Instacart Shopper Reviews: Is It Legit Or Scam

Do you want to make money from that activity you love so much – shopping? Then, become an Instacart Shopper today!

Here is the thing…

With Instacart, you shop at the store like normal, except you’ll earn while shopping for other people.

Sounds too good to be true, right?

Not to worry, this Instacart Shopper review will give you an insight on how the platform works, and if the app is legit or a scam.

Here is a table of what to expect:

What is Instacart?

Instacart is an app that connects you to customers who need groceries. You use the app to sign on, find orders, then shop and deliver those items to your customers. When you get paid, you can cash out instantly and you can earn even more with tips for great service.

How does Instacart Make Money?

Instacart gets its revenue through a few different income streams.

Delivery Fees
Optional Membership Fees
Grocery Partnerships
Brand Partnerships

Delivery Fees

This is the major source of Instacart’s revenue.

Instacart delivery fee starts at $3.99 for same-day orders over $35. However, fees vary for one-hour deliveries, club store deliveries, and deliveries under $35.

Regardless, there will be a clear indication of the delivery fee when you are choosing your delivery window.

Optional Membership Fees

The optional membership fee is another feature that earns Instacart some cool cash. It’s a subscription type service called Instacart Express.

Here, customers can pay $149 annually for a subscription. This, in turn, gives them free two-hour or scheduled deliveries on orders over $35.

Grocery Partnerships

Basically, Instacart make money through two types of partnerships.

Here, Instacart partners with grocery chains to offer the service in their stores. The revenue generated is then shared between the both companies.

Brand Partnerships

This is the second type of Instacart partnership. Here, Instacart partners with specific brands to offer discounts and deals in a special section of their interface. It’s can also serve as a way of advertising.

What are the Requirements to Become an Instacart shopper?

In order to become a shopper, you must meet the following criteria:

Be at least 18 years of age
Have legal authorization to work in the U.S.
Be able to lift up to 40lbs without accommodation.
Have regular access to a reliable car
Have regular access to a smartphone capable of running the Instacart Shopper app.
You must also pass a background check.

Supporting Documents

You need the following documents to sign up successfully on Instacart:

Your contact information (the details on your driver’s license should cover this step).
Your social security number (this should be readily available).
Finally, your banking information (the sign-up process will ask you to set up direct deposit so you can get paid; so, you need it to complete this step)

After meeting the Instacart Shopper requirements, the next thing to do is to sign up.

It’s very simple; create an account at shoppers.instacart.com. Enter your Zip/Postal code to get started.

After that, just download the Shopper app (from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store, or just click on the “Download the app” button on the webpage) to complete the sign-up process and get your background check started.

Once your background check has cleared and you’re approved to shop, you can sign on to shop and make money on your own schedule.

How long does the background check take?

Basically, background checks process within 10 business days, but sometimes it can process much faster.

However, note that due to high volumes and temporary court closures, delays are also possible.

Why Become an Instacart Shopper?

Here some benefits you enjoy as an instacart shopper:

Earn extra money shopping for others. As a shopper, you g to the grocery store like normal, except that you get paid to shop for others.
Work whenever it works for you. There are no set hours or days required from you to work. So, you can shop as much or as little as you want, anytime you want.

Let’s now see the roles you’ll play as an instacart shopper.

Instacart Shoppers Roles | Which is Right for You?

Instacart shopper play two basic roles. They are:

Shop And Deliver

This is a contract role and it requires full-service shopping.

Here is a breakdown of your role:

Requires a car.
Deliver to the customer’s door.
Work whenever you want.

Shop Only

Here, you prepare orders as an Instacart employee.

This is a breakdown of your role:

No car required
Prepare orders at one store
Schedule shifts up to 29 hrs/wk

How do Instacart Shoppers get Paid?

How much an instacart shopper earns depends on their role type and other factors (like hours you work, number of orders you fill, types of orders you receive, etc.).

There are basically two types of shoppers, so let’s see how they are paid.

Full-service shopper
In-store shopper

#1 Full-service shopper

Here, shoppers get paid per batch that they complete. As a Full-service shopper, Instacart provides estimates for your earnings on every order as well as total earnings for the week.

