It's to cover the percentage of sales that Instacart takes, I believe.

I don't bother using their subscription, just order using regular Instacart and choose curbside pickup because it's less $$ than delivery. Now that I've seen your experience, I'm more convinced not to enroll, no matter how many prompts I get.

There are many local stores on the Instacart app around here. I mainly use 2 of them and I do notice varying prices, both for merchandise and fees. Stores also have differing minimums. Aldi's is $35, Publix's is $10, but Publix adds more $ to their merchandise.

I see it as paying for the convenience. I love not having to go and deal with strangers shopping in a store. There are a lot of knuckleheads around here.

I have used shopping services since before the pandemic-- i started soon after i had to give up driving.

Yes, some stores add to the item prices-- but not all stores do this. I primarily use Instacart ... I stopped using Shipt because they didn't keep their listings current with what was in stock. I have used Walmart (by far the cheapest $) but am more likely to use instacart because I prefer their service and level of communication when items are out of stock-- or when they don't look good.

A few other stores offer their own services but none of them seemed better-- and most of them had a 2-3 day wait for delivery. I rarely wait more than a few hours for Instacart.

Some of our local stores allow you to link your shopping card for discounts. Most of them include sales but at a higher price than in store. I moan about the higher prices but i also avoid all the unplanned purchases I made in store-- so i think it balances out. I imagine that has something to do with why some stores up the prices.

Of course it isn't the same as shopping for yourself-- and you do pay for the service-- but it's become an essential service for me.

It’s the same with DoorDash, Postmates, UberEats, etc. The food is marked up so they can take their cut.

We’ve been doing curbside for a couple years now, well before the pandemic. The order fee was $4.95. They also offered monthly for $16.95 and yearly for $99.95. We were using the monthly fee and I was going to sign up for the yearly fee. However, they just instituted tiered fees where if your order is $100 or higher, the fee is waived, and lower orders incur the fees. We are almost never under $100. So, I’m glad I didn’t sign up for the $99.95. But with Harris Teeter I seem to get the prices same as in the store, including the shopper card prices. Overall, we are pretty happy with their service.

I’ve also used Publix on occasion through InstaCart for curbside because I love their bourbon salmon and crab cakes, so I will do an order of 6 of each and then just freeze them. I used to stop in on my way home from work but obviously don’t do that anymore.

Target has no minimum and no fee for pickup, either curbside or in store, and orders here are ready within 2 hours. Some Targets are doing more cold items now too.

I'm not sure if they charge for delivery because I've never used it.

Hmmm - I just checked the Instacart app and it looks like my local Aldi has lowered their minimum order from $35 to $10...

I tried curbside pick up for groceries at the start of the pandemic and it was a fiasco. Haven’t done it since, but have picked up from stores like Joanns or Target. Interesting how things vary from region to region.

I use Fred Meyer (Kroger) and Target for parking lot grocery pickup. I often place my large order with Fred Meyer - free pick up over $35, then if I forget anything, or if they were out of stock on some items I fill in with a Target order. I have only used Instacart twice for Costco delivery - we don't have an option to for curbside pickup here.

There are a lot of knuckleheads around here

In addition to what randomly encountered fellow shoppers may often do to create possible COVID exposure situations most stores I visit have the registers set up so that the cashier is standing too close. And cashiers here often lean over credit card readers or around spit guards if something comes up during a transaction.

I was hitting the local Walgreen's here for particular items but they have the checkout arranged so that the computer the cashiers use is past the spit guard and right next to the credit card reader. And since they are one of the chains that offers a membership sort of involvement where points are awarded for each transaction if shoppers identify themselves via the reader that produces lots of occasions where the cashier leans over the reader to see what is happening.

And also adds to how long it takes the checkout line to progress through the checkout = a group of people standing around waiting in an enclosed area.

Recently I saw an item I think dating from last year where it was said possibly as many as 20% of cashiers had what was being called "silent COVID".

