Instacart: Groceries & Food Reviews

by Cadey13

I have ordered from Instacart three times because I cannot seem to learn from my mistakes. The first time I wasn’t so mad because there is a pandemic going on (I get it) and they cancelled my order 5 minutes before it was supposed to be delivered. The second time, I was a little more understanding because again, there is a pandemic going on, but I received the wrong order entirely! The lady left before I was able to get to the groceries to let her know. Then I couldn’t get ahold of anyone, the phone lines are disconnected and no one answered the chat, so I just had to hope she would get my comment on the rating. She then returned and yet again, gave me the wrong order, again. This time I was able to correct her. So I had to pull my phone out and prove to her what I ordered (surprisingly it was all in her car). The last time, and I mean the last finally time, I had my order being shopped for, then the shopper quit during the shop and I sat waiting all night to see if they were going to finish shopping, they didn’t. Then the next morning the new shopper only gave me half of my groceries and claimed I didn’t order the $80 worth of groceries I was charged for. Again, I couldn’t get ahold of anyone for a while, and with long anticipation was offered a credit to my account.............We’ll have to see if they refund my card because a credit to my account is not acceptable in this case. I highly suggest to stay clear of this service. Don’t use it.

by Super Daddy D

I have use Instacart multiple times and had had many many many reasons to delete it and reasons to never put my information on Instacart ever again I advise is because the prices are over shot and the service is out of hand. I had tried to order a big order and my this app person had took in my order, natile Milan they had still charge me for it, then I charge me extra for weather conditions, extra Fee for service charge, tell a year after I have yet to hear from the incident, Support did not support anything, and work that one of the stores they had delivered from they had said my order was purchased and I will not be able to get any refund from them either, I had also purchased a $300 gift card as a present and a gift it had never been received, They told me to order it again I felt insulted, I use all my information and my Insta Carter contacted me for any notice from Support, and I had to change my number three times because of it. These were just some of my 50 orders that I have please using Instacart and forgiving the times that are it has wronged me but it still happens and I’ve learned to just not use Instacart no more. I had also had many encounters with discriminatory situations dealing with random this app people coming to my place of business and really acting in a way that I cannot even describe many on drugs or many just really in responsible. Lost customers because of a permanently. Never having them in my location again

by Pissedofffflady

I don’t understand how when you go to a grocery store the night before and they have various items that you need but you don’t have time to grab them because you’re a sick kid in the car so you decide to call this app. But then they cannot find any Ramen noodles in the whole store even though there is a whole aisle dedicated to that. Every time I order from this app I think it’s going to be different. The shoppers don’t even try and then when you say I’m gonna chip you $10 because my order was $50 they get mad when you change it to two dollars because there’s literally only actually two items that they shopped for in a bag on my step. If they actually did their job and shopped for the stuff that you want and then I would not have a problem in the world and I understand things become unavailable. So before I wrote this review I called giant and ask them about said items and they wait and walked in the aisle and said yes we actually have about 50 units of the one item had about 30 units of another item and quite a few other items they actually did have in stock but they didn’t bother to actually shop for them. And then the worst part is is when you try the trial free delivery and then you cancel it a day before the end of the trial period. But then two weeks later you look on your bank account and they charged $100 for an Insta cart membership I think we should definitely boycott this app people have no work ethic anymore!!!!!!

by Asel92

I recently used the Aldi pick up and it was great! My total was 83 dollars and Instacart charged me 100 for any differences in price. No problem. So I have a 100 dollar pending fee on my bank account. I assume like any of the other grocery services I ever used that once the pending charge drops off my account, it’ll change to the 83 dollars. Nope. I still have a pending charge of 100 dollars on my account AND the already took out the 83 dollars for my order which means I now have 100 dollars of my own money that I can’t access until the pending charge drops. I definitely wouldn’t recommend this service after this.

