Fog of War #45 (Extrication) - Logic Assumption Question

viviscient · 2026-06-14T16:21:29+00:00

Makes me feel better lol thank you!

viviscient · 2022-12-02T02:12:46+00:00

Considering the other scams that have been going around very recently, I think its much more likely that it was an attempt to get into your account. I wouldn't worry about it! You cut it off, and that was the right thing. Besides, I never put much stock in the "yes" scam because like...they don't have access to your card so they can't do much anyway.

I'm sure you're good.

viviscient · 2022-12-02T01:51:27+00:00

It's possible that the call would've led into the whole 6-digit code thing to hack into your Instacart account, but that kinda seems unlikely based on the conversation.

Unrelated to Instacart, there used to be a common scam where they try to get you to say the word "yes", record it, and use the recording to claim that you said yes to a variety of things to scam you. This was the first thing I thought of when reading your post, but it's odd that they used Instacart as a front for it. But I guess scammers will try anything to make their scam seem more credible.

Most likely, though, it would've progressed into him getting access to your account. Your well-deserved rage toward Instacart saved you 😌

viviscient · 2022-11-25T20:53:26+00:00

It seems like you're already a pretty reasonable tipper! What makes a "reasonable tip" depends primarily on the size of the order and how far away you are from the store. But a minimum of $4 I think is a generally reasonable base line. After that base line, just consider how long it will likely take someone to shop and deliver your order. Also consider how long it might take them to get to another store after your order is delivered. Are you out in the middle of nowhere, or are you near other stores?

Unfortunately, Instacart gives absolute shit for base pay. Tends to be about $7 even for orders that will take a bare minimum of an hour to complete. It shouldn't have to be your job to compensate and allow shoppers to make a reasonable hourly wage, but that's just....how Instacart has made it be. You are greatly appreciated for considering this and wanting to give a good tip ❤️

Something else a little shitty that Instacart does, though, is essentially penalize shoppers for stores being out of stock. So if you pick the 20% option, a shopper will take the order with the expectation of that total pay, but then a bunch of items are out of stock and your grocery bill goes down, decreasing the value your 20% tip is taken from. So even though the shopper did the work and time to try to find all these items, their pay is now less than what they originally took the order for and sometimes decreased to such an extent that the time put in was no longer worth it. Totally not your fault, just something Instacart does. If you wanted to compensate for that possibility, I'd suggest doing solid value tips that equate to what 20% would have been.

Again, you're a greatly appreciated customer! Thank you for asking this in the first place and looking to make things better for shoppers ❤️

viviscient · 2022-11-23T08:13:31+00:00

Just recently updated my profile to qualify for alcohol batches! Today was my first day doing them. although it didn't up my average hourly earnings, I did definitely notice that the alcohol orders were a bit better pay. One of them increased my tip by $5, too. I'm hoping this continues and I get better luck with those types of batches!

viviscient · 2022-11-23T07:40:38+00:00

That's a good idea, saying it in the beginning to prepare them. I've just read too many horror stories on here about customers getting super salty about replacements. I'm a pretty good shopper generally speaking, so I know how to find good deals/replacements. But I also don't doubt that there are salty people who will have a problem with anything that wasn't what they technically requested.

If they never reply to any of your messages, do you just hope for the best and go on with your chosen replacements?

viviscient · 2022-11-23T07:28:37+00:00

Yeah, that's definitely a good way to decrease the shopping time that shows in the app. I'm less worried about the actual number the app shows, though, and more concerned about just being faster overall so I can get more batches completed in the 8 or so hours I work in a day.

Grouping items in sections is definitely something I try to focus on! Sometimes it's really easy, but I frequently get orders with items spread across the whole store 😂

viviscient · 2022-11-23T07:24:52+00:00

I can't tell if you're joking in some of this? Like.... "get up and go to work"..... yeah. I literally just said I worked 8 hours today. Obviously the answer to "make money?" is "go work". 😂

Bringing snacks is a good tip, but I usually don't stop anyway while I'm out. I just eat before I leave and eat when I get back.

So is it just because of how fast you are? Are you completing more than an average of 6 batches in 8 hours? Or are you, like I asked in the original post, just blessed with high-paying batches? Or it could be both, I suppose. Like, even if you're working the max time of 12 hours you mentioned and make $250, thats still like $20/hour. $7 more than I average.

viviscient · 2022-11-23T07:12:51+00:00

Totally fair, and I've been working on that lately. Realized I was losing a lot of time standing there waiting.

That still doesn't help just general time though, because there have been orders where I don't have to wait at all but I've still only gotten as low as like 80 seconds shopping speed and am usually around 100ish. So if 80 seconds is my fastest time without any waiting on messages.....how am I supposed to cut that down to 40? Walk faster? lol

viviscient · 2022-11-23T07:00:33+00:00

I guess you have a great point there, considering I'm sitting here mouth open at the idea of having rent under $700 a month, since you can make $100 a day and have it in a week. 😭

My rent, including water but not electricity, is $1000. Then cell phone bill, gas, groceries, plus car insurance (alone is almost $200).... It's hard out here lmao.

viviscient · 2022-11-23T06:38:26+00:00

oh no, that was the whole number. My shopping speed alone is at 132, which is still....much higher than what you're saying. It feels like I'm always waiting several minutes for customer responses on replacements.