I've stated before here that I started using curbside pick-up for groceries during the pandemic. Never thought I would, but I actually really like it. I do not like grocery shopping. I only use a local grocery store. I have a $5 fee, no tipping allowed. The $5 is well worth it to me to stay out of the grocery store. But I have noticed, I usually spend less anyway! Using a list and sticking to what I need has caused my weekly groceries to be a bit less. I'm in a small town area with two grocery stores although we do have Walgreens and Dollar General Market. I have gone into both of these for items as they have many less customers to encounter and I have not seen anyone without a mask in these two shops. My grocery store requires, but does not enforce, masks. We have a Kroger in town also. I do not shop there but I believe their curbside is free over a certain amount. Instacart is advertised but I'm not sure if it actually services my small area. I do not shop Costco, Sams, etc. as it is just the two of us and we don't do bulk items. I refuse to shop Walmart. I do use Amazon and Amazon pantry for a few items.

I tried delivery a couple times during the early Covid days because I couldn't get a few things any other way. I tried to do it and curbside groceries more often but they never had half the things I needed so I gave up and just continued to go in and do my own shopping. The only curbside pickup I do now is when I order something online from Home Depot. Frankly when we can't do much of anything but stick around home I welcome the opportunity to get out and do my shopping. It's never crowded and I don't come within six feet of anyone. I'm also too cheap to pay for delivery when I can easily pick up the stuff myself.

I tried Instacart -- didn't know I was, but that was the service for Costco delivery, back when the pandemic started. It was awful. When we went into the store again during senior hour, there was an Instacart shopper ignoring the traffic flow signs and being very rude with other shoppers. I paid a lot more for that Costco order plus a tip and with both of those shoppers being exceptionally rude. I know it was a rough time for everyone, but I won't use them again.

I have used Whole Foods delivery a couple of times (through Amazon Prime - free with variable tipping) and their pickup. I don't do major shopping there, but I have gotten things I couldn't get elsewhere or special items and everything has been good -- products and service. Helps me feel good about the Prime membership that keeps going up in price,

Our main shopping service has been HEB's curbside. They do add 3% to the items, but there is no charge for the curbside pickup and for a long time they had no delivery fee for seniors. HEB is known for being a good employer -- decent pay and good benefits after a short trial period. They bumped all pay $2/hr at the beginning of the pandemic, then made it permanent. HEB has given employees bonuses at least twice now and their employees have been friendly, courteous and willing to go the extra step to find something not online, correct an order or do just about anything they can for you. And even with 3% added, I find the prices about the same or less than Kroger -- which now charges $5 for any order under $35. You can also apply their store specials and coupons - we got a whole choice beef tenderloin a while back for less than $10/lb and got a pound of shrimp yesterday for less than $5. Plus, when Harvey struck, then the pandemic and now the arctic blast, no company seems to do better at logistics and getting essentials to the people. They have donated trailers full of food and water -- and when the power went out at an Austin area store during the arctic blast, they told everyone to leave with their groceries and be safe. I am more than happy to pay what amounts to average of $3 per order to support them, their good employees and their contribution to the community.

Neither of us has been in a retail store since last March. I frankly don't miss.it. We use Instacart for some stores, curbside pickup for others. I prefer Instacart because I appreciate the opportunity to interact with the shopper when a requested item isn't available or there are choices to make. Also, I sometimes will request "not shown on the website" product items which are often findable and can be added to the order in progress. I believe prices are increased when using Instacart but that isn't a concern for us.

Curbside pickup is much more random and inconsistent from time to time even for the same store location. One exception is Whole Foods' delivery and curbside pickup, both of which seem consistently good.

@Elmer J Fudd our curbside "personal shopper" texts me if they are out of something or if they want to substitute an item. I have been very pleasantly surprised by what a good job our shoppers do. The biggest problem I have had is getting them to give me RED bell peppers. I often order green and red, but I think some of them see "bell pepper" and grab a green one. That's happened 2-3 times, so no biggie. They package things well, veggies together, freezeables together and in a freezer before pick-up, etc. I really can't complain and I may continue even after this is over! I enjoy going to our produce store (closed till next month for winter) but I do not miss going to the grocery store at all.