Update: I tried Instacart again because I really needed groceries but was in no state to go into a store after having my cat die. I pulled up and after waiting, Instacart timed out and told me I needed to go into the store to get my groceries anyway (so glad I paid for a pick up service), then, once I had my groceries finally, Instacart added a second 50 dollar hold on my car after already charging me one. So now I have two 50 dollar holds on my already light bank account. Then I tried to reach out to the support team and the first person I tried to chat with immediately ended the chat without helping and the second person was at least able to help a little and tell me there was only one order. Again, I really wouldn’t recommend Instacart. This entire experience made an already really bad week even just that much worse.

by DogMomma7218

3 times I used Instacart, the first time i used it my groceries were STOLEN by the person who supposedly “delivered” them .... contacted customer service and they tried too to get ahold of the shopper and were declined calls by her.... thus they deemed what i already knew and that is that my groceries were stolen and so they replaced the order for me and the second lady actually brought me my groceries, yet i only got 1/4 of them. I swore off this service after that second delivery but my local grocery only uses THEM for delivery so yet again I am here ordering from them , hoping since they are through my grocery store and not Instacart it will be okay. 3rd time starts off great the person communicates with me the whole time, JUST as she says she’s done shopping and my grocery store lets me know my groceries are on the way suddenly my order gets “cancelled” and my shopper stops the chat and i never got my groceries .... i waited 3 hours for them and spend about $80 of which i have now AGAIN lost to a shopper who stole them. LITERALLY THE WORST SERVICE EVER they obviously do not check who’s shopping for them and to those who are shoppers - i’m disappointed in your morals that you would steal groceries from someone who worked hard for the money to pay for them . I literally cannot leave my house due to covid and this is my only option for groceries that i’m low on, i will be using another app from now on and will never again return to this AWFUL service .

by RoxiSink

Extremely disappointed. I used Instacart to place a delivery to our hotel while on vacation. First of all Instacart is very frustrating to use to place an order because nothing is easy to find or navigate the store departments. There are so many things that target sells that don't fall under any category in Instacart and they can't be found on Instacart . So I put in a special request for the item, being as detailed and specific as possible but they can't figure it out. Not even the worst part. I put instructions to leave our order at the front desk and gave my name and room number. I got a text notification that they couldn't contact me and asking if I could meet them outside. I replied please leave the order at the front desk and by the time I got Instacart open and order pulled up they had canceled it. Nothing I could do now. (This was only 3 minutes after sending me text notification asking my to meet them outside, which is not even enough time to walk downstairs from my room!) what's worse is there's no way for me to contact them through Instacart to complain. Which is why I'm here. Even when I follow the prompts about contacting them about a recent order I select the order in question and then it just pulls up that order and has no where to leave a comment or contact them at all. Worst app ever. Gonna try click list and never will use this app again. Wish I could give zero stars! Don't waste your time like I did!!!

by Wiggibg

I made an order from Walmart and the delivery option it showed to me was the next morning. Next morning I received an update that my order will be arriving till 2:30. Later I received a message with apology and updated time was 4:30. Later I saw my time changed to 5:30, I wrote in a chat to a representative, few times he assured me that I’ll be receiving my delivery before 5:30. 30 minutes after the time changed to 6pm. Then to 6:30. I started a new chat asking what’s happening. Because if I knew it would take the whole day, I would be never ordering that. The other one assured me that till 7pm (!) I’ll be receiving it. During the chat the time already has changed to 7:45, while he was telling me about 7:15. I asked for them to make sure and to check when the shopper will be assigned to my order, they were repeating the same sentences telling we are apologizing and giving me $5 credit, when I already saw that the delivery time changed to 9pm I asked the supervisor to call me back, I was assured that there will be a supervisor calling me in 30 min. Should I say that no one called? I spent hours on all those conversations and they were giving me $10 credit for future purchases??? Why should I do future purchases if I can’t receive this purchase? At the end I just had to cancel the order and go to buy all I needed by myself. Will never use this service again and also will not be suggesting to anyone to use it!

