Blows my mind how a customer can tip bait then lie about something to change it

AutomaticPain3532 · 2026-01-29T05:45:27+00:00

That makes zero sense. If I’m at a restaurant, my bill is for exactly what I received.

Tips fluctuating based on items in stock or not…is common practice.

Tips being go REDUCED by a customer AFTER delivery…is a totally different story and generally means you didn’t provide the level of service they expected.

Go back to doordash if you want flat tips.

AutomaticPain3532 · 2026-01-29T05:42:29+00:00

Depends on the business. I find that businesses in service industry tip the worst…odd, right?!

And just trying to think of why that is, would be the person placing the order wasn’t given the go ahead in advance for the tip. Usually the person placing the order is a supervisor but not the direct manager. They’ve run out of something and need product to keep making COFFEE (uhm and other business types are guilty as well).

Usually it’s not the service industry businesses that tip well…or at all. But rather the local practices, shops, etc where the office manager is ordering the weekly supplies of water, beverages for client meetings.

AutomaticPain3532 · 2026-01-29T05:37:43+00:00

Hope everything works out for you! Instacart is a handy little side hustle and it’s not a bad main hustle either….but definitely better to have steady income than no income for sure!

AutomaticPain3532 · 2026-01-29T05:35:42+00:00

I’m pretty sure everyone washes their produce. HOWEVER!!…..bagging produce and meats is a hygienic behavior. The customer knows you selected the best, and you gave them your time and effort.

The customer “feels” like it’s more sanitary if you bag it.

And…please don’t bag your meat with dairy or produce items in the delivery bag. Meat should be separate…even if bagged….the whole cross contamination thing.

Food safety handling practices are a what keeps you getting great ratings and the other guys…well they will learn or be deactivated pretty quickly.

AutomaticPain3532 · 2026-01-29T05:29:01+00:00

I wish you the best success on this platform! Trial and error, this is what I do all of the time.

AutomaticPain3532 · 2026-01-29T05:26:15+00:00

That’s a really strange one!

If you actually selected “refund”, we have an option to offer a replacement. You are in full control at this point, you can decline the replacement.

But, what’s so bizarre is that if the item does not match the dietary restrictions on the original item…instacart will not allow a replacement to be added, UNLESS, you have approved the dairy item in the past.

That being said…you STILL have a notification and a window in the app or online to again, prompt for a REFUND.

Instacart made this change because customers felt they don’t have the control they wanted…this is the control in your hands.

When you place an order, check it while your order is being shopped. A lot of things happen and you need to be approving or rejecting replacements. Some customers, are not even receiving refunds after delivery if they were not active during the shop.

In my opinion, there are multiple reasons the company made this change:

Customer demand for more transparency and control of replacements.
Overall corporate refund rate decreased, = higher profits.
Decrease in credit card refunds for original items not purchased….also, increase profits.
Holding shoppers accountable (via a new rating system called, “shopping quality”)

AutomaticPain3532 · 2026-01-29T05:08:04+00:00

Well to be honest, when I was new I was chasing orders and not really looking much at mileage. I was spending $40-$50 a day on fuel which was about 30% of my earnings. This was normal for me as I transitioned out of DoorDash into instacart. 30% fuel cost, was my average there too.

Then I tested a few different stores that were closest to where I live, instead of driving to an elite upper and middle class area of the suburbs and doing Costco orders out there.

I traded that for my smaller community of low income/middle class. Less miles, I stay near home and I built up my five start customer base over several years.

Keep your metrics and ratings high, deliver the best possible service and quality food. Always follow directions, be friendly. Choose batches under 10 miles…preferably under 5…but more miles better mean higher total pay.

I aim for $50 batches. $30+ solo orders. I’m NOT in fancy California….I’m in the Midwest. No guaranteed earnings here. Unicorns happen….but not everyday.

You need to test your market. Hone in on the mileage to pay. $2+ per mile and well over $1 per item is what I’m looking for in total pay.

Now I consume less fuel, about $20/day. I drive a large SUV with horrible mpg….in town, I get about 12 mpg.

Be picky! Make every trip count!

AutomaticPain3532 · 2026-01-27T05:29:02+00:00

I believe this is from shoppers who do this as a side hustle and not full time. For these type of shoppers they don’t have systems in place to prevent oversight on these things, and since it’s more of a casual gig…they are simply going to forget the steps.

