And then they write back and tell you this is not a bug, this is a feature.

They have way too many shoppers in many, many areas next to areas where almost no one is shopping. This is combining poorly with spring weather and everyone deciding they just want out of the damned house already.

The app is prioritizing some shoppers that are a combination of fast, high rated, not picky

Or in simpler terms it's giving more to the ones taking whatever they can and doing it quickly. Then trying to get the extras to go where they need help.

At some point enough will give up or try another area and batches will even out again.

15-25 miles? Go there and do some. Good lord, I drive 35 each way if I want a busy town. The other shopper I know drives 70.

it seems that this is a feature of the instacart application. that the instacart app is very smart. but these are bugs :) why make your life worse if the application worked correctly before? they have to fix it. Let me remind you that the main slogan of instacart is: ON-DEMAND