by Anastasia Beeferhauzen

So, in theory this is convenient, but certainly not in practice. There aren’t opportunities to use your promo codes/coupons at the designated stores you choose and on top of that they mark up EVERYTHING! I thought i was going crazy until one day I compared the prices listed on the website (I tried this with multiple stores, Meijer, Fresh Thyme, PetCo, and more) and every single item was more expensive on this app, sometimes TWICE as much! I think it’s disgusting they capitalize on the inability of those to actually go to the store themselves, but, that’s capitalism. I think the worst part is the blase attitude all shoppers take. I would plan a meal around my this app order and most of my essential items would not make it in, or they would substitute it with something completely different, even after I specifically choose a replace or the option to not have it replaced. I one time had to go back to the exact store once my partner came home (we went down to one car to save for an electric because:carbon footprint) and got the item i needed the shopper said that they were “out” of. I am not going to sit here and rate the shopper poorly or not tip them, they did after complete the service and this is just not the time considering the world standings, but i wish the company itself did more when it came to training the employees and price checking. I subscribed to the yearly $99 free shipping and wish i had not. DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME AND MONEY

by Urdgtwdgyrd

this app used to be beautiful. Now they’e started spamming my lockscreen with “new notifications” that aren’t notifications at all, but just spam tricking you into opening Instacart for no reason. That’s the last straw, this app. I’m lucky I have healed enough to do my own shopping, again, pandemic or no pandemic. Instacart is becoming more and more useless and resulting in more and more problems that I have to correct, every time, without fail. After months of receiving the wrong stuff, I came to discover that all of my instructions had been magically deleted from Instacart (things like instructing the shopper to not buy rotten vegetables, which they will do if I don’t tell them not to). It took me about an hour to re-enter them all, because I have to enter detailed instructions for every single item, one three-page process for each item, otherwise your shopper will just buy any old crap (I once ordered Hershey‘s cocoa powder for cooking, and they brought me Nestlé Quick instant chocolate drink). I give my shoppers the benefit of the doubt that they either couldn’t or didn’t read my instructions OR my personal messages. One guy bought me the exact thing I specifically told him not to buy! Based on reports and my personal experience, I’m betting it’s Instacart , and not a sudden crisis in illiteracy. I guess this app has become one of those companies that are now too big for beauty.

I DELETED Instacart WHEN IT STARTED SPAMMING ME!!!

by Djnobody

I lost my license so this app came as a relief. I love Instacart it’s user-friendly and has all the stores that I would need in my area. The one thing I do not agree and will be deleting Instacart for is the 10 to 15% “authorization hold“ that they charge you on your total order, just in case you want to add some thing while the shopper is gathering your items. I don’t know about anybody else, but I spent about an hour making sure I had everything that I needed so that that wouldn’t happen. This hold amounted to an extra $30 I have a daughter, and with everything going on in the world today I am limited on funds as it is. Waiting an extra 3 to 5 business days, it being a Saturday today, to get that $30 back is not an option for me. On the other end of it if I only have $160 in my acct to begin with, like today, that takes a big chunk out of the things I am able to get. On top of a delivery fee, a service fee, and a tip for the driver. I say you guys are taking too many fees on top of this “authorization hold” it forces me to erase crucial items from my list and/or to cheap out on a tip, which I’m sure the driver relays upon themselves.
this app can be great with minor changes. I’ll be paying my next door neighbor, who’s out of work due to covid, $15 flat fee to go a .25 mile up the road to do this. I suggest others find a cheaper, more efficient route as well.

by Janny931104

This is such a great concept. I love that it gives you all the nearby supermarkets that work with this app so it’s easy to compare prices. I will not give it 5 starts due to 2 things. 1. Once you’ve placed your order, you have a few minutes to add any items you forgot, as long as you do it before the person begins shopping, the problem is, there is some kind of glitch with Instacart because 8/10 times it will not let me add anything; I’ve only successfully been able to do it maybe once, but most times, it just wont give me the option, even if the person hasn’t started shopping. 2. There is an extra $20 that is added to your overall total in case there needs to be a replacement for a more expensive item or in case you add something else in general, if none of your items were substituted or if you didnt add any items, your bank account will reflect the actual total that was given to you at checkout. My only pet peeve about this is, they tell you about the extra $20 in super tiny letters at the very bottom of the page, it just looks like general policy writing so imagine the surprise when you sign into your bank account and see an extra $20 dollars than the one you saw at checkout. I didnt catch this at all at first so be aware, whatever your balance is, add $20; but dont let this scare you, you will most likely not need those $20 so it will be back in your bank within a few days

