Shopping on someone else's dime 💸 👀
About 3 weeks ago I talked about why I would be starting Instacart. If you care for an explanation for why I'm now doing it, check out my previous article linked below.
How HIVE and other cryptocurrencies going down in price has affected me
It took me a few weeks to get everything finalized, mostly due to a slow background check. I also was busy with family during the holidays and needed to wait until I had enough time to actually start working. I officially worked my first day on Monday and I truly enjoyed it.
If you are unaware of what Instacart is, let me briefly explain:
Instacart is an American retail company that operates a grocery delivery and pick-up service in the United States and Canada. The company offers its services via a website and mobile app. The service allows customers to order groceries from participating retailers with the shopping being done by a personal shopper. Source
I personally would never hire somebody to go grocery shopping for me, I enjoy doing it myself. I do know that there is a large number of people who are more than happy to spend some extra money to save their valuable time and not waste it at the store. Lucky for somebody like me who enjoys grocery shopping, Instacrt exists.
After some research, it seems the app has received many updates since its initial launch. Waiting several years before giving something like this a chance has allowed me to avoid a lot of the annoying inconveniences doing this probably once had. Now things are just so smooth. Let me tell you more about how my first day with Instacart went.
My 1st day 🛍️ 🛒
The Instacart shopper app is extremely user-friendly. If you imagine something like this to be difficult, trust me when I say it is very easy. Once you're set up and ready to go, it'll walk you threw a very short tutorial showing you how everything works.
To start, you can swipe to go online or offline at any time. This means you can make your own schedule and work as little or as much as you prefer.
You get to choose the orders you will take and if you are quick you can get the higher-paying ones. It always shows you your estimated earnings for each batch. Keep in mind that orders are known as batches within Instacart.
The map shows all of the available stores in your local area that support Instacart. As long as you are nearby and online, you will get a notification anytime a new batch comes up. You'd be wise to accept any order that seems reasonable to you because there are usually other shoppers waiting to do the same.
Once you arrive at the store, you can begin shopping. You will be presented with a list of items which are organized by where they will be located in the store. You will have to scan the barcode of most items to confirm you have the right thing.
Some stores give even more details about where to look. You could be given the exact aisle and shelf you need to look on. So far, it has been extremely accurate for me. Even though it was my first day, I completed all of my orders swiftly.
Sometimes you may not be able to find an item. If you ask a store associate for help maybe that'll solve the problem. Sometimes items are out of stock though, but luckily once again the app makes that an easy issue to remedy. You can easily chat with your customer at any time. You will have the option to remove an item from the order or to replace it with something similar.
If something goes wrong, you can always contact support. I haven't had to do that yet and I hope that I never do. Customers have been friendly and usually respond quickly if you have a question for them. I did have one person that didn't answer me, so I just did what I thought was best for their order.
You do not have to pay for these items with your own money. There are two ways I've seen it work out so far. You usually use the company-issued Instacart debit card to pay for everything. Sometimes though you will get one where somebody paid online and all you have the cashier do is scan a barcode at the beginning of the order.
After you finish shopping and start loading up your car with the groceries, you also will want to upload a picture of the receipt so the customer has it. You will be the one keeping the physical receipt.
Be sure to wait to begin your delivery until you are actually ready to drive away from the store. It gives you a reasonable amount of time to get to your customer, but you don't want to start the clock earlier than you have to.
You will get their address and sometimes directions on where they want the groceries. Everybody so far has just wanted me to leave their stuff at the door, but I would happily carry their items inside if they ever needed me to do so.
I worked for just under four hours on my first day. A decent portion of this time was spent waiting on a new order to pop up. I'd say about 20-30 minutes of my time was spent just chilling in my car. It sure beats working at a job where you have somebody trying to tell you what to do though.
In the time that I worked yesterday, I completed a total of four batches. That's basically one batch per hour. Each paid differently as it depends on the number of items and how much the customer decides to tip.
