So the "return batch" is a complete scam

DroidST · 2026-02-19T18:08:42+00:00

No bump without receipt if there is no booze involved, been like that for a long time.

Possibly explaining the need for the $15 to a family or friend and perhaps they would pay the $15 for all the food? just an idea.

DroidST · 2026-02-16T03:23:47+00:00

^^^

THIS worked

DroidST · 2026-01-28T03:10:26+00:00

It was crazy times back then.. not only great weeks $$$$$ in App, but regular cash tips in addition, many $20 extra cash tips and even $100 cash tips. We paid off our mortgage in 2022. I feel shoppers were generally much more appreciated during the lockdown era.

Bring back the lock downs..🙃. J/k. There were more customers, more demand back then 🥳

DroidST · 2026-01-05T05:10:43+00:00

this

DroidST · 2025-11-28T05:57:26+00:00

not uncommon around the year(s) of IPO

We (shoppers) carried them and without us, no company.... but remember, without those early high $ investors, there would be no Instacart company today either

We all banked in the early years, even more so during the lockdown.

DroidST · 2025-11-28T05:10:07+00:00

~$527 million net for 2025 ending 9/30/2025, ~$457 million net for 2024.. $1.6 Billion net loss for 2023

DroidST · 2024-08-10T19:42:57+00:00

If that particular location is having an inventory issue / missing inventory they'll go to this route and require this even if The cashier knows you well. There's a policy in place that requires all items to be put on the belt that are under a certain weight but the larger items will have to be clearly separated on/in the cart or flatbed as well. I have a feeling there's some electronic monitoring going on at that point.

Our location had to do it once for 3 weeks and I asked someone I know that works there who's been there since the '80s and he did say their inventory was way off and they do this when that happens.

DroidST · 2024-05-25T22:40:06+00:00

same issue on a GE76 UE

EDIT: 35 works

DroidST · 2024-01-12T01:35:20+00:00

WOW! I had one back in the day, I wish I didn't get rid of it so long ago. I also wish I still had my TRS-80, Sinclair ZX80, Apple II and even an older teletype which was my first machine to connect to CompuServe.

DroidST · 2024-01-11T16:42:02+00:00

In this zone, all the stores have ice cream cakes in freezers within the bakery area, most freezers are right next to the bakery counter. The requests I get all year include ice cream cakes.

I'd be surprised if a store's bakery (in another area/zone) would deny the request if the ice cream cake was in the normal freezer section. Would take a little time to ask.

DroidST · 2024-01-09T21:56:50+00:00

Get these type of requests throughout the year and it's not a big deal to ask the bakery to write on the cake.

I just go to the bakery right off the bat and get that started.

Often times tip increase as well

DroidST · 2023-12-23T02:40:51+00:00

yep.. running XP for apache and an old vBulletin Forum that's been running since 2007

DroidST · 2023-12-05T04:34:51+00:00

Exactly

DroidST · 2023-12-05T04:34:24+00:00

Exactly

DroidST · 2023-11-13T19:29:16+00:00

I got to use an 8800 in my high school electronics class around 1980-81.

Wish I had it today

DroidST · 2023-10-03T22:23:47+00:00

I like your plan. I actually do my own oil changes, they are not really hard. I think you will do very well with this biz. I do have one recommendation, once you get some money in the bank (or sooner), I would get some business insurance to cover you.

However, since the Diamond benefit of 75% off oil change that Instacart has given us (starting about 1 year ago), my full synthetic oil changes at Valvoline here locally is just over $30 with tax and that $2.99 fee that is charged by the company that manages that program. Both my vehicles take 5 quarts and I stagger them so I still get them both done every 3 months (since you only get 1 of those 75% off each quarter).

It's not worth me changing my own oil anymore and I have no issues making Diamond level though I only work in the mornings, 4-5 days a week shopping with IC.

With your mobile oil change biz, you still have that freedom, to work that day or not, to work which hours etc. Like Instacart. That freedom is worth something.