by Me1053

Okay so I started this app before the Pandemic started and was over joyed with the amount of money I was making in a short amount of time. I liked it more than DoorDash. That was within the first few weeks of being a shopper.
After I would have a whole bunch of issues and glitches making my orders take longer and more difficult to do. The year 2020 I had an order that was roughly $500 Instacart glitched and erased my profile just as I was on the way to deliver the items and it took the Customer service hours to even do anything that could help. There was an order before that where Instacart glitched and I was sitting at the customers house for hours waiting for a resolve.
Fast forward 2021 I use Instacart under my moms information and didn’t have a single problem with Instacart except for bad connection here or there. I try to reapply (because Instacart glitched and deleted my account) under my own information again and was already having issues like it wouldn’t let me update my phone information. I tried to get a rep and they seemed helpful but then I couldn’t get to the chat to answer any questions. I finally get to the chat and had to start a whole new chat with different people who weren’t even able to help.
It’s all been a headache and very disappointing. It seems they’re doing all these updates but not fixing anything that actually matters.

by Alaska TZ

I loved this app so much when I first tried it that I signed up for the annual delivery subscription to eliminate all delivery fees. Great $99 investment. I just pay a little extra to tip the driver through Instacart and I never have to visit the grocery store again… YEA!, However I did notice after a few months that the Store receipt was regularly 25$ - 30$ more than the this app total after correcting for adjustments and substitutions in the order. I called and spoke to customer service twice and confirmed that this app does not honor store prices and in fact sets their own to maximize profit. The original store receipt will always be included with your grocery delivery so make sure to check the total amount paid to the store and compare it with your final this app charge after substitutions and adjustments are made. For me the difference is about $200 per month, but we eat a lot of expensive organic produce. So just know that you’re paying $99 for the annual membership, but also for the inflated grocery prices. In my case since I pay my house cleaner $20 per hour it’s cheaper to have them do my shopping and the additional benefit to that is they can also enter my loyalty number at checkout so I can get my discounted fuel points directly from the store since in Alaska the this app drivers get the store points for the purchase.

I’ll still use it a pinch, but know it costs more than the annual fee and driver tips.

by Keic Fbeuwondbek

I like the shopping convenience - no objection there. There’s the occasional wrong item being bought (just due to overloooking) which is understandable.
What I am most upset about and have almost stopped using Instacart due to this is the massive plastic wrapping that most shoppers do. They do it out of good intentions I understand - sadly a lot of people like their produce wrapped in plastic. But there are a lot of us who try to reduce their blood plastic footprint. And big shopping “revolutions” like this app should absolutely always encourage using less plastic during shopping. I would really really like to see a default checkbox for “no plastic wrapping” or at the very least “reduced plastic wrapping”.
I already only order from stores that only have paper bags, however they still have plastic in their produce section and sometimes shoppers use it excessively. My biggest jaw-drop moment was when I received a single mango wrapped in plastic (why, just why), and cabbage (which came by default wrapped in Saran wrap) which was wrapped AND tied in 2 plastic bags.
Based on this I have limited myself to only order things that come in a container like milk, flour, eggs, etc. I’ve stopped ordering produce of any kind because I’m tired of dealing with tons of plastic bags that are honestly completely unnecessary for most cases. Even if they aren’t I have so many at home that I can always use my own for longer produce storage.

by Another Customer About To Bail

They just changed Instacart and now they’ve placed the cart at the bottom. Why? It was better up on the right at the top of the screen and easier to see ? Another dumb decision, when you finish shopping and paying for your order, the cart does not show 0 anymore. The items remain in your cart, even after you receive confirmation that it’s paid! So if you need to go to another store and start shopping to schedule another delivery, you can’t do it.
Nice going, this app. Then there’s all the random missing items, shoppers who don’t read your instructions and bring you the wrong things, lost tomatoes that they say you got (and charge you for)… but you never got. Time wasted sitting on the phone calling this app customer service to explain all these things or take pictures of your smashed items or plead your case on those tomatoes you never got, etc. Add in the smashed bread and broken eggs and you get the idea. But the upside of all this is that occasionally you get a nice shopper who is good and reads your instructions and texts you as needed and delivers your stuff quickly. Hopefully not showing up with all your cold items warm because they delivered four different orders and you were the last one they delivered. So, I guess if you can handle all the bad, the benefit is,…”you” didn’t have to go to the store. We got someone else to do it for us. But it’s always hit and miss if it’s going to be a good or bad experience.