I have started using my normal grocery for home delivery. The prices are the same. You can get points. Delivery is done by Door Dash but I have no idea who does the selection in the store. There has been a $9.75 delivery fee but recently they have started a flat $99.00 for a year which I will probably switch to. I do tip and have it added to the invoice. The minimum is $35 so no last minute purchases for a couple of items.

I was using a dairy for dairy products, fruits, veggies etc. but they did start price gouging based on the price at the original store. A couple of dollars is fine as personnel needs to be paid but not doubling the price. I will be using a CSA starting at the end of the month since I found one that caters to 1 and 2 people rather than families.

Tina...I so agree with you re in store grocery shopping. We've gotten both vaccines,, have waited the two weeks after second vaccine & ventured into a grocery store yesterday for the first time since last March. My DH loved it, me not so much. I have gotten the pick/up, delivery thing down pat now, so it's easy & I do not miss the store experience at all. I'd much rather use my in-store experiences for things like fabric & gardening items!

I did curbside pickup twice over a year ago, pre covid. They gave me $20 off both times just to try it. There was a $50 minimum, I rarely spend that much in a trip. They were pretty new at it and.....I actually LIKE shopping. ♥ Because of the discount, I loved it!

Nicole - I actually like shopping, too. We are a household of 2. DH has become somewhat proficient at buying our groceries, but often doesn't get what I want ("that's all they had") or buys inferior produce and strange cuts of meat. I've been going with him when our big supermarket opens at 0600, we get two carts and have our own lists. So we go our separate ways.

Sometimes when he's done, I ask him not to hurry me, so he'll check out what he has and come back in. I divide our lists in 2 and leave the stuff I'm picky about on mine, and then when he's breathing down my neck on his second round I send him off for other stuff I left off of his list the first time that are far away from where I'm browsing. I do plan this, ha ha.

There are only about 15 people in the store when we go so early, Everyone is masked, no busy children, and I enjoy browsing and feeling safe about it. We get back home and have our groceries stashed by 0700. I have a cup of tea and usually fall asleep again.

seagrass

I disagree with the statement regarding 3rd party restaurant delivery services. The prices charged are standard menus rates and then the restaurant must pay out 30% to the service. These have become a necessary evil for restaurants.

I’ve been getting delivery from Whole Foods via Amazon prime for about two months now consistently. I love it. No impulse buying, and I have no problem scheduling delivery, unlike in the Early Pandemic Days.

I do curbside pickup. There's no additional charge and a $30 minimum. All the sales prices apply, along with the store's digital coupons. The shoppers do a great job! I also dislike shopping so was using this service well before Covid.

Tina Marie, I don't find the Instacart shopping for curbside pickup service of interest. If I'm going to use them, I'm happy for them to continue on and do a delivery.

The goal is not to keep people out of stores. The goal is to make money.

@Elmer J Fudd my point was the shopper, not the service. My store has a group of personal shoppers for curbside. They do a great job. Does instacart employ shoppers or use employees from the store? Fwiw, I have no problem doing pickup. Again, I’m in a small town. Not even sure we have delivery. But I’m not that spoiled . . . yet!

Same thing for us. There are store employees who handle the online ordering and curbside. They've been doing this awhile and we only rarely have a problem.

We've not done delivery so I can't talk about that for groceries.

I use instacart for curbside pick up at Aldi's, It is only 1.99 and very efficient and easy. I also offer to tip but they say they are not allowed to take it. The last few times I used them, They took off $20-30 from my bill, but we do order $150.00 at a time. Not sure if that is why.

"Does instacart employ shoppers or use employees from the store?"

TM, I believe the shopping is done by Instacart employees. Most of them communicate very well, whether it's from training or from experience. Immediate photos when there are decisions to make, they come both by text messaging and in parallel on their website and their app.