I made around $55 yesterday in four hours. That's roughly $13.75/hr. Not great, but also more than minimum wage here where I live. I have a feeling I can up that hourly rate the longer I do it. I will get quicker at navigating the stores, know which orders are actually worth taking, and hopefully have some good reviews that encourage my customers to leave me some bigger tips.
I'm officially emplyed by Instacart 🤑
I am so thankful that I have Instacart to rely on while these crypto markets continue to figure themselves out. This kind of work leaves me with plenty of time to do the things I love still. I'm not forced to work 8-9 hour days with little to no breaks. I will literally never go back to a regular 9-5 because I feel that they are designed to break us as human beings and make our lives miserable.
For now, my plan is to work about 4 or 5 days a week. I am still getting up early and heading straight to the gym. I then come home and cook a good meal. After that is when I write my daily blog for Hive and curate content. Once I finish (like I'm about to do right now) it is time to start Instacart work. I plan to get home just after it gets dark each evening, which leaves me 4-5 hours to cook dinner, take a shower, and relax with some video games or NBA action.
I will be sure to update once I have more experience being an Instacart shopper. I look forward to my first day of making more money than my previous line of work ever provided.
Let me know if you have any questions, I'll be more than happy to answer anything.
Do you want to work for Instacart❓
If you do sign up, please use my referral code:
BAAD49DFC
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Is Instacart a 1099 income? Are you treated as an independent contractor? If so, I would assume that you can deduct your mileage as business expense. I agree that after you learn the stores and which jobs pay the most, you should be able to greatly increase your hourly income.
Yes it's 1099.
Does that mean I can still deduct mileage on taxes? Or can you only do that as an independent contractor?
If you are 1099 can you can deduct mileage. If you receive a 1099 then you are considered an independent contractor. There may be other expenses you can deduct as well, like the portion of your internet cost and cell phone that are used in the course of business. And if you purchased any special equipment, computer or furniture that is used exclusively in the course of the business, that is also potentially deductible.
Thanks so much! I will be sure to keep track of all of that stuff for next year. I started working after January so I won't have anything to do for it tax-wise this year.
There's some youtubers who livestream their uber eats/grab/similar working hours, it's kind of entertaining watching them drive around and talking out loud. Maybe you should give it a try on @vimm :D
We have one in my country as well, he's a biker, and man that guy rides his two wheels fast through the shitty Bucharest traffic.
I bet if you're in a congested city, biking is a way around all of the traffic. Perfect strategy to always be one step ahead of all the other delivery driver competition.
You know, I have seen some videos of people showing everything that they do while they're "on the clock" with Instacart. It surely is a way to get some content out of it that might be worth something a little extra too. However, I couldn't see myself ever watching those types of videos, which also makes me feel little to no desire to record them myself. Plus I’m partially afraid that it would slow me down and so far I haven’t been late once even though I’m still getting used to it all. Guess we will see if that changes a few months down the road once I’m more familiar with it all.
Congratulations on your first day there, Bro.
You seem to really enjoy it. It's clear from the way you explain everything here.
I think this is one of the advantages offered by your Instacart. Communication that is easy and can be done at any time between the buyer and the shopper is the best way to solve problems at shopping places.
That's about precious time, right? I think the quicker the grocery orders are delivered, the more satisfied the customer will be.
I'm sure you'll become one of the "favorite shoppers" one day.
Good luck.
Thanks my dude. It's really nice to get to do something else that I enjoy daily now.
The in-app chatting system allows you to text, send photos, and even call if you need an immediate answer. All without having to exchange information with your customer outside of your name.
I had an old lady yesterday invite me inside her apartment to help carry her stuff inside. I know she really appreciated it and I may have been the only person she saw that day.
Wow, it's really interesting, too bad that there aren't similar job opportunities in Italy.
This allows you to raise a nice nest egg and still plan your days to continue to maintain your routine.
I'm really curious and can't wait to read your updates!
It surprises me that something similar does not exist in Italy. I’m enjoying it a lot so far and it does have many perks.
Look, here's Glovo, it's a service aimed at riders but in addition to delivering what you order from fast food, you can order groceries... but I imagine Glovo is also in the US.