Now, the amount you earn per batch of orders depends on the number of items, type of items, driving distance, and effort involved in shopping and delivering.

But…You keep 100% of customer tips. Tips can be added at the time of order or adjusted (up or down) for 3 days. Note that customers enter the tip when they place the order, so you’ll see the tip upfront before you accept each gig.)

That’s not all!

You also get opportunities to earn extra through promotions Instacart runs.

Cool, right? Here is something you should know.

As independent contractors, full-service shoppers have the flexibility to work as little or as often as they want. This means that your total earnings potential depends on you.

#2 In-store shopper

In-store shoppers are Instacart employees who earn an hourly wage, detailed in the initial offer letter. In-store shoppers are scheduled for shifts based on personal availability, up to 29 hours each week.

Do Instacart Shoppers Pay for their Groceries?

No, they don’t pay for their groceries. As a shopper, you’ll get a payment card from Instacart and use it at the checkout register at every store you shop.

Now, getting a payment card is simple.

If you’re a new shopper, you’ll receive your payment card in the mail 5 to 7 business days after completing the sign-up process.

Pros And Cons of Instacart Shoppers

Below are the pros and cons of working as an Instacart shopper:

Pros	Cons
Enjoy Independence – No schedule, no boss, no coworkers.	Dealing with Awful Customers – The customer might “always be right,” but they aren’t always nice.
Flexible Schedule – Work/life balance is good.	Having Nowhere to Park – In big cities where parking is already limited and often prohibited, drivers face being ticketed or fined all the time.
Get paid right away – You get paid every week for your orders.	Low-Paying Orders – Terrible pay rate; you’ll often get orders popping up in your app that really aren’t worth your time.
Great Side Job for Holiday – You can easily do this in your freetime.	Contacting the company is like Hell – Instacart claims they have a support number, but that doesn’t work. The only way to get in contact with them is through email.
Develop Experience in Customer Service – Staying in contact with customers, satisfying their needs. All something to pick up on..	Tech Trouble with the Instacart App.

Instacart Shoppers Review | Is it Legit Or Scam?

Reviews help us to decide if we should go ahead and use a particular product or service.

So, to know if Instacart Shoppers is legit or another scam to deceive the general public, we will be looking at some reviews made by employees (shoppers) on various platforms:

Senior Employee

In my experience working, Instacart is perfect for all occasions as I can get my school work done, spend time with my family, still have the person to person interaction like in any other workplace, yet have the ability to work when I want as my own boss, or when I have a bill due I may have forgot about due the hectic lifestyle sometimes.

Entry Level Employee 1

This is a super easy, time efficient job for people who live a busy life, or for students with unpredictable schedules. Make your own hours!

Entry Level Employee 2

Overall my experience being an instacart shopper has been pleasant. You for the most part control your own schedule manage your own time and it’s up to you how much or how little you make. The pay isn’t great but I wouldn’t recommend this as a full time gig anyhow.

Niche User

There are sketchy things that go on, it doesn’t matter if you do the job right, if a customer says they “didn’t get the order” you are immediately deactivated without warning, and have no chance to defend yourself against a false accusation because they deny you access to it. Do your research and find a company that has protection for this type of scenario.

More Reviews

Niche User

When I started it was a great gig for me as a mom- now they change their rating system when customer can rate us bad as shoppers for ridiculous reasons and just like that you don’t get anymore batches- it takes weeks for the bad rating to come off meanwhile your batches get less and less.

I could be sitting and waiting for hours and wait and wait and no batches would come my way. Meanwhile you see others shoppers in the store and when you ask them they are telling you they are getting good gig- it is so frustrating- because as a person you rely on the income and they are not been fare with the rating and allowing customer to rate you so bad where you can’t make any money until the rating come off- what a way to punish your shoppers for things that are not really in our control- I’m to the point where I might just cancel been a shoppers- not that they would care anyway but I feel so mistreated as a shoppers.

Instacart Shoppers Website

Shop with Instacart and be your own boss today by clicking on the link below.

INSTACART SHOPPERS

In Conclusion

Instacart Shopper is legit and not a scam. All you need to do is weigh the pros and cons of being an instarcart shopper to know what suits you best.

So, what are you waiting for?

Sign on, shop, and start making money today!