How To Complete An Instacart Delivery

Instacart’s customer app looks similar but has an orange carrot running diagonally and has no bearing to Instacart shopping.

Full-Service Shopping applies to many regions and zones, stores, and shops. Shoppers can either sign up for scheduled hours and wait for a batch (Instacart calls their orders “batches”) or some are able to pick up orders during On Demand after completing a few batches on a schedule. Wait for your Instacart Shopper Dashboard to change to become a map. Once on the schedule, you’ll see a map that will read “Looking for orders” and display a map with the zone’s areas mapped out along with a bunch of buttons below. If you didn’t receive the map and know that you are on a scheduled shift during this time, tap your menu button in the top right corner and try tapping “Dashboard” once more. Dependent on how many orders are out there to be shopped, watch out for red and pink bricked areas on the map. These areas are called hotspots and indicate areas where there are shops that contain batches that need to be shopped. If you tap this hotspot and aren’t in the region, you can have Instacart send the regions common shop address to your phone’s navigation and you should be receiving an order soon after that. On-Demand batches get queued up in lists. Some zones in some regions begin their life as On Demand only, while others are just getting added to Full-Service Shopping zones where Scheduled shopping is available to some shoppers. Shoppers still pick up batches, but they aren’t locked into a certain zone or area but must be within a set driving time (distance) away to make for a successful commute to the store. In-Store Shopping is available only for some stores. With In-Store Shopping, Shoppers apply for a W-2 type position with Instacart and all Shoppers stage orders by picking and paying for the items and placing them in a set location in the front of the store until another Shopper picks them up. Delivery-Only batches happen on occasion in some areas. Independently-contracted Shoppers come in, verify they have the right bags and walk out and begin delivery using their vehicles. Although locked into the stores where In-Store Shopping is currently available, orders from these stores can vary quite a bit and can also be the least-paying.

At the top of the screen, you’ll see a map with the store’s location and customer locations pins along with Instacart’s suggested routes between these two. Below this will be information about the batch including your batch earnings and breakdown of the earnings into Instacart fund and customer tip, along with how these earnings were computed, including total miles to travel between the store and the customer, along with if there are heavy items and it’s specific payment amount. Below this store, you’ll see a swipeable list of all listed images on the shop (in graphical form only). Below this, you’ll see various buttons dependant on how the order appeared and how many orders are in the batch.

If you were on a shift, the countdown timers last for a very long time of 4 minutes. If you don’t respond, you will be asked why you didn’t take the batch. Although most complain of tip amounts or driving distance between them the shop and the customer, there are a variety of answers that will depend on your exact situation. Most In-Store shoppers have no reason to decline other than they were in the restrooms since they are already at the store. Double Batch (and even Triple Batch shopped the same way) can be tricky to shop and understand if you haven’t seen one before. Stay organized and you’ll do great with great pay involved too. Just watch who you are sending which notification out to as you move from message to message. Except for On-Demand shopping, on a scheduled shift for Instacart, batches get sent to only one shopper at a time. Shoppers have orders given to them as they come based on the order they signed up for those hours. If there are no other Shoppers and either this first shopper declines or doesn’t act, this batch will get sent to On-Demand to be shopped by some other Shopper - but keep in mind that if other shoppers come on, On-Demand batches can remain in On-Demand while the batch can be pushed to shoppers coming back onto the system.

Declining a batch during an On-Demand timeframe does not affect your rates. If you feel like declining batches often, On-Demand shopping may be for you! However, often, shoppers who don’t like the earnings or something else, end up sending the order to On Demand for others to pick up and shop and none of these orders may be for you. Your decisions to work will rely on your acceptance to take batches regardless of how much they pay or a variety of reasons.

Below this store information will be customer and batch summarization details (described soon). It is not necessary to read the summary of the order before navigating to the store if you aren’t already there. If you are already there, here you may read it and avoid the next step. Tap the (i) button in the top right corner to view customer details such as their delivery address or call Instacart Support (formerly Shopper Happiness).