Except that the rates are really ridiculous, for a delivery you can earn no more than 10 dollars (here's the euro, that's the bottom line), but if you take away the petrol, the earnings go down.
Then let's say that deliveries usually bring you a profit that averages around 5 dollars.
I've never heard of Glovo, but it sounds like an okay option. If the pay is low, it may not be worth the time though. Can you get tips with them?
Let's say that in Italy pay is low everywhere and therefore all those foreign companies also comply with these standards.
For example, I don't think that in the Mc'Donalds in my city the employees get the standard salary which is the same for everyone, they will get even less than what they get in Rome or Milan, for example.
In any case, I was inquiring both for Glovo and for other delivery companies, maybe I can find something convenient.
I did not know that about Italy. That explains why the local gelato shop owner in my city decided to move from Italy to USA.
I wish you luck!
Thank you, we definitely need a lot of luck heh heh!
Yes surely opening a business in Italy at the moment is not a great idea, doing it elsewhere is a brilliant idea lol!
Great write up.
I have been recently thinking of signing up to do InstaCart.
I am taking care of my Mom so I can't leave her alone more than a couple hours.
I am surrounded by a rich community and thought it might be good cash.
!ALIVE !CRT !PIZZA
Thank you! I think that you totally should give it a shot. Great customers make it even better. Let me know if you do or if you have any questions.
Also, if you sign-up I’d appreciate it if you used my referral code: BAAD49DFC
@daltono! You Are Alive so I just staked 0.1 $ALIVE to your account on behalf of @hankanon. (3/10)
The tip has been paid for by the We Are Alive Tribe through the earnings on @alive.chat, feel free to swing by our daily chat any time you want.
It's nice to see you enjoying this job. I think we don't have this same concept, just ordering foods and uber (ride).
The food delivery and driver apps arrived first. Then came the grocery shopping and delivery. I have a feeling you'll have something like this in your local area soon. It is something that many people would love to be able to rely on for convenience.
It might be, considering the situation and emerging technology.
I wish there was something like that in here. There is something similar in big cities but it pays poorly.
I'm really surprised that there isn't something like this where you live. I guess I assumed there was some equivalent everywhere in the world. Maybe not yet, but surely this business idea will spread to more places as time goes on.
My city is pretty small, but I still have plenty of batches showing up usually. I know that if I lived in a huge city, there would be far more opportunities. With more people comes more competition and traffic though. I'm happy where I am.
Yeah. I don't like big cities either.
They are fun to visit sometimes, but I'd rather live somewhere that's always chill.
I always wondered how this worked. My cousin got me Grub Hub for xmas, I've never used the service in my life, but I know it's pretty popular.
Good luck with the new gig! I'm actually taking a break from setting up an inventory system for my reselling biz. I'm not getting rich either but it really beats a 9 to 5 and working for the man.
Between that and trading, I think I should be good through these bear cycles. Gotta love those side hustles!
I imagined how it all goes, but now that I’m actually doing it myself I see how well it works.
You don’t have to be rich to be happy, but you do need that freedom.
No doubt. I've always said, "Money doesn't buy happiness, but it does make life a little easier when you have it." In the words of Forrest Gump, "One less thing to worry about." I agree though, I get that level of financial freedom though, it's important to have.
dats savage, wondering when of if ar they coming to EU as well..
its not just about be lazy but as u mention, most of d time ist time killer..
I'm not familiar with anything outside of the USA, but after a google search I found that a similar service called https://everli.com/ is available in Italy and Poland. And Instacart has plans to go global https://www.grocerydive.com/news/instacart-plans-to-expand-globally/600827/.
I've gone a few times with my girlfriend. She shops on occasion when she needs some extra money. We enjoy doing it sometimes.
It's not a bad way to spend some extra time right? I'll have to bring my girl along with me for one this weekend to show her how it works. I have been trying to convince my girlfriend, brother, and dad to all give it a shot. So far the only one that seems interested is my brother and his city is so competitive that he is currently stuck on a waiting list to get accepted as a driver.
