How does Instacart Work?

Working with Instacart is feasible for anyone who has a personal vehicle with a car license and is above 18 years old. Through the Side hustle app, you can easily get connected to the people who need groceries. You can work as an independent contractor and can find orders for the people who want to shop. After finding the order list, you pick up the order from the store and deliver it to the customer’s home. You get paid on the spot and can earn through tips also.

Types of shoppers in Instacart

Two types of shoppers work with Instacart known as Full-Service Shoppers and In-Store Shoppers. Let’s discuss their services in detail.

1.  Full-Service Shoppers

Full-service shoppers should have an active driver’s license and a car to deliver groceries. If you are working as a full-service shopper, you may choose your working hours and work independently. Firstly you have to accept the order from the app, go to the store, purchase all the items given in the list and deliver it to the customer’s home. You can work from any location and can earn as much as you can. You can earn according per item and per delivery and get the payment every week. However, it depends that how many orders you pick in a day and how you manage to deliver.

2.  In-Store Shoppers

As an in-store shopper, you don’t need access to the vehicle. You work as a part-time employee in the store and find everything the customer ordered and prepare orders to pick up. You can earn $12 to $16 per hour on average. You don’t need to go to the customer’s home to deliver the item. However, the schedule is flexible and you can work up to 29 hours per week.

How Much Do Shoppers Get Paid?

Working for Instacart is worth it or not depending on the per-hour earning rate. Instacart payment method is a bit complex and payment method involved the factors like delivery distance, number of products, base salary, delivery difficulty, heavy fee based on the heavy product, and tip also.  With heavy batches, you can earn more, as some Instacart baches pay $30- $50 which gives you a good hourly potential rate than other competitors like DoorDash, which offers a stable hourly rate.

Based on reviews of Instacart shoppers, you can look at the pros and cons which can help you decide better whether it is worth working with it or not.

Pros of working as Instacart Shoppers

One of the best advantages of working as an Instacart shopper is that it is great side work. You can make a decent extra gig income with your flexible hours. Similarly, you can start and stop work whenever you like. It is best for those who avoid dealing face to face and who have good stamina for shopping.

Cons of working as Instacart Shoppers

A high gas price is a bit downside working as a full-time shopper. Driving too much for little order is not worth it. For instance, with $20 per hour you have spent 35 minutes shopping and 25 minutes driving, but because of heavy traffic, and large orders you can earn less than $20 per hour. In this way, you cannot earn enough pay that was allocated.  Similarly, between shopping and driving, you have to wait for the customer to confirm the order. Moreover, you are responsible for driving expenses and employment taxes also. With these disadvantages, it is not considered a good option as a full-time job.

 Conclusion

Instacart is a widely used delivery service in the United States and Canada. It gives a great opportunity to work as a part-time and full-time worker. It is worth being an Instacart part-time shopper with $12-$16 per hour. Because, you may have a flexible schedule and no need to drive a car. You only need to prepare the order according to the customer’s list. On the other hand, a full-time shopper works from selecting, preparing and delivering the items at the customer’s home. you may work as an independent contractor but due to traffic, high petrol prices and large orders, you spend more than one-hour delivering items. In this way, it is estimated to earn $12 per hour rather than $20 due to the above-mentioned problems. Overall, if you view the Instacart shopper’s review, it will help you to decide that working as an in-store shopper is worth it than working as a full-service shopper.

Is Instacart a good part-time earning?

In-store shoppers in Instacart get $12-$16 per hour on average. It is a good side hustle for those who want to work flexible hours.

Can Instacart pay without orders?

Not at all, you can only receive your payment if you will get orders. In any condition, Instacart will not pay you except the bare minimum.