by Sharpie9815

I’ve used Instacart over 10 times and the last time i refused to use it again. The service has always been great, loved all the shoppers. The last time they showed me the prices of the individual items and i was okay with it, they also showed me the delivery charge, the tax, the tip, and the service charge. Everything added up and i was fine with it. Everything i put in my cart was picked up by the shopper, there were no replacements or refunds or item changes. When the order was done the item prices magically went up so my purchase was $10+ over what i was expecting. Its never done that before and i didnt order anything special. I tried to email them and asked them why the prices mysteriously went up and they said it was service charge and i tried to tell them the service charge was already added in when i agreed on the prices. Email after email was the same reply, it was a service charge. They already add some service charges into the price if the item, thats why they’re higher online than in store then they add another service charge at the end. Which again i was fine with paying but then they charged me extra when they shouldn’t have and all i was getting was robot responses saying it was a service charge. I understand there might be some higher prices in the store but that doesn’t make every item price go up $1-$2 after you agreed to pay the price they told you.

by Instacart Shopper Experience

this app should allow shoppers to only remove a percentage of the tips & not the entire tip especially if we got 80% of their items and attempted replacement items via chat. it would also be helpful if they could leave a note as to why they lowered the tip so it can be a learning opportunity for the shopper. It’s unfair that we meet the shoppers sometimes ridiculous demands, shopping for items that are not on the list because Instacart doesn’t allow them to add it to the cart; we go over our allotted time looking for items and they have the audacity to remove the entire tip. It’s unfair! Im in a couple this app groups it’s sad how many people get tip baited.
While one the topic of this app groups, this app should have their team members join these groups what better way to make improvements within the company then hearing unfiltered truths from shoppers and customers.
Lastly it would be amazing if we had a call center to call instead of a chat, to get help. Texting back and forth is too time consuming I would love to speak to a representative to get my problem resolved asap so I can go about my day, it can be a little frustrating when there’s a communication gap between you and the chat agent.
All in all Great app I love being an instant cart shopper it’s allowed me to supplement my income while trying to start my own business 😊

by Bridgett 14

I love ordering from my phone. The cost of delivery and tip is worth me not having to leave house and put miles on my vehicle or deal with aggravation of crowded stores. The closest Publix is about 15 min away so I’m already committing to at least a 30 minute drive. I only had an issue one time - I ordered things for dinner (it was about 5ish). I should have ordered earlier but I didn’t know better. It was about 2 hours in and no one started working on my order. I called IC to see what their policy was and what the recourse was if my groceries didn’t come. The lady said “then it will just come tomorrow”. Which of course was unacceptable since it was dinner and I work for a living and wouldn’t be home. I ended up going myself and, as I was in Publix, someone started working on my order. My fault, I had forgotten to cancel it. I told them right away obviously through the messenger system. But, I’ll just always remember that ordering sooner is better. I wish there would have been a way for someone to say “no one is available for 2 hours, fend for yourself!” Keep in mind I live in a small city, mostly rural. I’m surprised we even have this service here. I love ordering groceries on lazy days!!! I also save some money from not going in the store and getting things I don’t need. Thanks IC!

by GiosDai

I had to post this! I submitted below review a few days ago. Within 3 days I received a response from Kodi, that they will look into this issue immediately. So I m VERY impressed! THIS is what I would call a great customer service and focus on customers’ needs. Although I am confident that my suggestion — having an ability to open the items I’ve marked as my “Favorites” as a separate list to shop from — is a good one and that many shopper would likely find it extremely helpful, still; developer could have ignored it and moved on. Well, THANK YOU, Maplebear, and THANK YOU Kodi, for not ignoring a good suggestion. I look forward to seeing this feature in Instacart very soon.