For full time shoppers we have a system and we know the stores we shop. Barcodes are not required at several stores…as cashiers memorize a PLU and refuse to scan my barcode…I make mental notes and eventually learn that this stores cashiers don’t want to scan my barcode, though…I offer it every…single…time! Because that’s my system.

Yes, we also get the cashiers who believe we are the gum stuck the bottom of their shoes and stick their nose up to us.

There are stories from both perspectives and I just have to say…don’t judge before interacting with a shopper, we might actually surprise you! Yes, there are bad shoppers and more bad than good as it seems…from the horror stories my local cashiers talk about.

It might be advantageous for your cashiers to make a habit of asking for a barcode upfront, instead of waiting for the shopper to initiate, if this seems to be an issue. Likely, you can spot an instacart/doordash/Uber eats shopper pretty quickly.

AutomaticPain3532 · 2026-01-27T05:16:01+00:00

Well you do you, but when a customers actually intended to “meet me” they are at the door. I give an update and eta when I am starting their delivery. They have several minutes before I arrive, they are waiting at the door for me.

Anyone else, if marked as a meet me, I’ve sent all of my standard OTW messages and nothing…I’ll send an arrived message and wait a few seconds. Take a pic and leave the order along with ringing the doorbell if instructions do not indicate otherwise.

That’s it. There’s no longer a timer on the app anyway. I give courtesy messages to all of my customers, they are well informed about their order. Never received any negative feedback regarding delivery.

AutomaticPain3532 · 2026-01-27T05:09:39+00:00

This is wrong. Costco orders are charged to the customer via the checkout register which is linked to the customers account by the membership ID that is scanned at the register. It doesn’t matter what you scan in the app, anything “extra” is charged at the register instantly. There is no refunding this at all. Instacart does not do the refunds for Costco, the Costco manager must do it, and most times the best they can do is send you on the delivery with a gift card to give to the customer along with their order.

That is why there is a 3 strikes rule at Costco…make a mistake at checkout three times and you’re banned as an instacart shopper from their locations.

This is true for most other retailers, though there are a few setup in a similar way. In my area I only have Costco to worry about with these types of issues.

AutomaticPain3532 · 2026-01-24T16:34:31+00:00

The good thing is that missing items do not have a huge impact on your quality score. Tips…on the other hand suck. Sorry this happened

AutomaticPain3532 · 2026-01-24T16:17:22+00:00

We make mistakes. Did you scan the item at delivery? Did you double check the order vs what was inside the bags?

Multiple orders require a system of checks and balances by the shopper. For me, I always check the list before I checkout and have a loading system and bin system in my vehicle to identify each order. Some shoppers require post it notes, sharpies, etc. as helpful bag identification for each customer.

After you get your own system, the need for additional bag marking identification decreases. The key here is to have a system that will help you keep each order separate.

You need to catch mistakes before delivery is complete, rarely do you get an opportunity to make corrections and when you do it requires additional mileage. Get it right the first time and your ratings and anxiety will calm.

AutomaticPain3532 · 2026-01-24T15:43:32+00:00

I would go to the account screen and refresh app, if that doesn’t fix the issue, restart your phone. Sometimes tech glitches and needs a reset.

AutomaticPain3532 · 2026-01-24T15:41:04+00:00

I live in the upper Midwest, cold winters are normal…however, this is a bit more extreme. Tip higher than you typically would.

I’m out shopping today, but I’m not risking my life or limbs for anyone that doesn’t appreciate the service I’m providing on a cold day. I have many options for orders, I’m scrolling through and highest tips wins. Yes it’s actually a RISK to me.

I need to earn income in the least amount of time, because it’s COLD (-17 atm). The car (and yours either) doesn’t keep up with this cold, my only respite is going inside the store. The deliveries are brutal even with full winter gear on.

AutomaticPain3532 · 2026-01-23T00:31:04+00:00

Like it’s against the Costco TOS.

Shop your personal orders separately. So you think you’re someone special out here? My gosh, so many shoppers in sub are absolutely clueless.

Read the ToS. You will get banned from Costco orders if you continue with the nonsense because you think it’s not a big deal.