For Double Batches, you’ll see inside a circle the order in which Instacart wants these orders delivered. However, details will be summarized for both orders in list-form.

Plan ahead before leaving your house. Make sure you have your phone charged along with a solid cellular signal or connect to the store’s Wi-Fi network (if possible). Include in your pocket, a portable power supply box to use while shopping, as part of a “kit” of necessity items, and your phone’s USB cord.

Instacart says that its shopping list is geared to the layout of an average grocery store. However, variations do exist throughout most stores. At some stores, aisles may be arranged logically while others you may be hunting around the list for quite some time to find items out of sequential order.

The Time timer will turn the progress time red beginning five minutes before the projected end time for the batches finish. If it remains green, great; you are on track to pick this order up in the allotted time. As a first, if you add items to the order, the timer will add additional time. However, you should avoid adding items unless the customer says it’s okay to do so.

Watch out for items at the deli, butcher, or seafood counters. These can often be a disaster to shop, as the lines often get long quickly. If so, make sure to save your space grabbing a number and shopping a few items nearby, or if the store has their own shopping or fulfillment of items that can be picked up, order through the app. No paper tags- try shopping more items and back to the counter a bit later to try your luck.

Multi-pack listings look different in the way their sizes read. Sizes read in a similar style to “4x4x2. 5 oz” meaning it’s a four-pack of an item where each unit in the multi-pack weighs 2. 5 oz. However, multi-packs will differ on the product, but their stylings will be the same universally listed way. Watch out for special products such as those that are organic or gluten-free. When the word Organic or Gluten-Free is mentioned in the product name, you’ll notice these trigger words become underlined. Even products which are naturally Gluten-Free have the trigger words underlined - hence the reason why Cheerios has the underlining under Gluten-Free in it’s title. However, some products that are deemed Organic aren’t really Organic even though their last part of their brand name says Organic.

Customer notes in the shopping list act quite a bit strange. They are severely shortened and even after tapping to expand the listing, they will still not jive with written English. Your best bet to read a customer note is to open the item’s page to read it and not bother with customer notes from the Shopping list itself.

Special request pages act a little different. You’ll have the customer’s suggested title with their customer notes and quantity of the item, but the additional buttons (besides the Found item) button include “Can’t find item” and additional reminders as to the customer’s name and contact info (by calling only).

“Can’t find item” is a shopper tool that allows you to learn about suggested replacements and make replacements as you find products in the store as becoming problematic. With this, you can find other similar products or even go further through the list and refund the item. Often, tapping on products that can’t be found can give you either the “Customer choice” or a “Recommendation” or can even give you various lists of common substitutes (if neither suggestions fit). Avoid using the “Can’t find item” button unless you can’t truly find the item or the item isn’t in stock on the shelf with the labeled area. Poorly-worded items along with Customer choices should be shopped last, and may even need a merchant employee’s help to decipher where to find this and should be shopped last. Don’t despair. Even if your customer still approves a refund for an item, if all of a sudden later in the trip you find the item, you can always go back to unfound items in the In Review or Completed lists and tap them then tap “Found substitute item” or “Scan original item” and proceed as normal. If the customer feels that you have not made a suitable choice of substitution, customers can still review your change and either request a refund or ask for you to look for another product instead. “Message (customer name)” button is a new feature that Instacart is beginning to roll out; it’s buggy and clunky when compared to your in-app chat (and holds new messages in in-app chat anyway). This button will allow you to give quick responses to the customer, but often should be avoided in place of your other features onscreen. Quick responses include items that are “Not available” (even though you should be looking for substitutes instead), of “Poor quality” and to “Confirm quantity” (make sure to check your app for this information and check chat for confirmations as you go through the list). Use the in-app chat, find all replies for these messages in in-app chat as well. Using this feature can lead to some confusion over the information provided, it doesn’t link to anything and can’t be moved into other areas of the message to be sent with the clunky name. Tap your choice, then tap the up-pointing arrow to submit.

