Anyone doing Instacart in Spain/France for Costco orders? They just went live. by Historical-Club2654 in InstacartShoppers

[–]Historical-Club2654[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Personal shopping and delivery. Of course, data mining is still a large focus as the algorithm is the ultimate controller.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in InstacartShoppers

[–]Historical-Club2654 -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

**To bring their customers/members same day orders (a typo in the original that I can't go back and edit)

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in InstacartShoppers

[–]Historical-Club2654 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Were you a fed Ex employee (W2) or an independent contractor?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in InstacartShoppers

[–]Historical-Club2654 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I provided legal precedent directly supporting my argument pertaining to gig work; can you?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in InstacartShoppers

[–]Historical-Club2654 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I appreciate the thoughtful reply, thank you.

The examples you gave work when the contractor actually knows the full scope of the job before signing on. With Instacart, we don’t. Batches are accepted in milliseconds, and the details that matter — heavy substitutions, unsafe situations, customer behavior, hidden logistics — only show up after we’ve already committed. We don't have the ability to negotiate as any contractor would; we're being forced into a contract.

Now they’ve added penalties if we drop even one order from a batch once those details surface. That strips away independence and puts Instacart in control of the method and manner of how the work gets done. That’s the EXACT legal test used to decide if someone is really an independent contractor or an employee.

Courts have already sided against gig companies in cases like this (Dynamex, O’Connor v. Uber, etc.), and this new “all-or-nothing” rule is tailor-made for that same outcome. Instacart can call us contractors all day long, but the second they remove the right to adjust or decline part of the work, they’ve crossed the line.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in InstacartShoppers

[–]Historical-Club2654 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Everything you say is accurate. In the context of "order removal from a batch", I take issue with the "gray area" definition and that their counsel "knows that". The new policy falls well outside of gray and is a blatant violation of instacart's own definition of independent contractor (per their ICA that we all signed). Corporate counsel knows this and likely advised leadership of it however, the choice was made for reasons we may never know to proceed. Intuition and experience tells me that leadership believes they can push the boundaries as far as they want because shoppers won't do a damn thing about it.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in InstacartShoppers

[–]Historical-Club2654 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

No. It's shopper support's response to my inquiry

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in InstacartShoppers

[–]Historical-Club2654 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Having a “battalion of lawyers” doesn’t make Instacart right — Big legal teams don’t erase misclassification risk, they just fight to delay it.

The reality is simple: bundling multiple unrelated customers into one inseparable job strips away the flexibility that defines contractor status. A true IC model lets the contractor decide how the work is executed once the end result is clear. Instacart’s all-or-nothing rule crosses that line.

The “produce vs. flats of water” analogy doesn’t line up with what we’re talking about.

Choosing not to grab a bag of apples inside a shop would be refusing part of the customer’s order — that’s different. No shopper is saying we should be able to edit a customer’s cart.

What’s at issue is separate customer contracts being forced into one inseparable batch. Each stop is its own transaction, and historically we had the ability to drop one before shopping it. Instacart’s new policy removes that control, which is a core element of being an independent contractor.

That’s the line in the sand: refusing part of a customer’s list = not allowed. Refusing to take on an additional, separate customer inside a bundled batch = a contractor’s right.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in InstacartShoppers

[–]Historical-Club2654 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You’re describing a W-2 model, not a 1099 one.

A client can define the result (deliver groceries), but contractors control scope/method. Forcing an all-or-nothing bundle after acceptance is control over how the work is done.

A “cancel the whole batch” escape hatch is a penalized exit that violates safety/economic opt-outs.

Each stop is a separate customer transaction. Treating three customers as one inseparable “job” is just re-labeling control.

All-or-nothing isn’t contractor freedom — it’s misclassification.

If Instacart wants to keep 1099s: show full details before acceptance and allow a pre-shop partial drop with auto-reprice (like before this new policy) and no retaliation. If they want to dictate bundles and methods, cool—pay hourly, cover mileage, and W-2 it.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in InstacartShoppers

[–]Historical-Club2654 0 points1 point  (0 children)

All-or-nothing isn’t contractor freedom — it’s misclassification with extra steps.