Instacart is great on everything that I’ve explored so far. However, I noticed one big flaw (at least in my view): you cannot open a separate list that contains your favorite items, nor can you sort all items by your favorites. This somewhat defeats the purpose of having this feature in the first place, to be able to mark items as”favorite”. Perhaps the next updates can incorporate this also, where I can view my favorites, because I believe majority of people keep buying the same stuff most of the time.

by Liladuck99

I had a TERRIBLE time dealing with this app. My very first order said within 5 hours and my person picked it up within two, I was very pleased! But then he started swapping after I said not to or even when I requested specific things he didn’t even listen! Once check out was complete at around 2ish I DIDNT HEAR FROM MY PERSON FOR AN HOUR! I had icecream and milk. Once I messaged him about 50 minutes later, no response. Just finally got the notification for that he was on the way. So my driver had my milk and icecream out for over an hour! Of course it was completely melted. My milk was warm and I had some wrong items! The driver didn’t listen to put at the bottom step so all my eggs cracked! I’ve tried reaching out to customer service for over 3 weeks now. I sent them screenshots of mine and the persons conversation. Explained everything I could. NO RESPONSE! It’s now almost been a month and I have no response. No refund. Nothing. I email them about once every 5-7 days but still nothing besides an automated email saying they’re busy! I tried this app because I was sick and have no transportation. I am so scared to even try it again. After this I don’t want to waste my money in melted, wrong, and cracked items!

by Passedaf

Downloaded this app so I could have my groceries delivered and after my first order was placed and I got the alerts the money had been drafted from my account I got an email that my account had been deactivated, orders cancelled, and money would be refunded due to “fraudulent activity”. I called customer service to figure out what was going on and the first woman couldn’t give me any answers other than it had been deactivated and I’d have to wait, spoke with a supervisor who continues to say about the same thing and eventually was able to inform me it looked like it had something to do with the delivery address. However he could not “access my account” to do anything about it.

My billing address and delivery address are different as I just moved states 6 days ago and still hold residence in a different state than I now currently live in. Even with this information he informed me he could not do anything. I asked for my this app account to be canceled and now will have to use Shipt or my local grocery delivery as well as not having a delivery option for certain stores.

I understand the security issue, but the fact nobody could do anything about it? What happens if someone is on vacation, someone else’s house, has multiple residences? They can’t order food except to their billing address? I have multiple addresses I’d of been having deliveries go to throughout the year and it completely blows my mind nobody could do anything.

by Kevinellen62

It turns out that every item I purchased (from Publix through this app) was marked up, for a total increase of over 13% on my total paid from what it would have cost me in the store. When I called this app to find out why, it was pointed out to me that on the this app site, under the Publix logo, was a link to the Pricing Policy, where it was stated that the this app prices may differ from the prices in the local store. Not only was the link to the pricing policy in the smallest font on the page (and therefore I didn't notice it); but also the statement that "prices may differ" seems purposefully evasive. I prefer to work with a company that is up front, honest, and ethical about their business model. Had they very noticeably proclaimed the pricing policy I would respect them more, and would have been able to make an informed decision about whether to use the service (for example, as soon as I visit the website or app, have an obvious link that says something like "a service fee will be added to each item purchased and will range from 10-15%"). The way it is hidden under obscure language feels like I am being purposefully taken advantage of. Had I known up front that I might pay 13% more to use the service, I would have had the opportunity to decide if the convenience was worth the $13. Chances are, most people like me would choose to pay that. However, since I feel lied to, I will NOT be using this app again.

by Deezyf.

As I write this message it's Christmas Eve. Today was my first time ever using this app. It's a popularly used app with the admins at my job so I decided to try it out. I ordered at Noon for a 5:00pm delivery. Instacart notified me around 4:00 pm or so that my items were being collected at the store. I began to clean cause family and friends are coming tomorrow. I take a break around 5 to see what's going on with my delivery and it stated the delivery was going to be delayed. I messaged my shopper to see if he had still been in the store. No reply. Ok right🤷🏾‍♂️ no big deal. I go back to cleaning. 5:30 another break, now I have a new time 5:45. Still cool whatever. My guys shows up promptly at 5:45 with my items. Some things are missing. So turns out my local Safeway had a power outage, and my shopper had to go to another store. Here's my problem, if something happens like a power outage, it might be good for someone to notify you... Turns out also my driver did return my chat. I never got a notification. My notifications for Instacart are ON. On the latest version OS. So kind of steaming wondering 1. When my refund for the items that couldn't be delivered will come and 2. How I'm going to find the remaining items I need on Christmas day. This was a really bad first experience/impression. Additionally I should add... The drivers GPS would not show on the apps live map. So maybe something should be checked out here.

