Not what it used to be - Retail Support Specialist Instacart Employee Review

3.0
May 30, 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great Benefits, Met a lot of good people along the way. Went from working in office to being WFH.

Cons

The company as a whole use to be very diverse and inclusive. There were way more people of color in senior level positions but now there’s probably a handful. Sad to say things are becoming more white washed. This means there’s a lack of representation for people of color now. Chaotic Management Style and lack of transparency. Agents get switched to different managers and teams at least once a year. You’re required to participate in shift bids twice a year. Very few opportunities for advancement within CARE (customer service department ). Hardly any opportunity to get out of the CARE department. We get a new director every year. When a new director starts they tend to make sporadic/ unnecessary changes. This causes agent burnout and kills the overall morale. Around the one year mark the director mysteriously resigns and a new person comes in and does it all over again. Work conditions at this time are very stressful and I worry about my mental health.

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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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