Watch out for items found in the produce section or near the butcher block (Meats section) of the store. These items often need various pieces of data such as their weight and will need some manual entry using the 10-key keypad on your screen after tapping each block. Most will ask for barcodes first - especially with organic fruit baskets. But don’t be surprised if you aren’t asked to scan the item after tapping the “Found item” button instead of typing the data instead. No barcode for an item that should have one or barcode doesn’t work? No problem. Tap the “Barcode doesn’t scan” and you’ll have to use the Force item tool instead. Take a picture of the item showing the front face of the product and send that on its way, but make sure that the item matches all parts of the description before sending - including watching for size differences.

Force mark the item as found if you are sure that the item is the same as the one the customer requested - if Instacart isn’t accepting this barcode as being correct. Instacart will want you to take a picture of the product’s face, showing its name and size. Often, this will be the result of new barcodes not being corrected into the database for the product yet.

Type in the quantity of the product. This will display only if the customer wanted more than one. Pick the requested quantity off the shelf, enter the correct number found then press “Submit” to save your selection. On an iPhone, you’ll need to close the keyboard to display the Submit button - all by pressing the “Done” button just above to the right of the keyboard onscreen. If a customer orders a quantity 1 of an item, but mentions they want additional quantities through their customer notes or the messages feature in-app: after scanning go back to the item in the Completed list and re-scan it. It will then pass it along to adjust the quantities page allowing you to take the additional quantities of the item. . . just remember to grab those additional units from the shelves. Watch for items that need a specific weight input. While items from a special cut deli will need to be scanned from the barcoded sticker before typing in the total weight, don’t be surprised if those in the butcher block or seafood bar end up asking for manual weight entry after scanning the item’s barcode first. However, products in produce may often just need manual entry based on what you’ve found without scanning the non-barcoded items first. Be careful of customers who place items always found in bunches (bananas are the common issue) and put only a quantity of “1x” (1) on their list. Message the customer to let them know what 1 would bring them - one solitary item (not one bunch). However, be kind, as they are learning the ropes too. Tell the system how many are in that bunch when adding the quantity and let it visually tell you that your quantity is more than requested. You can always go back and edit if the customer tells you that one (of the item) is okay too. (You will see customers add bananas to their order and learn the ropes in either their first, second or third order - but at some point, it’s bound to happen.

Customers have to approve of all additions, so as soon as you finish adding it, it’ll be found in the In Review tab.

Very large orders can be tricky at some stores. While many stores would be more than happy to hold absolutely-full carts (seeing as they see you giving them more money in the end), some aren’t so happy - and some frankly would like the heads up. Some provide areas where shoppers can hold carts until later needed at checkout. Each store is different, but you must be able to communicate your intentions.

Messaging for double (and triple) batches have one additional menu to select which chat stream you’ll need to send the message to, but otherwise the rest of the messaging remains the same. Customers love to be alerted to issues you are telling them about because they trust your honesty. So don’t feel bad if you need to contact the customer about a product. You should never look down on in-app chat as a form of discipline. Some customers don’t want to be chatted with using in-app chat. However, the tool will tell you who these customers are, but these customers must be called instead of using the button provided. If you forget to check unviewed messages after tapping Review changes, you’ll be asked to check them, and even giving a button to head into checking them before proceeding.

Use the list provided on your Instacart Shopper screen - if you had to call the customer based on your replacement and refund choices. Your screen will list each product the customer ordered followed by your replacement or will list your refund action if you ended up refunding the item. “Refund” will be listed above the product’s name line onscreen.

Tap the < (then the “Go Back”) button to get back to removing and refunding replaced items (taking these items out of your cart, or finding different products for wrongly-replaced items the customer wants a different product, of. Find the list of unreviewed items in the In Review (most likely there) tab. Tap the “Done reviewing changes” button if you had to call them, and they are okay with all your changes.

