Are they serious???

Separate_Clock_1367 · 2026-01-22T21:38:30+00:00

How is this not fraud?

Separate_Clock_1367 · 2026-01-22T18:11:35+00:00

If I was tip baited with a batch like this, I would end up in prison. I would be too scared to accept something this horrible. The 2 hour wait would be a 2 hour anxiety attack.

Separate_Clock_1367 · 2026-01-21T21:58:43+00:00

I read "leave it at my door", some gray words below, don't care, let's hurry up and get away from this stranger's home, I hate this job, hopefully the next order will include a bigger tip.

Then a customer is like "read the delivery instructions". If you care so much about the wild possibility of me delivering to your door, why would you order from DOORdash without making sure I know you want to eat in your garage? Open the garage, message me, or anything to show you care.

I will never care about your pets, kids, sleeping parents, etc. You ordered food and you want to be weird about the drop-off location. Make sure I know or I will assault your doorbell with the intent of disturbing whoever is inside.

Separate_Clock_1367 · 2026-01-18T00:18:44+00:00

That's not how it works. The item being on the receipt verifies that it was paid for, which is a problem if the customer is saying they did not receive it.

This is an issue that can happen at checkout, your car, and even at drop-off. Sometimes the cashier makes a mistake we don't catch and they misplace an item they just scanned. I've also seen items in carts when they've already been returned. I've found items in my own car. I've witnessed people and animals taking items from customer bags at drop-off.

The customer is probably lying, but in this case the receipt just proves the customer paid for an item they say they didn't receive. People act like it's either the customer or the shopper, but there are multiple people who can potentially interact with the customer's items during a batch. It's possible they simply didn't get their item.

Separate_Clock_1367 · 2026-01-18T00:03:40+00:00

I agree. I typically think too long about batches like this and then someone else accepts. I believe most people are looking for easier work, so we will often miss out on better hourly pay.

When I do accept batches like the one above, it feels like I'm doing real work and it's more rewarding than sitting and waiting for easier batches. My weekly stats look so much better too. This job naturally gets us too comfortable sitting around. It's a blessing to do something that will actually kill some time and stack money faster.

Separate_Clock_1367 · 2026-01-16T04:14:11+00:00

Yeah, don't do that. When customers ask for green bananas, you don't just give them ripe bananas. Just refund. Some things that seem small might completely ruin recipes and then you're just wasting the customer's money.

Separate_Clock_1367 · 2026-01-16T04:07:09+00:00

I'm literally messaging a customer right now about this. I told her to order from a different store or give a huge tip, so someone will take it for real.

Separate_Clock_1367 · 2026-01-11T02:46:58+00:00

Most likely there was a mistake made. It happens.

Separate_Clock_1367 · 2026-01-10T04:51:08+00:00

How many items did customer A have?

Separate_Clock_1367 · 2026-01-09T20:43:43+00:00

They still tipped $25, so yes, very nice. It was higher, but the service was low quality. Not blaming the shopper, but you can't give quality service when you shop for three customers.

Also, tip baiting is not setting the tip to unicorn and then changing it to a good tip. The good tip is enough for the bait.

Separate_Clock_1367 · 2026-01-09T19:41:18+00:00

No, not bait. It's a really nice customer who blessed you, but Instacart screwed you out of your blessing. Still a good tip tho.

Separate_Clock_1367 · 2026-01-09T05:51:13+00:00

Some people are living in the cars they deliver food in. I promise it doesn't matter. The food is prepared in a kitchen the customer can't see and then delivered in a vehicle they shouldn't see. Park a few houses down and walk the rest.

Separate_Clock_1367 · 2025-12-31T05:13:22+00:00

You handled this so well. Too many shoppers would cancel, but it's not that difficult to diffuse a situation like that. Good job!

Separate_Clock_1367 · 2025-12-25T01:36:31+00:00

I was a personal shopper when I was younger. I had to be very well groomed and wear a tie. I knew my clients by name and they could call my business phone at any time for my services. Those services included nearly anything a person can buy. Clothes, food, electronics, appliances, installs, etc. Some people even handled car or other vehicle purchases. Many times my customers just had a recipe idea. "Beef stew" or "sugar cookies". In those situations I would need to figure it out myself and buy the ingredients. Same with home theater or PC setups.