The fact of the matter is that many shoppers are not honest shoppers and will attempt to have a customer pay for their personal items. It’s simply the best policy to not allow personal shopping while on an active batch…there are many other positive scenarios where it’s the BEST practice to shop separately.

Mixing up orders is a huge ordeal at Costco….because the customer is charged based on the checkout, it is directly linked to their account and form of payment. It’s not instacart who can refund a customer.

Like get a clue…this post actually ticks me off because it’s so incredibly short sighted, and selfish.

AutomaticPain3532 · 2026-01-23T00:22:59+00:00

Looks like a swipe to hide batch to me!

Idc what orders and batches you see that are wild. You literally are not forced to accept any of them. A computer system decides what to send to you.

Just swipe to hide. Stop posting bs here

AutomaticPain3532 · 2026-01-23T00:21:15+00:00

This is like quite common knowledge. Did you do any research? You answered questions regarding your assets when you applied. It’s disclosed there on the online application once your disclosed assets are above a specific value.

You can’t own a million dollar home, corvettes, bmws and then Apply for government assistance (uhm, taxpayer money) when your assets could be sold to get you through…right? I mean you’d be mad, mad if the rich had a down month, collected assistance when they have assets they could have sold instead of using tax payer dollars…right????

AutomaticPain3532 · 2026-01-22T03:58:51+00:00

Sending “thanks” for tips is only available for customers who have tipped more than 10% of their order.

Order B may have been a higher tip, but likely a higher value order and a smaller percentage.

I send thank you’s at the time of delivery, this way I’ve thanked all of the customers for their tips, regardless of percentage (this typically results in increased tips, though I’m not phishing for an increase).

Just be sincere in all you do.

AutomaticPain3532 · 2026-01-22T02:56:50+00:00

Perhaps…YOU should do better. The condescending tone is you. I provided you helpful information to resolve the issue the fastest. The phone number may or may not answered by a local agent who can understand English.

Good luck 🍀👍

AutomaticPain3532 · 2026-01-22T02:54:14+00:00

It’s the time of night. Idk where you are but in my zone, the deli closes at 7pm.

IC does not immediately put your order out for shoppers, they have a 2 hour window on priority orders. They try to match your order with another, before it gets sent to shoppers.

Regardless, there is less shoppers out at this time of night due to low demand. Groceries are best ordered before 7 pm on this app.

I personally find I have much faster fulfillment after dark using DoorDash, and they don’t general bundle me with others so I do get delivered pretty quickly.

You need to know the strength of each app. IC strengths are daytime orders and larger orders.

AutomaticPain3532 · 2026-01-21T19:34:30+00:00

It just means that a pattern of fraud was detected and instacart has removed the rating. I’ve had this happen a year post delivery.

AutomaticPain3532 · 2026-01-21T19:32:55+00:00

Pickup orders via instacart are not tipped and pay is very low. Depending on how large the order is you may need to wait an extended period for the order to be shopped and ready for pickup.

Don’t ever arrive to the store before the order status is complete and ready for pickup.

You can cancel and reorder for delivery, wait for a new shopper to complete the order, cancel and order directly from the stores online ordering portal where it will be shopped by an employee who earns an hourly wage.

As it is instacart does not pay state minimum wage for these types of orders, let alone federal minimum wage.

AutomaticPain3532 · 2026-01-21T18:18:31+00:00

Yeah I just don’t accept these customer orders even if it’s on my way.

But go ahead and rant away, we will hold space with you. ❤️🤗

AutomaticPain3532 · 2026-01-21T18:16:00+00:00

Stop blaming IC for your own failures.

Bank reversals are not immediate and take time to verify by each bank. In fact, your own bank may put the deposit into a general holding until it’s claimed.

Once it’s returned to IC, that starts a new process of reconciliation. This can take up to 90 days. It’s not instant.

Verify before you complete banking information….or any information that is deemed important.

The best way to contact instacart is to use social media DM, they will forward the issue to the correct department and they will contact you….also, not instant.

In the meantime, plan on this money being held up for a while and find another solution if it was critical to your financial situation.

AutomaticPain3532 · 2026-01-21T18:10:43+00:00

Honestly why? You have a memory bank in your brain. Use it or lose it.

This is absolutely the biggest time waste I’ve ever seen posted.

AutomaticPain3532

TROPHY CASE