by PersonalGenius

If for some reason, you are unable to do your own shopping, this is an acceptable alternative. But the experience varies so much based on which shopper is randomly assigned. When an item is sold out, sone people have no common sense as to how to replace it. I’m a vegetarian, and Tokfurky Italian Vegan Sausages are often out of stock, and more than one shopper has tried to replace it with pork. And shoppers have sometimes shown up as much as an hour earlier than your scheduled time! What if someone is not home, or showering, etc? Being too early is just as bad as being too late. And when there is a 1 hour delivery window, it shouldn’t be an issue at all.

Also, you basically have to be available to approve/reject changes and live chat with shoppers in order to get what you want. So this options doesn’t work if you are actually busy and not, say, homesick. The general UX is bad too. When something is out of stock, you’re only allowed to choose from 2 possible replacements that often don’t make sense.

I basically use this when I am home sick, or in the middle of a project but still can check my phone often. If you can’t be right next to your phone during every order, avoid Instacart. I’m just using it until something better comes along. I like that I can shop at my local store, where I know the general stock and pricing. That’s the only thing that makes this better than Peapod or Fresh Direct.

by Idontwantanickname:/

Instacart itself runs well. And in theory the idea is a great one. But unfortunately almost every single one of my shopping experiences through this app has been a bad one. Maybe it's just something about my area, but frankly the shoppers are awful. They are constantly purchasing the wrong items, running extremely late and making mistakes. And perhaps some may not appreciate this, but another issue is shoppers who are smokers- my groceries arrive drenched in the smell of cigarette smoke and even sometimes leaves a subtle cigarette flavor on certain items. No judgement whatsoever, truly, it is just very unpleasant to someone who does not smoke. I have only had one or two shoppers that really did a good job. **I wish this app would invent some way to favorite or request specific individual shoppers.** Especially because even when a shopper does a bad job, I feel pressured to still tip and rate them well because they may be the same person who accepts my order the next time and could, I dunno, spit in my salad or whatever. After thinking about it, is it really even safe? All these strangers coming to our homes? I dunno, I think more vetting needs to take place and some kind of choices need to be given to the consumer as far as WHO they want shipping for their produce and what not. this app is good, but it could be great with some tweaks and improvements. Until then, I do not intend to renew my membership.

by Firstsolstice

I loved Instacart when I first downloaded it. It was easy to use and navigate and the service it offers is amazing to someone who works full time with a long commute to and from work. Sometimes you get home from work and you just don’t want to have to deal with hassle of shopping. Especially for an introvert.

However Instacart’s functions and customer service has seriously declined in the last couple of months. Adding items to your order? Sorry, gotta catch it before the shopper starts shopping! Want to cancel your order? Ha! There’s no option to. Even with the available instructions that illusive ‘cancel’ button simply doesn’t exist. So what’s the next step? Calling customer service. Which gets you nowhere - just an endless wait with no response.

If the developers of Instacart could fix these highly frustrating issues (and customer service was a little more on point) I’d give this service 5 stars. Because, otherwise, it’s a seriously awesome service! The shoppers are always great - kind, polite, and work with you to make sure you get what you need as quickly as they can. However, with the markups this service charges in order to keep the operation afloat I expect better Customer Service response times and an APP that doesn’t hide some seriously important functions from you, the user.

by Dr.robin23

We really enjoy using this app to have groceries delivered. I only gave it 4 stars because I wish there was a way to choose preferred shoppers and there have been a couple of times they doubled up orders and our order wasn’t delivered until several hours after we’d requested and we had to cancel plans (the response was and “I’m
Sorry and here’s $15 odd your next order. 😐). That’s only happened a couple of times, though, out of the multitude of times we’ve used this app.
Otherwise, it is so nice to choose what groceries we want/need (provided it’s available through Instacart and things are more expensive) and have it delivered. Instacart usually provides really good communication about the status of the order and it’s pretty cool to see which items have been shopped and which ones are left to be shopped, and we get to approve any changes that need to be made. It’s also pretty cool to watch the delivery status as the driver is heading our way so we can be prepared.
Overall, we really love this app! We have used it weekly for probably a year and a half now. It is a bit more expensive but if you hate grocery shopping or have a reason that grocery shopping is difficult for you, then this is a great option. It will also help you cut back on impulse buys!

