Making $28/hour as an Instacart Shopper

[@theresaleek7750]

You are exactly the type of person I hope to get as a shopper. I use Instacart always. I can't get out to stores anymore. I love when I get a shopper who shops as if I was their MOM. Some shoppers are so thoughtful choosing the best quality items & I'm grateful & make sure I tip them VERY well, hoping I get that person again. People can be slick but majority are good shoppers. Feel like I could write a book about the subject.

[@raisingwildflowers]

Thank you! I have ordered from IC as a customer before and have had some - interesting? - experiences. The one thing I like about IC from the customer perspective is they will refund any item you are unhappy with very quickly. Or any item that is missing. Most shoppers are awesome, but some I am not sure have ever gone grocery shopping before lol.

[@raychillin2]

I am an Instacart shopper and I’ve been delivering groceries for almost 2 years in September. I have a 5 star rating and always go above and beyond to make sure the customer gets exactly what they want. I take photos of every out of stock product, the tag and the empty shelf. I always ask would you like a refund or replacement then take pictures of possible replacements they might like. If something isn’t on the shelf I even ask the employee if they might have it in the back. I pick the BEST possible produce as if I was picking it out for myself. Always check the dates on perishables. And lastly I usually shave off 20 mins of the recommended time to get there. I literally run through the aisles of the grocery store. Haha the only thing I wish instacart would allow is for customers to be able to request a shopper! If that were the case I’d have tons of people request my service! I love being a dedicated shopper and helping people save time and effort in their busy days. Especially if I’m doing an order for a handicap person or the elderly who depend on this service. :)

[@suzend46]

Here in CA we have Instacart shoppers who just do the shopping and others who pick up and deliver the orders.

[@raychillin2]

What’s also great about instacart is that you get to see how much instacart pays you and it shows the tip amount the customer gives and how many miles it is away from the store before you accept the batch. I always try to take the bigger orders that are close by the store. That way I am not wasting a ton of gas per day. It’s best to go ahead and drive to a store you know is a busy area and will have a lot of batches. There is also “shop only” orders that will pop up and you don’t have to drive anywhere and just shop for the customers items and leave them at the store. Publix is the best place to shop because they have the “shop only” batches AND they tell you what aisle all the items are on! It’s great! Also say a customer gets 2 big cases of waters and the mileage from the store to the customer is kinda far. They will pay you a good bit more then the standard set $7 so you get that plus the tip you are getting from the customer.

[@TheLongRunwithJoelandChristy]

Great share. It’s really awesome that you live in the zone. We do Door dash from time to time, but we live about a mile outside the zone. So we have to leave the house to pick up jobs.

[@lisapaulsen2504]

Yes! More info and videos about instacart please!! ♥️

[@cianapa99]

I just discovered this channel. You and your family are inspiring.

[@raisingwildflowers]

Thank you so much!

[@Lili-xq3og]

How cool. We don't get orders like that as much where I live, rarely an order over $60. It's usually around $15 for 2 orders in one, where a house is just one mile away while the other one is 10 miles away. Plus, 20 to 30 items in that order. Or $20 for one job but you have to go to two different stores and then deliver to each house. I always try to wait for the better options.

[@RobinFlysHigh]

Have never tried instacart. Did doordash for a little while at the beginning of the pandemic but by the time I factored in gas I was making less than mimum wage. We live in a college town so the tips were pretty abysmal. I did have much better luck in a town about 30 miles from me, but then you can't just work a couple hours, you have to make it an all day thing which isn't really possible with doordash. Instacart would be harder for me because I have a bad back and carrying all the groceries might be a challenge. Very interesting video!

[@stacywright634]

Very interesting. Someone suggested Instacart to me, because I wanted to get rid of my second job and only work a few extra hours a week. I'd like to see more of a step by step video. I'm wondering how you go about paying for the groceries.

[@raisingwildflowers]

It is definitely a great way to earn some extra money! I will be working on another video and will include how I pay :) IC sends their shoppers a debit card to use or you can pay with IC ApplePay directly from your phone (if the store accepts ApplePay).

[@LoveourLord24]

Yes more detailed on all of it working for IC...please

[@courtneylee9711]

@@LoveourLord24 Its pretty basic they send you a debit card and you use it as credit or debit depending on the store. They give a standard pin to use for the debit card. Pretty much no different than if you were shopping for yourself.