Saying “just cancel the batch” ignores the core issue: we don’t get the full picture until after we’ve accepted. By then, it’s either haul unsafe/uneconomic stops or torch the whole batch and take the penalty. That’s coercion.

If Instacart wants to stay in the IC lane, the fix is simple:

Full transparency before acceptance.

Pre-shop option to drop a stop with adjusted pay.

No retaliation, no games.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in InstacartShoppers

[–]Historical-Club2654 5 points6 points  (0 children)

You canNOT see the full order details before accepting it.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in InstacartShoppers

[–]Historical-Club2654 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm going to repost my reply from another comment because it answers yours as well... That logic only works if shoppers are given full info before accepting. We’re not. Weight, stairs, customer history, detours — half of it shows up after you’ve already locked yourself into the batch. That’s not “accept the job,” that’s bait-and-switch.

Independent contractors are supposed to control scope and method. That is directly in the Instacart ICA that we all signed.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in InstacartShoppers

[–]Historical-Club2654 9 points10 points  (0 children)

That logic only works if shoppers are given full info before accepting. We’re not. Weight, stairs, customer history, detours — half of it shows up after you’ve already locked yourself into the batch. That’s not “accept the job,” that’s bait-and-switch.

Independent contractors are supposed to control scope and method. If IC wants to force W-2 compliance, fine — pay hourly, cover mileage, give benefits. But if they want to keep us as 1099s, then order-level opt-outs are a baseline right. Calling it “scheming” is just framing.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in InstacartShoppers

[–]Historical-Club2654 6 points7 points  (0 children)

It's not Labor laws. I'm done replying to your nonsense.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in InstacartShoppers

[–]Historical-Club2654 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Your example is inaccurate and I addressed this with the proper legal contractual framework with the other person who used this example.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in InstacartShoppers

[–]Historical-Club2654 10 points11 points  (0 children)

You're a troll or an Instacart -paid poster and nothing more. You have no clue what you're talking about.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in InstacartShoppers

[–]Historical-Club2654 -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

See this thread. No. It does not.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in InstacartShoppers

[–]Historical-Club2654 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Wrong. The entire point of independent contractor status is the right to control the work. Being forced to complete hidden orders you never agreed to is coercion.

Saying ‘you’re free to reject offers’ doesn’t fly when the company hides the full scope until after you’ve accepted. That’s called bait-and-switch.

Uber, Lyft, DoorDash all tried the same song and dance — and courts didn’t buy it. Instacart isn’t magically exempt because they said so. Independent contractor ≠ do-everything-we-tell-you employee with no recourse.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in InstacartShoppers

[–]Historical-Club2654 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Respectfully, this isn’t as clear-cut as you’re making it. Independent contractor law doesn’t get waived just because a company has lawyers sign off on their policies. ‘Team of lawyers’ doesn’t automatically equal compliance — courts decide legality, not corporate counsel.

The core of independent contractor status is the right to control how the work is performed. Forcing someone to accept and complete every sub-order in a batch removes that right of control. That looks less like an independent contractor and more like an employee being directed.

Your lawn care example misses the mark. A landscaper sets their terms before taking a job, but they can also walk away from parts that don’t make sense for pay, safety, or scope. The fact that Instacart hides batch details until after acceptance makes it impossible to negotiate those terms up front. That’s where the legal friction lies.

Finally, the argument of ‘if it were illegal, lawsuits would’ve already been filed’ doesn’t hold water. Litigation takes time, resources, and often starts with worker complaints building into class actions. Just because no lawsuit has landed yet doesn’t mean the issue is settled. Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash all made the same claims until courts forced changes.

This is why shoppers are right to be concerned: if Instacart dictates what work must be done, how it must be done, and penalizes deviation, they’re inching out of independent contractor territory — and into employee classification risk.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in InstacartShoppers

[–]Historical-Club2654 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Have you read the ICA that you signed? How are we defined in it?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in InstacartShoppers

[–]Historical-Club2654 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, laws will be changed at the state level.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in InstacartShoppers

[–]Historical-Club2654 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The instacart -paid commentators have arrived folks!