The "store employee curbside" service you describe is similar to the curbside service we've experienced offered by many stores that they administer themselves. No communication from the pickers for the stores I've used, though you can indicate by item whether to substitute or not substitute. Same with Whole Foods, which also offers in advance alternatives. Different from Instacart curbside, where I believe the shopping experience is directly interactive as like their delivery service but I haven't used it.

Instacart customer service is excellent, as is Amazon's for Whole Foods. Any issues or problems are refunded immediately with no further info from me for them to act on than the complaint or dispute. I don't know if my experience is affected by being a large repetitive customer for both but there's never a delay, never an issue, never an unrefunded issue.

I disagree with the statement regarding 3rd party restaurant delivery services. The prices charged are standard menus rates and then the restaurant must pay out 30% to the service. These have become a necessary evil for restaurants.

Lisaam, local restaurants in my area have made this known to customers. One restaurant owner created a video comparing his costs when a customer orders directly from the restaurant vs using a 3rd party service. I don't order takeout often (maybe once a month), but when I do, it's from a local restaurant (vs a chain), and I just call the restaurant directly. i'm trying to get my adult kids to do the same, but they find the 3rd party apps too easy to use, unfortunately, and so connected to the popular chain restaurants.

We have used Instacart a few times, Ralph’s (Kroeger) curbside pick-up and DoorDash. Tried to use Target curbside but half the things I wanted were not eligible pickup. These were typical in stock cleaning items, very odd.

I would say Instacart really depends on your shopper, I have had great ones and okay ones. None so bad that I would not use it again. I liked Ralph’s service the few times I tried it, would not hesitate to use it again. DoorDash has worked well for us but I did not realize that the restaurant was paying them that high of a fee (30% of the order). I will be picking up now.

One thing I noticed on Instacart for Costco is that the prices seem really high. An item I normally pay $13 for was $18, I decided just to shop myself on an off time. Not sure how typical this is on the various items offered, as this was going to be the second thing added to my cart. I went to the store and the item was actually on special for $10, so that was the end of using Instacart for Costco.

I've been using Instacart for months now and I like it. I've only had one bad experience where the shopper told me about half of my items were not available but also didn't ask if I wanted to substitute - just an instant refund. I was really annoyed as I needed some of those items and I know there was no way all of them were gone. Things like eggs, milk, bread.

But all of the other experiences have been good. I don't miss grocery shopping though I do miss stores like Trader Joe's.

Lukki,

The curbside was quite disorganized and unreliable in our area when the demand first peaked at the start of the pandemic, but it has settled down nicely now and is very reliable. None of our grocery stores charge for the service. Every few weeks, I'll go for a small shop around (now that I've been vaxxed) because I was missing the inspiration to try new foods that I don't get ordering online. But it's been really nice to just drive up and get all the usual stuff each week. I don't think I'll ever stop doing it, even though I never found it enticing before the pandemic.

With many Instacart experiences - certainly near 50 or more - we've had only one major disappointment, about one month ago. After spending time communicating pretty steadily but successfully with a shopper in a store on what seemed to be a low-stock day, the Instacart person delivered someone else's order to us. Which we didn't discover until the person was long gone. I contacted Customer Service, they were incredibly responsive and helpful. They couldn't reach the shopper by phone at all. Their response was to put another shopper to work immediately to replace the order, give us one month of whatever their special service is called, and a $30 credit. No need for them to be so magnanimous, no damage was done besides some wasted time and I understand mistakes can happen, but I appreciated it.

Oh, and "keep what you have". That was fine except almost all of the wrong delivery was stuff we had no interest in. Almost all of it went into the trash, unfortunately.

I had a Whole Foods delivery two weeks ago and it must have been accumulated by a picker who hadn't had their morning coffee. Three wrong items, all a different "flavor" from what was ordered, and all ordered items indicated as "no substitutes", got included in the delivery. Amazon was great, all of the undelivered and wrongly picked items were removed from the bill - a total of >$30. That was a first time problem with WF in probably 20 orders so I took it in stride and will gladly order from them again.