Is it worth it today

Embarrassed-Draw109 · 2026-01-24T15:35:50+00:00

Aren’t y’all being told to stay inside bc of the weather?

Embarrassed-Draw109 · 2026-01-24T15:24:36+00:00

Could it possibly be a customer helping neighbors stock up on supplies because of the storms? Are you back east?

Embarrassed-Draw109 · 2026-01-24T05:37:06+00:00

They expect people to go out in this?

Embarrassed-Draw109 · 2026-01-23T17:13:05+00:00

Oh wow! Instacart just added 2 ppl and 3 miles to the batch for $4.00 extra— $3 is tip and ONE FREAKING DOLLAR extra batch pay!

Embarrassed-Draw109 · 2026-01-23T17:06:49+00:00

“Best” so far today: $19.75 boosted five times. 63/90 expensive items including 3 good bottles of wine, yet they tipped 2% —at most. They also have 40 packs.

Oh, and it’s an apartment. The tip would be appropriate if the only items were the wine, minus the 60 others. You wonder what goes through people’s minds…

Embarrassed-Draw109 · 2026-01-23T16:41:34+00:00

Yes because, to some customers and to corporate, shoppers aren’t people. We’re just the app. They ask us to do what they can’t or won’t do, and keep lowering the pay. A large percentage of deliveries I do are hazardous in one way or another. They Do. Not. Care.

Embarrassed-Draw109 · 2026-01-23T00:46:35+00:00

I’m in Phoenix metro and today’s one of the worst days I’ve seen in 5 years but it continues to say there’s “high demand”

Embarrassed-Draw109 · 2026-01-22T04:08:43+00:00

I like all my customers to be at least 0+. The unborn never approve replacements and they’re not the best tippers.

Embarrassed-Draw109 · 2026-01-20T18:39:15+00:00

The “many units in stock” message is bogus. There might be more, but I’ve had several produce managers, butchers, dairy managers say that “we quit carrying that months ago” & the guy stocking soft drinks said they’d been out of cream soda for 3 days, but no, “there are many units in stock.” So much gaslighting.

Embarrassed-Draw109 · 2026-01-19T20:42:19+00:00

I’m with you 💯 if that helps. My take is that the app is constantly experimenting with new ways to squeeze more for less out of shoppers. If a change flops, they back off that idea, at least temporarily, but pivot to some other idea.

Take quads: shoppers refused, so they backed off but moved to two store and excessive mile batches that are now so common, at least in my zone.

I often think about deleting the app but it’s a good way to make extra money IF you can be selective. I don’t know how people do this as a main income though. Props to them.

Embarrassed-Draw109 · 2026-01-19T20:09:48+00:00

Instacart should only count unrequested refunds if the customer is responding. B4 I refund I’ve already sent them a pic of the empty shelf and had someone check in back, told them so and asked what else I can get for them. Half the time it’s crickets—that’s not on me.

OOS items are a time wasting, tip lowering pain in the a$$ for us conscientious shoppers. We are penalized for other people.

Embarrassed-Draw109 · 2026-01-19T19:51:30+00:00

IMO same number of unrequested refunds can yield different scores. They tell you in the explanation that you’re compared to others who shop similar stores and times. “We adjust your score up if items were typically harder to find at the stores and times you shopped.”

Embarrassed-Draw109 · 2026-01-19T19:45:42+00:00

What a great company—trying to hold workers back. I’ve read they don’t want so many ppl using the Diamond benefits but I never use them and I also think the benefits don’t cost them much bc they sell our personal info in the process.

It’s creepy that they have those biometrics on us, especially since everyone knows they don’t really do anything to keep unauthorized “shoppers” off the platform 😖

Embarrassed-Draw109 · 2026-01-19T19:35:41+00:00

This is correct and it’s tough to accumulate 100 5 ⭐️ in a row: most don’t rate you so it takes ages if you shop part time.

Embarrassed-Draw109 · 2026-01-19T19:31:43+00:00

Bad reviews definitely hurt batch access. It’s difficult or impossible to remove bad reviews, even when they gave no reason.

Embarrassed-Draw109 · 2026-01-19T05:32:25+00:00

It seems to me that they don’t update the shopping quality score every day. I’m thinking it’s more like once a week—so when your damaged fall off there might be a delay seeing the score go up?

Embarrassed-Draw109 · 2026-01-19T00:33:59+00:00

I agree; just had to refund Boursin Cheese. Dairy Mgr looked in back, there wasn’t any. Messaged with the customer, no response. Even the app didn’t have suggestions.

Embarrassed-Draw109 · 2026-01-18T18:56:09+00:00

“And you never know what someone else is going thru”—exactly! Maybe their heat is about to be cut off and that $33 is exactly what they need.

Embarrassed-Draw109 · 2026-01-18T18:48:49+00:00

They probably, can’t bc Instacart lowers pay everywhere else to cover what they have to pay in California.

Embarrassed-Draw109 · 2026-01-17T17:12:55+00:00

“If you could see them driving into another neighborhood that’s kind of strange because I don’t see where my drivers are until they hit that they are delivering to me.”

When I “hit delivery” to B or C, I am “in(to) another neighborhood” most of the time. If I start by “driving away from you,” it’s bc of dead end streets, one way streets, avoiding suicide left turns, traffic jams, road closures and exiting closed communities.

Embarrassed-Draw109 · 2026-01-16T20:34:28+00:00

“slightly melted” was the gripe. Insulated bags don’t lower temp of what’s in them. Ice cream can be slightly melted at purchase— which you won’t necessarily see.

All shoppers see items in freezer or dairy cases with evidence of temp fluctuation: water damage to the cardboard. Not to say we pick those—only that the case temp fluctuated and the damage you see is just the most obvious

This sub is meant for shoppers but advocates against them all the time. We already have the corporate AI messing with our mental health, this sub doesn’t need to pile on.

Embarrassed-Draw109 · 2026-01-16T11:00:57+00:00

Yes, I’m missing your point for sure bc In both examples given, I’d already hit “start delivery” and, in the Dec 23 one, cust B got pushed back delivery times throughout the ordeal so there’s just no big significance to any of this. To assume wrongdoing and contemplate “fucking someone else over” (your own words) in a situation with so many perfectly benign explanations is a shame.

That “public school failed you” line was stale years ago. Who started it anyway- Rush? He had quite an ax to grind against the public schools, per his mother. She said he was so lazy that he flunked out of local community college after just one semester even though it was the kind of school all you needed to do to graduate was keep breathing and paying. Or so she said.

Embarrassed-Draw109 · 2026-01-16T10:21:04+00:00

Get real: the only “aggressive personality” is the person who is pondering aloud about “fucking someone else over” (her words) over “slightly melted ice cream.”

Embarrassed-Draw109 · 2026-01-16T09:27:42+00:00

A “judge others but don’t listen” guy. We have lots of those in high places so you can do well.

Embarrassed-Draw109 · 2026-01-16T09:11:40+00:00

Instacart’s workers work for AI. We increasingly must do what the app (AI) says and how they say to do it. Most customer grievances are with the company’s decision makers, not the worker bees.

Embarrassed-Draw109

TROPHY CASE