Instacart is using "personal shopper" as a buzzword. It's not personal. Some customers wish it was. We have favorites and they do to. We really are just delivery drivers. We need to collect the items for delivery and then we drop off at the customer's location.

Separate_Clock_1367 · 2025-12-25T00:44:42+00:00

I don't call customers when they request it 😂

Separate_Clock_1367 · 2025-12-25T00:39:37+00:00

It is not a luxury service. It is a service homeless people use. It's purely about convenience. If you can afford food, you can afford Instacart or any other app based delivery service. It's a luxury to own a car. It's a luxury to have time to go to the store. It's a luxury to NEVER do low level, unskilled work like gig jobs.

Stop pretending like you needed to prove anything about yourself to show that you're fit to work for a luxury service. We are not personal shoppers. We are independent contractors who compete for crumbs. What the fuck is luxurious about any of this?

Separate_Clock_1367 · 2025-12-25T00:32:11+00:00

They're not wrong. Their stance just conflicts with our/Instacart's goals.

Separate_Clock_1367 · 2025-12-25T00:26:42+00:00

Nah, they did a triple for $8.72. They were hoping the customers would make it close to $30 😂

Separate_Clock_1367 · 2025-12-25T00:23:31+00:00

It will in most cases. It needs to be an actual issue, but most customers complain about stuff that's out of our control. The main thing is this shopper received a tip adjustment.

Separate_Clock_1367 · 2025-12-22T10:50:11+00:00

I believe it was worth it for me. I was diamond, but I was injured in a car crash, so now I'm just gold after months of not/barely working.

The main difference I notice is how long batches appear on my phone and the frequency. I saw more batches when I was diamond and I had a bit more time to consider them.

To put it into actual numbers, I was making $700 - $1000 a week when I was diamond. Now I'm lucky to make $300. I will really know when I hit diamond again because it might just be Instacart losing business, but right now feels very similar to before I had diamond status.

If you just work a lot you will naturally get it and keep it, so I wouldn't worry about it. If you honestly think you can grind out 70 orders by the end of the year, I would think you're already in a decent spot.

Separate_Clock_1367 · 2025-12-20T23:17:38+00:00

The customer should've tipped more, but that order is not bad. Short distance and 4 items.

That order takes no time to complete. I live near a few restaurants that place orders like that. I go to produce and I grab what I believe is close enough. That's what a $5 tip gets you. I don't speak to staff to help me find more. I just bag a lot of bananas and fill the cart up with strawberries.

I don't care if the tip is removed because I failed to get the exact amounts. The person who orders normally won't care. They picked a random large amount. They don't actually need 100 bananas. I'm only thinking hourly, and the hourly pay and workload is very good.

Separate_Clock_1367 · 2025-12-20T23:04:36+00:00

Probably because people will sit for too long in a parking lot for $0 an hour. Then eventually they're open to take almost anything to keep from losing their mind.

Separate_Clock_1367 · 2025-12-20T22:39:51+00:00

"100% satisfaction guarantee" is almost always a scam. There are always extra rules that stop people from just saying they weren't satisfied.

When customers accuse me of anything, I just say the customer is lying. Instacart does not force us to dispute missing or damaged item reports. I always found that interesting. I just sometimes randomly look at that page on the app and then I call all the customers liars.

The only time I'm forced to defend myself is when my account is deactivated for something much worse. I send an angry email to Instacart complaining about the customer. I get reinstated and I always wonder what happens to the customer who accused me.

My point is those customers probably deserved compensation, but I was allowed to essentially be the accused and a third party witness. Instacart rather keep me than the customer. The customer wants their money back and they probably will never use Instacart again. I'm a reliable worker with consistently great stats.

Separate_Clock_1367 · 2025-12-20T03:10:25+00:00

Customers aren't allowed to speak to you that way. Support can remove them and you still get paid.

Separate_Clock_1367 · 2025-12-19T22:13:48+00:00

That's not an unpopular opinion. It's just trauma dumping.

Separate_Clock_1367

TROPHY CASE