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Post by mom2casey on Jul 7, 2020 11:23:30 GMT
Has anyone used instacart or know anyone who has? Pros/cons? I need to find something for my elderly uncle who is 2 hours away from me. The grocery stores nearby him do not deliver. Looking for options. Thanks!
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Post by susan092907 on Jul 7, 2020 11:47:35 GMT
I've used it several times. Overall I'm satisfied. The shopper texted me while he/she was shopping to ask if items could be substituted for ones that I ordered but weren't available. The texts included pictures of the proposed substitutes. I could accept the substitute or if I didn't then I got a refund on my order for the unavailable item.
A couple of times I did end up with items that weren't what they were supposed to be, or the substitutes weren't really what I wanted after I got to look at them for real. But nothing was so off that I couldn't use it.
I liked that I could add the tip on to the bill as a percentage of the total bill. The fees and tip add a lot to the total bill. On the other hand, I've been very happy not to go into stores, and I'm very happy that I didn't have to have contact with anyone to get my groceries.
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Post by fullmahina on Jul 7, 2020 11:53:32 GMT
Can I ask what kind of stuff you need delivered? If it's not fresh food/produce you might consider Walmart.com. Orders come in 2-3 days, prices are very good, and the selection is huge. Free shipping when you order more than $35, no added fees.
They do offer items from third party sellers which may have shipping costs but I never order from those sellers.
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Post by DotRen on Jul 7, 2020 11:57:44 GMT
Aldi here uses instacart and I've only had an issue with 1 person (for some reason she can't tell cabbage from iceberg lettuce - and she did it 2 different times).
The rest have been great.
If you have the app, they will update you, allow you to approve substitutions and things like that as they shop.
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Post by susan092907 on Jul 7, 2020 12:12:03 GMT
I don't have the app, but they still text me because I give my cell phone #.
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Post by healthyjoy on Jul 7, 2020 13:22:35 GMT
I used instacart delivery about every 10 days or so from March thru May (I shop on my own now). Overall it was a good experience. I gave my phone#, got a text when shopper started and when items were substituted. If I didn’t want a substitute I let them know, otherwise I was ok.
I do plan on using instacart again in the winter.
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Post by neen on Jul 7, 2020 14:44:22 GMT
Shipt is better! (says the Shipt shopper!)
But really, it all depends on your shopper and how much they care. You can have a great shopper or a pretty crappy shopper. The only thing I say with Instacart is DO NOT TIP BAIT!! Do not put in a high tip just to get your order picked up and then rescind it AFTER delivery. That is just shitty (and yes it happens). Shipt has started the pre-tipping today but we can't see it until two hours after delivery so hopefully tip baiting wont happen.
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Post by DotRen on Jul 7, 2020 16:21:10 GMT
neen, I saw stories about the tip baiting -what an awful thing to do!
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Post by finreporter on Jul 7, 2020 17:12:48 GMT
i have used it a handful of times, especially in the beginning of the shutdowns and i had really good experiences. i tip high no matter how much food they get for me because they are the ones putting themselves out there and so whether they pick up 10 things for me or 30, i want it to be worth their while and get a premium during this risky time.
i did have the same experience as rene one time where the shopper picked up cabbage instead of iceberg but i just went with the cabbage and found a good recipe for it. i have also had them pick up items to substitute that were not EXACTLY what i would do for a substitution but again nothing i couldn't live with.
i personally had better experiences with whole foods delivery (through amazon, since they're owned by them now). the app texts you with the exact substitution and you hit accept or decline. then you know the substitution is exactly what you prefer. instacart may have a method for that too but the texts i got from those shoppers were different. in the text it would just say something was out and do you want a sub, but didn't say what the sub was. the website only said that it would be comparable. but comparable to me wasn't always comparable to the shopper. again though, nothing so off the wall that i couldn't live with it.
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Post by mom2casey on Jul 7, 2020 19:02:53 GMT
thank you all for your input!! a question.. if you get a great shopper can you request them again or is it a crapshoot?
edited to say.. I would never tip bait- that is horrible!!
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Post by finreporter on Jul 7, 2020 19:11:59 GMT
i think it's a crapshoot. i don't see an option to request someone. one other thing i wanted to add as another good point for whole foods delivery is that the shopper also tends to be truly shopping for you and checking out if there is something that is better priced. i've gotten text messages that say "i got you this sub instead of the other one because it was cheaper and it's basically the same thing."
i thought that was nice.
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Post by mom2casey on Jul 7, 2020 22:22:47 GMT
finreporter that is nice and thanks for the reply ok, one more question  how much does it cost per use- I've seen different amounts- I don't think he would use it enough to pay by the year so how much is it per time? is it per hour? what keeps the shopper from just dragging their feet?
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Post by finreporter on Jul 7, 2020 22:34:29 GMT
what keeps the shopper from dragging their feet is time is money. the more orders they can accept, the more they could make that day.
for ralphs instacart orders, i paid $10 flat fee and then the tip of whatever i wanted it to be.
for whole foods delivery, it was free over a certain dollar mount (like $40 minimum order i think).
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Post by mom2casey on Jul 7, 2020 23:29:17 GMT
what keeps the shopper from dragging their feet is time is money. the more orders they can accept, the more they could make that day. for ralphs instacart orders, i paid $10 flat fee and then the tip of whatever i wanted it to be. for whole foods delivery, it was free over a certain dollar mount (like $40 minimum order i think).
ok, gotcha. Right now we are in a 2 week trial so we'll see how it goes! thanks for all of the info!
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Post by jamescat1 on Jul 8, 2020 3:05:57 GMT
I think it will be a great service for your elderly uncle who probably should not be shopping. My experiences were fine overall and I was thankful someone could help me without my depending on my children who all have young kids and work full time. Now that everyone wears masks I am more comfortable doing the shopping myself. Like fin I always believe in tipping well.
Does he have a smart phone? What’s good is if he can follow the shopper on his phone because if there are choices, he can respond. He will get a message letting him know when the shopping has begun.
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