[@starzztop]

Be careful because after 3 months with instacart you won’t see any batches. Maybe 2 or 3 a day. They prioritize new shoppers and after three months, BAM! no more batches.

[@raychillin2]

@@starzztop not true. They go about it based on customer ratings. The better your rating the more batches you will see! Been doing it for almost 2 years. Also depends on the area you are shopping in and day and time of the week. If you are in a busy city you see plenty of batches. Sundays are always the best days! But unfortunately if you see $50+ orders they are gone in a split second because there are people who use bots :(

[@NaturalFitNurseRN]

Awesome way to make some extra money! I love to grocery shop so I would have so much fun doing this😊

[@jillgoldberg6330]

hi. I just started instacart and your videos are very helpful. One question that has come up for me is when a customer changes your tip to a higher number, how do you go back into the order and send them a thank you?

[@annajones1396]

I had no idea people tipped that much!

[@courtneylee9711]

Ummm yes people tip 50+ all the time its what makes instacart worthwhile. Who's gonna pay there bills on $7 instacart payment no one.

[@atdepaulis]

Wow I am shocked how people tip more than the order costs! Insane!

[@maellpierre-louis647]

You never saw the order amount, it just showed how much they made from Instacart and the tip.

[@allisonspeer6837]

That's awesome. I live in a rural area so this probably would not work for me. I definitely and going to be an Instacart customer when I'm on vacation. My DIL suggested just placing a food order to be delivered to our condo rather than doing actual shopping.... duh... why didn't I think of that. With gas prices going up you have to be careful of the jobs you pick but I can see more people using services to save their own gas and time. Do you also have "repeat" customers. I would love to see a detailed video.

[@raisingwildflowers]

I was a customer before I became a shopper :) It is perfect for vacation! When we vacation, we usually fly in and use Uber instead of renting a car. Ubering to and from the grocery store is a pain and gets expensive. Instacart is sooo convenient when you are on vacation! Who wants to go to the grocery store on vacation anyway? lol

[@hannahguthrie9853]

So sweet!!

[@yvonnejohnson2109]

My friend does Door Dash. She is a single mom and it works great for her. She also has one of the wagons like you have.

[@jillgott6567]

I am surprised you two do not deliver pizzas. Seems that would be a good way to earn money. I thought about being a " volunteer driver " for a program that provides transportation for Medicare patients. The stipend they pay is tax free but my mechanic said the wear and tear on my 2009 car would be too much for it.

[@BudgetingWithMary]

I thought only one person could do it, the one signed up. That’s why I haven’t done it, I’m scared to go to a wrong house lol. I’m going to look into it!

[@teajayhyder]

Thank you for this video....it gave so much valuable info.

[@rocka207]

I been doing instacart for two years..my rating felt really below 4.78..I can't get decent order..have to accept order quickly,so nobody grabs it.I have been doing order perfectly but I still can't get my rating up.i am doing doordash instead.

[@rochellethundercloud346]

Some people have been having a really bad time with Instacart, Uber eats, Lyft,etc. It came up on my Google feed

[@Tr1stateGotDaPlug]

Can you tell me what to do to not get screwed with taxes? I used so much for gas and mileage.

[@CourtneyRobinson]

I would love to see more details about this. I live in a tourist town. I have a big financial goal and I am trying to save as much as I can.

[@raisingwildflowers]

Great! I will be working on a more detailed Instacart video :)

[@davisholman8149]

@@raisingwildflowers Do you get a finder’s fee if we sign up, RW?

[@phaseonehustle9044]

Awesome side hustle

[@reillydunne8152]

I live In Daytona Beach too,what’s a good area for orders?

[@sandymeier1972]

Could you tell me what kind of cart you used to haul the groceries from your car to the customers? Love your videos… I’m a new sub. 👍❤️👏

[@raisingwildflowers]

Welcome!!! Here is the cart I use :) Collapsible Outdoor Utility Wagon - amzn.to/3tmoZkG

[@barbarawarren9645]

The grocery stores in my area are having a hard time getting product in.

