Anyone use Instacart or similar?

[deckeda]

They've had a 300% increase in usage over the last few weeks. For some reason people are staying home.

This story tracks one worker's day. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle...story.html

It shows a $20/hr earned rate in one delivery example. All things considered it sounds like OK money I guess, except for the risks involved.

.........

I'm remembering the Webvan days, and how that was just gonna sweep through the retail grocery economy. The piece that went missing was where grocery stores never took the hint to incorporate a version of that internal, which remains odd.

If I buy the same box of cereal every month and/or want to see what alternative might exist on a website, why the EFF should I ever "need" (as a practical matter) to show up in person to buy that?? What possible benefit to me is there, beyond securing my own unwillingness to shop differently?

And while I'm ranting here, why did Amazon want us to buy "grocery store items" on subscription, apart from their own misunderstanding of when people make fluctuating grocery decisions unlike my cereal box example?

[davemchine]

I think Instacart is a great way to buy things locally from stores I would otherwise avoid. It's also very fast especially compared to Amazon and their current delays. Just last night I needed something that normally I would have ordered on Amazon but I ordered via Instacart because they can have it here tomorrow.

[space-time]

we just got an Instacart delivery from Costco this morning, about $500 total, including tip. To be honest, I think I would have paid no more than $400 if I were to shop in person. But I do not want to even try, so I am glad to pay higher prices and tip.

[C(-)ris]

I used EatStreet for the first time last week. They had free delivery and a $5 off coupon that made it cheaper than calling up the place and ordering for curbside to go. I gave the $5 as an extra tip for the delivery driver, hopefully it helped him out. The restaurant is less than a mile from my place so it should have been a quick and easy job. I had them leave it on the back porch.

[Ombligo]

Instacart is only as good as the person filling the order. They had to ramp up when the deluge hit them and some of the new hires are not the greatest. Stores are getting complaints about messed up orders, late deliveries to wrong addresses. Shoppers don't understand that Instacart is not just a store's delivery operation - it is a completely independent company that goes into a marketing agreement with retailers. There is not much the stores can do when a mistake happens as Instacart is just another shopper to them. Complaints need to go to Instacart, which is so overwhelmed that it is not always responding. Still, customers are blaming the stores for those mistakes. Retailers may not continue the service if it casts them in a bad light. Other retailers may decide it can be lucrative to do their own delivery service and cut out the middle man.

Instacart is a great idea but it has been hit with ramping up before it is ready too. If it survives, it will be a strong company with a solid future, but that survival is not assured.

[Buck]

No. We prefer to go out and pick it up.
But we don't eat out much anyway. We're both aspiring chefs. I can't wait to host a BBQ now that the weather finally hit 60 degrees. Hopefully by Memorial Day, May 25. Lots of room for the 6 feet rule.

[NewtonMP2100]

.....was surprised that neighbor is consistently getting FreshDirect deliveries.....tried it once but found prices to be way too high........

[d4]

I've used it twice. Prices are higher than in-store. Otherwise pretty happy with it.

[graylocks]

read a really disturbing story about some people using Instacart. Evidently you can enter a tip when you place the order and shoppers are incentivized to chose your delivery over others tipping less. So a shopper gladly takes on an order with a $50 tip and much to their dismay after the delivery the customer changes the tip to $0. I can’t believe people are actually that cruel and underhanded. Instacart does nothing to protect their workers in those cases.

[RgrF]

We stopped leaving tips on plastic when some restaurants started monetizing tips meant for wait staff. So we let the house eat the AMEX charges for the plastic and leave cash for the help.