business, run it, be the president etc, but he figured it out on his own. No one spoke of customers with special requests or preferences when it comes to the shoppers. The $3.99 doesn’t even begin to cover the cost of the delivery and the person’s time. I like to try and get 5 star rating from all my customers and most of my customers appreciate the communication. But that won’t dampen my opinion that the service saved my sanity for a few years. Past week a costumer asked for organic pepper I didn’t like them and asked the guy that worked there if there where some more and he said no the truck hasn’t comes yet but there are the other tipe and I said ok then I’ll take these and what happens the costumer said they were damaged and that drips my points. That’s the problem with a company being so vague and confusing about its fees and your compensation set-up. A company that provides you a service such as a personal shopper needs to pay them, and themselves. You don’t want to over pay in those either. He is now a multi-millionaire of a pharmaceutical company. You assume wrong. Thanks for your article. Until then….take care and godspeed! Delivery would have been $8.55 it said on top of the service charge. SC Media > Home > Security News > Instacart customer accounts for sale on dark web. The way I look at it. These comments are so interesting. It’s a total disservice to the customer to simply grab an item off the shelf without inspecting it. I enjoy delivering groceries and helping people out but make no mistake…this is my job…not a hobby. They charge for bags and extra on goods. One order I had was over $2000 (in-store, idk what it was from IC) and was delivered to a VERY swanky house on the hills. I meant to say, I disagree with Eric. Or you can bend over for instacart. The argument is that as a reseller you shouldn’t get a receipt showing what the original cast was the same way you don’t get a receipt from the store showing its own purchase price in addition to your copy. I did want to say I agree that the pricing differences are a bit shady. Tips are not guaranteed so we focus more on the guaranteed payout. I know there are a lot of people on both sides but what it all comes down to are your needs and sensibilities. That’s just not a sustainable business model. I don’t trust my shopper to pick out my meat. The item she paid me cash for was not on digital receipt for by the way. I am an RN and until I find the right job that suits my family, I do Instacart on the side. Prices are determined by location. They need to have that policy in bright glowing letters on thier website so no other suckers get pulled into this false hope of groceries at a reasonable price without the hassle of actually physically shopping for them. I means they might be about to get sick I set a convenient delivery time, which was very prompt. I plan to use them to make an impromptu I’m sorry you read my post in the wrong way. I hear all of the adventures of “dragging them along everyplace” (their words, not mine!). Therefore. Instacart is not double dipping. the customer should never get the store receipt. I don’t expect Instacart to be around for that much longer because of the way they do business. And yet, with all that in mind, I still wouldn’t order with Instacart because of how crappily I get paid so I know how crappily the other shoppers get paid. I have also used Amazon Prime Fresh. This also forces instacart to pay a proper wage to the shopper. That in and of itself gave me pause because if you have all of these disclaimers, you are essentially saying that your prices probably won’t match the store’s prices. We compared multiple menus at work and this is a thing. Then I discovered InstaCart, which is less costly than Ubering, it’s more convenient, and I don’t mind paying for the convenience. F*** you all. We are excited to offer contactless delivery through our Leave at My Door delivery feature. UberEats, for example, suffers from this. If the company can’t give you a tip out of a $10 delivery fee, and I’m expected to pay more, then you need to find a reasonable company to work for that pays their employees reasonably. I’ve done 4 deliveries in my spare time and in each case it was a needed service. . interesting your article was written just a day before I started using instacart… wouldn’t have mattered if I saw this but I gotta say the experience is great the price is absolutely horrible and a fricken shocker… I mean I’m paying nearly double my grand total when you add in the heavy markup and the service fee and tips (I’m trying to tip but I can’t tip because they rip so much money from you!). I love instacart, also. I am about to use Instacart for the first time.

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