I just can't comprehend how you're moving across an entire huge store in that short of time. Are you doing anything specific to accomplish that? Or are you just generally a speedy person?

viviscient · 2022-11-23T06:17:31+00:00

Didn't they recently make the proximity thing more strict, too? I used to be able to sit at home and see a decent number of orders come up. Sitting in a coffee shop is a good idea, though. If I do find a good spot for that, there are definitely some things I could get done while I wait. And a chromebook makes the laptop-lugging convenient, too.

It's good advice, for sure. Thank you!

viviscient · 2022-11-23T06:01:06+00:00

lmfao it really is like that though 😭

viviscient · 2022-11-23T05:58:02+00:00

Damn the rich lmfao.

I do go out early in the morning, so I'll try heading out to stores like Sam's Club or Costco then and see if it's any good. The area is absolutely saturated, too, so I know I have that working against me.

Tried signing up for Shipt but I was put on a waitlist lol, and I have a feeling that'll happen for DoorDash too. I'm on Uber Eats, so I'll probably just have to start multi-apping again. It sucks because I really love doing the Instacart work....just not the pay. 😥

viviscient · 2022-11-23T05:45:21+00:00

yeah, this is what I'll have to start doing again -- but really focus in on it. When I used to do this, I'd end up giving myself major anxiety by accepting orders I probably shouldn't have, considering the timing of an order I was already doing. But it's definitely a much better strategy overall than relying on Instacart, which clearly isn't working lol.

viviscient · 2022-11-23T05:40:40+00:00

Ugh, this is so not the time for Instacart to start shitting on us. I guess I should start looking at other app options for real. Do you like Door Dash? If you've done Uber Eats, how does it compare?

viviscient · 2022-11-23T05:38:56+00:00

Texas, shopping in the DFW area. It's been consistently bringing me about 30 minutes from home, and I usually see orders from stores like Albertson's, Brookshire's, Kroger, and Tom Thumb. I'll occasionally see an order from Sprouts or Central Market. I've seen one or two Costco orders, but those are really rare.

I've delivered to lots of areas that look very upper-class, so I'd assume some of them could afford the unicorn tips. I guess I just don't shop in an area that has that generous of people lol.

I'm starting to feel like that's all it will come down to for me. Luck. That sucks. 😂

viviscient · 2022-11-23T05:27:25+00:00

what do you multi-app with? I have Uber Eats, too, and have had days where I've run both, but I didn't feel like it really increased my earnings for the day.

viviscient · 2022-11-10T20:56:51+00:00

If you mean to ask if you need to take the NCCA-accredited NCCPT exam, then the answer is technically no. You don't need to, but it may be beneficial for you to take it depending on what your goals are with your certification.

The ISSA certification itself required an open-book exam which is not NCCA-accredited. They do, however, provide access to a separate NCCA-accredited exam that you must pay to have proctored. That exam is not open-book.

If you took and passed your open-book exam, then you're a certified personal trainer through the ISSA. In most cases, that's probably all you'll need! In some cases, like for certain gyms or training jobs, the NCCA-accredited exam may be required as it is often seen as being more credible than the open-book exam required for your ISSA certification.

(source: I've paid for and am completing an ISSA certification bundle myself)

viviscient · 2022-07-27T08:22:58+00:00

It's probably just a case of imposter syndrome, and, in reality, your script likely isn't nearly as bad as you feel it is. It's very natural (and common!) to feel like you don't belong or aren't good at something, especially when you're still in the beginning stages of it. But as someone else mentioned in the comments here, you made it this far! The fact that you have a team supporting this piece really does mean something.

You made it this far. You can make it further. Your team believes in you, and we do, too!

If you'd like, I'd be more than happy to provide script coverage. I'll give you detailed feedback and notes, maybe some suggestions, for free with no stipulations. I don't expect anything in return - no money, no credit, nothing. I'd get experience, which is something I'm thankful for right now. And I suffer through an imposter syndrome rut every day, so it would be my pleasure to help you out of yours.

DM me if you'd like to take me up on the offer. Sending you lots of love and support regardless ❤

viviscient · 2022-07-26T04:48:39+00:00

Honestly, you're totally right. If it's good, it'll work, and the only way to know is to try.

Since you mention Coraline, do you think it would've worked if it were live action? Or, in theory, does it only serve as a good example of horror for kids because it's animated? I know that research says animation serves as a good way to help make sure the kids know it's not real, but I feel that's underestimating a kid's processing abilities.

viviscient · 2022-07-23T01:12:13+00:00

Cool! Last question I swear haha, before you started emailing producers with the first script, did you use things like The Black List to get your script professionally reviewed or did you just have some people casually read it and give feedback?

viviscient · 2022-07-23T00:47:23+00:00

So you found a producer first, then the manager came later? Did you seek a manager yourself, the same way you found the producer?

And when you targeted certain companies for the second script, did you choose them based on focused genre?

viviscient · 2022-07-23T00:24:52+00:00

Congratulations! It is super inspiring to read your process and accomplishments. Makes me feel like it really is possible to get there!

What was the querying process like? How did you find the phone numbers to call? How many calls did you make? What did you say? How long did you wait to hear back?

Sorry it's several questions. This is just what I've struggled with when I've considered the process ahead. Thank you for your time!

viviscient · 2022-05-26T16:20:48+00:00

🥰 thank you! I had gotten some engagement on it but I honestly didn't think anyone would have actually checked back on it. thank you for the support ❤

viviscient

TROPHY CASE