I'm happy for you, man. This kind of working at the hours you want is right up your alley. As long as you earn additional income from Hive, I think everything will be fine. I hope your earnings and tips will be abundant.
Being able to work whenever I please has to be the best part. If I have extra time to do more than usual, I can. I can also take time off to enjoy life whenever I need to. My old job just didn't allow that type of flexibility at all.
Are you getting the momey you earn out daily or do you have to wait?
I have the option to do an Instant Cashout, but to keep things simple I'm just letting it automatically deposit into my bank account once a week.
Ohh, thats kinda a cool feature if you are really in need of cash :D
There is a company here that works with the Walmart chain called Shoppie, my wife saw the job offer in an ad and joined.
It is nothing compared to what you say, I think that here we are still in that part that you mention that it takes several years for everything to work out well.
Unlike in other countries, people are a little stingy, so tips are not much, but Shoppie gives you a kind of bonus for the number of orders successfully delivered on time and on budget, which increases as you have more volume of deliveries.
Anyway, it was another experience for my wife, she ended up leaving because unlike Instacart, this Shoppie company gives you working hours, you can not do less than 6 and a half hours a day or your bonuses go down.
I hope you continue to do as well as you have been doing and that those tips increase.
!PIZZA
Our Wal-Mart delivery service is called Spark here in the USA. I signed up for it, but I'm stuck on a waiting list.
There will always be people who are cheap and feel like a low tip is acceptable, luckily the app gives you an idea of what that customer usually tips before you accept the batch.
I wouldn't be doing this if I was stuck with specific hours. The flexibility is the best part.
Thanks bro!
having someone do our grocery shopping and take it home is something innovative but honestly, although time is valuable, there is nothing better than choosing what you want to eat yourself
Yeah, I agree that shopping for yourself is the best option. I guess some people just have so much extra money or are totally unable to get to the store that these delivery apps really do stay busy.
Nice man. Working for yourself on your own time is so much better than working a traditional job. Hopefully these crypto markets make an upturn soon though.
Being able to swipe to be off or on at work is miles better than what I was doing before. I have a feeling crypto will swoop in to save us again, but I'm doing this until then.
You gotta do what you gotta do man. I have been trying to stack more crypto over this past year. Hopefully we all can make it out even better than we were before this bear market.
That’s great man I’m glad you’re finally getting it rolling! Good luck with it, hopefully you can make some decent money doing it!
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I have the desire to work more than I expected, so the money should come. Just gotta hope I don't start running into a bunch of people that do not leave tips. It has already happened once. An hour of work for only $9 just is not worth it. I'm pretty sure the lady had no idea that I don't get her delivery fee, because when I talked to her she was very nice. Maybe she was secretly cheap though, I don't know.
I think more than 50 usd for four hours work isn't all that bad, well if I was to convert it to my own currency it would have been alot😂
Nice and easy way to make money in my opinion😂😎
It's better than a lot of jobs around here, but only a fraction of what I made at my old job. Luckily, I enjoy this about 10 times as much as my previous line of work.
I'm glad to see you that you are happy and enjoying working at instacart.
You and me both, thank you so much!
💪😉😎🤙 Nice and chill..
Do u deliver to hawaii?? :P
that map pic reminded me of this clip..
from Galaxy Quest.. when one of the guys is looking at the screen after Sirus fires a missel at them, and he says' there are two blips.. a red one and the blue one, they are getting closer, and i think we are the blue one. :P something like that,
i couldn't find it, but here's another good one from galaxy quest..
No sir I won't be your driver, but Instacart does exist in Hawaii. That's a funny clip, I'm not quite sure how I've never watched that movie before.
😉😎🤙 u definitely should. it's one of those funny, just fun, entertaining movies I would put on the scale of Dumb and Dumber or Dude, Where's My Car. (in my book, those are like the top fun, stupid/funny movies that I could watch over and over)
NEVER GIVE UP, NEVER SURRENDER!
It's now saved to my watch list.
For those who do not have time and make purchases, this application is ideal but it created what we should do.
There are many making use of the convenience.
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