[@mariaarceo6623]

Diss the cart you use work well on stairs? It looked like you had to go up several flights of stairs. Just curious if the cart works well for that!

[@raisingwildflowers]

It does not do stairs. We took the elevator :) But you can load the entire order on the cart so you don't need to make multiple trips. And you get to roll it instead of carrying it.

[@SUGARINTHEATTIC]

Very interesting! Thank you 😃

[@deargray81]

How long have you been doing Instacart? Only reason I ask is I have heard people say initially they get a lot of batches but then very little after that. I am assuming depends on location and the people are most likely complaining but just wondered as you seem level headed

[@raisingwildflowers]

I have been doing Instacart for almost a year. I think a lot of what has happened is due to Covid. For a while there were a LOT of orders, but things have slowed down a lot - for everyone, new and old shoppers. Things have opened up again, people are vaccinated, Covid rates are going down, and people are just tired of being at home. Because of this, as time has gone on, people are not as dependent on IC to bring them groceries, so naturally there will be less orders.

[@deargray81]

@@raisingwildflowers thanks for the response. Also just finished the video where you said how long you have worked there. Thanks for the input.

[@raychillin2]

It also goes off of your ratings and reviews. If you have a 5 star rating after you do 50 or more batches you see more orders then someone with a lower rating

[@courtneylee9711]

Why not get a hybrid or an electric vehicle then who cares if gas is high you get 50 plus mpg especially when most instacart orders have some miles to them.

[@raisingwildflowers]

Yes! Getting an electric car is definitely the plan. We are currently researching which car would be best for us. Electric cars are definitely the way to go right now :)

[@truthseeker2718]

Thanks for the info. How do you pay for the groceries with instacart?

[@raisingwildflowers]

Instacart provides a debit card and an ApplePay digital card (I am not sure about android phones). So you do not personally ever have to pay for IC groceries. I am going to do a video in the next few days that explains shopping in more detail, including how to pay :)

[@truthseeker2718]

@@raisingwildflowers Thanks

[@CentsibleLivingWithMoneyMom]

What other things do you do to make money? I do demos on weekends.

[@davisholman8149]

I Money Mom - 😍

[@wellnessyiayia4978]

Do you have to pay for the groceries at the store yourself and then Instacart refunds you?

[@raisingwildflowers]

No. Instacart will send you a card you will use to pay for the groceries.

[@allthingselderly]

Is it worth it to be just a shopper...and no driving involved?

[@raisingwildflowers]

It can be worth it depending on your situation. Because you do not get tips on shop-only orders, you don't have the opportunity to make TONS of money. There are days I prefer to just shop and not deliver and still make $15-20/hr in my area. It is nice to not put miles on my car, not worry about gas prices, and have minimal social interaction with customers :)

[@donitabrinker8972]

What size is the city you live , interested on what the population is. Thanks love your videos have have been watching all of them .

[@raisingwildflowers]

Google says our population is around 50K. But we are a tourist town, so we may be a little busier than other towns of a similar size. At time same time, there are a LOT of IC shoppers here to compete with lol. Thanks so much for watching!

[@beckyw5715]

What state are you in?

[@Essays4College]

I see a lot of shoppers in stores now. Isn’t the pay going down now because of that?

[@raisingwildflowers]

I have noticed that new shoppers come and go. IC only hires a certain number of active shoppers for each area, and I don't feel like there are too many (in my area, at least). Weekends here, especially, are still pretty busy and my pay per hour hasn't decreased. I fact, since the gas prices have risen, there seems to be even less shoppers (and/or more IC orders available).

[@iloveharrold]

I’ve never seen that way of transporting coke bottles on a cart. Interesting

[@raisingwildflowers]

Maybe it is a southern USA thing? People buy a lot of soda here lol.

[@mindicardello3842]

So you live in Clearwater???

[@raisingwildflowers]

We are over on the Atlantic side of FL - the Daytona Beach/Ormond Beach area

[@mindicardello3842]

@@raisingwildflowers ahhh I’m in orlando

[@beatricejust7549]

Low amount of orders from where I am... To the point of no batches for hours sometimes. Very frustrating and a waste of time waiting around for a batch. Need to look into something else.

[@kimberlyb7171]

Hello, I sent you an email, looking forward to hearing from you. ☀️😀