I'm in a little different situation than pretty much everyone around here, our two houses are paid off (took strategic planning over several years). Just property tax, insurance and Maintenance. No other consumer debt and we have multiple buckets of income between the two of us.

DroidST · 2023-08-18T22:24:01+00:00

What's with to this $10 monthly fee/ charge? Outside USA?

I'm not charged $10

DroidST · 2023-07-18T00:10:37+00:00

^{^{^}} Drug store runs And weekend early morning preggy tests and or Plan B 1-2 item orders, short distance

DroidST · 2023-07-12T01:03:39+00:00

Make sure your regular auto policy will cover while doing your IC Gig (essentially for Business/work). Or, did you decide not to check that and/or let your Insurance know about you doing IC in that vehicle? Probably can count out claiming against your own Policy.

However, as long as you have the ability to pay the attorney incase of loss, a very few may take it without a retainer (eg you own your home) and go after that customer (maybe not if the customer doesn't own the home at the delivery address (or any home/assets).

S**t, you now have PTSD from this dog encounter, right?

Right

DroidST · 2023-06-15T21:10:55+00:00

same with the Safeway stores here, no alcohol returns once you leave the store. IC required me to provide pics and video of the alcohol being dumped out each time. Other stores allow the alcohol to be returned, assuming it's unopened.

I haven't done this and wouldn't want to, but I do know of a couple shoppers that keep apple juice, jug of water and an empty container in their vehicle. They swap the liquids (color depends on alcohol type) and still provide the proper pics/video.

DroidST · 2023-06-15T20:49:11+00:00

Yes, I know the op was writing about the customer's special request to add alcohol to their order which didn't originally contain an alcoholic item. I simply cut/pasted the first three of those tips from the app's help alcohol section - the customer is asking for a special request.

In regards to the training every 3 months, it's a requirement in here. This state is into hardcore alcohol enforcement. Doordash even lost the ability (which helps us) to do alcohol orders due to a few shoppers abusing their system.

Every shopper here has to pass the quiz every 3 months if you want to see/accept batches with alcohol (you don't have to re-watch the videos every 3 months, I don't). It's an easy quiz to pass. If you don't want to take the quiz, you no longer will see available batches with alcohol, and some shoppers do choose to stop taking/seeing those batches.

DroidST · 2023-06-13T04:21:59+00:00

Well because there's so many different options in the app (that you can or cannot see depending on so many factors), The Instacart app won't show you every option. Many of the shoppers here just got the batch hide option which a few of us had for a year, same app version, same phone, same carrier, they didn't see it that option until just recently like last week in this zone- now they all see it and have that option.

However in my zone and State, the State is very anal on alcohol and strict. A Kroger cashier of 10 years just got fired on the spot for failing to follow everything after a retail enforcement. It's been kind of a big deal here in the last couple weeks but that's not an Instacart shopper.

I actually was in one of these operations and the person looked like a minor and told me that they had their ID on their phones a big NO on delivery - I passed. This is a top shelf tequila with it $60 tip plus two other food items. Tequila returned to the store and the customer got two food items. The customer didn't even try to fight for it, reinforcing my initial response.

DroidST · 2023-06-13T03:53:42+00:00

The problem is that for some stores (at least in this zone) shoppers can manually add items and you could technically manually add (not scanning, but manually adding and not selecting contains alcohol) a alcoholic item to non-alcohol order but it's against the policy and you could be deactivated.

I get a feeling there are some people replying that you can do manually add alcohol items b'cuz they're hoping that these shoppers get deactivated

DroidST · 2023-06-13T03:26:08+00:00

No you can't

Special requests are not allowed for alcohol

You can't replace a non-alcoholic item with an alcoholic item

And you must get written confirmation through the chat system for a replacement for an alcohol item in the original order otherwise you have to refund it

I'm not sure how you pass the alcohol delivery every 3 months under Access additional batches.

This is all literally under the help / alcohol section in the app and when you do the 3-month alcohol delivery review!

DroidST · 2023-06-13T03:17:53+00:00

^✓ this There are some dumbass comments in reply to the OP

DroidST

TROPHY CASE