If there are working self-checkouts that accept the rewards cards you’ll later be given, it’s more than likely that scanning a small order at self-checkout is okay. However, bigger orders may more likely need a manned checkout to help you. However, you must be able to recognize how many items you’d consider “a big order” and need a manned checkout line, before placing yourself in front of the self-checkout line. Self-checkout lines will likely be seen as “express-like” in nature for other customers waiting behind you, and manned checkout lines can often get the items to pass through the scanner quicker than most self-checkout lines can.

Never use your own personal rewards card if Instacart doesn’t give you their own rewards card. Personal rewards cards are prohibited during all portions of Instacart shopping trips, and you might even be banned from the store if Instacart finds you violating these terms and agreements.

Instacart’s cards don’t have an RFID chip yet, so no point in trying to find the chip reader. Some stores (such as Aldi) want you to run your card as Debit instead and use the PIN on your screen to be entered into the card terminal. These stores are rather in-frequent, but often get swamped with orders in one get-go. If you forget your card, never use cash. Use your own card and request a reimbursement instead. Instacart doesn’t allow cash because it’s not trackable. However, at the end of the order, you’ll have to go through manual receipt entry to proceed.

Some stores will provide plastic bags but be on the lookout for stores with additional bag fees. At some stores and areas, it’s okay to enter bag fees as their own item (if not asked for in the end), but the fee must be described as to who is directing the fee (county, state or business). Some stores - such as Aldi - is known already as a store that it’s necessary to buy bags. While customers don’t like extra fees, you may be told to enter how many bags into your app and enter them in the last few screens. Customers are told that you are given the green light to buy them these bags, but most customers don’t like their shoppers doing so. Never include the customer’s receipt in their bags. Not only are you later directed to scan their receipt (in Receipt Check), but it’s also advised not to according to Instacart policy. The paper receipts are the property of Instacart, and you must hold onto them at all times thereafter.

Wholesale and membership stores may require you to bring in your four Instacart-purchased bags to shop the order. They can come in handy for keeping temperature-controlled items at their proper temperatures, however, they cost money to buy once you sign-up and are accepted. Let common sense come into play when bagging items. Be careful not to put food and non-food items in the same bag. Chemicals mixed with food will often produce contaminants that may be deadly to humans and there’s always the possibility of these products leaking.

Invalid rewards card numbers from the barcodes above may force you to press the “Enter receipt manually” button. However, this will take you to the same Receipt Check screen as the next step describes. But be honest and scan or provide the rewards card number in the system before moving forward.

You’ll be given the name and complete address of the customer, along with a Navigate button that you can tap. Below that, you’ll have the customer’s delivery note (known as “Note from (customer name)”). This should be done before leaving the parking lot to the store so that you don’t have to wonder which house the customer is at or where to park once you arrive. However, not all customers will have this filled out, but most will have this area! You will find this line directly under the customer’s address near the center of the screen. Below that still are two buttons. One says “Customer is not available” and the other is “Show items”. “Customer is not available” is commonly used at times when customers aren’t home. Instacart tells Shoppers never to just leave the bags unless the customer says so in their Customer notes, through chat or calls using the Instacart filtered system. Show items" isn’t used often, unless items get lost out of bags in areas of your vehicle.

Instacart will ask how your last shift was (“Great,” “Okay,” or “Bad”). Fill out why you chose this rating. These reasons will differ, depending on how you obtained the order (hours versus On-Demand) and your rating choice. Write in a more descriptive reason why you chose this choice, if necessary. Tap “Done” once finished. If you don’t complete the survey fast enough, oftentimes, the system will send you back to select the first page of the survey again until you complete the entire survey quickly within the time allotted. If you didn’t get a single order in a shift (in some areas that won’t be the case), you won’t get the survey to complete and you will be free to go without a need.

You will find your shift’s total speed (along with total orders shopped and items picked), You will also find buttons to invite other potential Shoppers to become other Instacart Shoppers. Tap the X in the top left corner. to close the box.