Not worth the effort - Full Service Shopper Instacart Employee Review

2.0
May 14, 2018
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

None that I can think off at the moment.

Cons

The pay is crap vs the stress/work. Today I had to drive almost 80km (48 miles) for an order with 5 items. I earned $25.25 INCLUDING tip. I got zero compensation for the excessive mileage. I tried to ignore the order but it kept coming back. Apparently I was the only one on shift? I also had to work an extra hour because of the time the order came in and the distance from my home. No compensation for that either. I’ve had to add more data to my cell plan, to the tune of +$50/month because they are sucking all my data. No compensation for that either. Gas is currently (roughly) $3.63 USD / gallon ($1.24/litre CAD). So ya not amused about driving 151km/94 miles today. Also, the app sent my first customer’s order (and me!) to a store no where near his house! The shopping lists are garbage. Items in the wrong category or section of the store, similar items not grouped together, sending me from one side of the store to another. Lettuce, bread, pop, ground beef, milk, muffins from the bakery, chips, apples, tylenol, deli meat, eggs. IN THAT ORDER! No ability to arrange the list that best fits the store I’m at. Total waste of time. Customer wants 5 egg plants but can only choose a weight so totally guesses. That weight ends up being twice as many as he needed. Good thing I asked! Over all crappy experience and I would NOT recommend it to anyone.

Explore other reviews about Instacart

5.0
Jun 3, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Flexible schedule and independent work environment with good earning potential during busy hours.

Cons

Pay can vary by day and vehicle expenses like gas and maintenance add up quickly.

2.0
Jun 21, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Fun going out and talking to people. You will interact with people everyday. You control how much you get paid. Lots of flexibility in the time between accepting an order and traveling to the store and beginning to shop. It isn't pedal to the metal to get to the store like DoorDash is. You can also cancel batches after accepting as long as you keep your rate under 15%. This is different from DoorDash where your rankings will suffer if g.t. 2% cancellation rate.

Cons

There's a learning curve and it takes a while to learn each chain of stores' items. Once you become proficient at one store, the algorithm will lowball your offers relative to other less-experienced Instacart shoppers. Overall, Instacart shoppers likely get paid similar or less than the store's regular employees.

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