by WingNut Mike

I finally decided to use Instacart on my phone, because I hate to food shop, have always and always will hate to food shop. Yet this condition was hurting me financially by putting me in the restaurants too often and therefore jamming up my monthly food budget. First off using Instacart was easy and yes, fun. I actually enjoyed making store choices without having to deal with store problems: driving, finding a spot, walking to and from car, unloading car, crowded aisles, checking out. Et:al. Pricing very fair. The first three times all I had to do was pay the driver tip. Then just the tip and a small nominal delivery charge. &4.00 I believe it will be. I picked out a time, and was advised my shopper Susan would be at my home with groceries during that time. She was indeed on time. Before this I was advise of Susan’s arrival at the store and her progress based on item numbers. I was also advised of just a few items that were not available, and that Susan used her better judgment to substitute the items with a suitable replacement. Once she got here she was pleasant and brought the groceries promptly through the front door and put them on the kitchen counter. I will definitely use this app again to have my groceries delivered. A truly positive expierience.

by KAOstroman

board usability. Wish Trader Joe’s would get on & then my life might be complete! app & the board & then my life might be complete! & then my life might be complete! fee we pay for free delivery year-round from this app is well worth it, and then some! The response-time & functionality of Instacart make grocery shopping at our regular stores simple, fast & amazingly convenient. We appreciate being able to communicate with our designated shopper in real time via the messaging feature and being able to provide immediate feedback on replacement items or refunds. My husband and I share our account but each have Instacart on our phones which means we can both add things to our store cart(s) individually throughout the day or whenever we realize we are out of something and then in live time we both are able to see what the other has added or when one of us has placed an order, when it’s likely to arrive, what needs to be replaced if applicable, etc. Since we started using Instacart over 2 years ago it’s only improved and we HIGHLY recommend to all of our friends & family with busy lives; with or without kids.

by Lamujerdezavala

Hey there, so I am an this app shopper and I just wanted to put it out there for customers as it was brought to my attention yesterday. I had an angry customer who said he had been waiting all day for his order and said he had never had much issue up until yesterday which made me feel awful but it was definitely NOT my fault. We currently have two different work models going on which are not available to all and so some people are working by the hour and some by the job. The shoppers that are working by the hour obviously are getting heavier workloads therefore more pay, whatever is left over from these shifts goes into on demand mode and is cycled through shoppers until somebody takes the order. I unfortunately don’t have an option to shop on a schedule or if I did then I would because I know that I can get more customers orders fulfilled thus bringing more money home to pay my bills and help with the costs of raising children and happier customers and my number #1 goal is CUSTOMER HAPPINESS! So with all that being said, it’s a rare thing for orders to just sit there ,my thoughts are either it’s some kind of glitch or there could be the chance that shoppers are aware of a customer that likes to complain about timeliness but lowballs offers and tips and the order just keeps cycling with no result. Also could be an issue of low supply and high demand.

by Brittany-#momof3

So I just had my third little baby on Tuesday July 2, 2019, and I also have 2 toddlers at home with me, a 4 year old and a 2 1/2 year old. So to say I have my hands full is an understatement, that being said, I heard of this app from my mother in law and decided to try it, I have been home from the hospital for about 2 1/2 days now and of course since mommy has been resting and also been in the hospital there was no cooking or what I left before I went into the hospital is all gone now, so the kids and husband have been living off of fast food. I am wayyy too tired and sore to go to the grocery store so I used this app for both the grocery store Aand Cvs which I needed some extra lady supplies and both were delivered in such a timely fashion, by a very helpful, sweet woman, who even texted me when out front so the dogs didn’t wake up my newborn baby! I can’t thank her enough for doing all my shopping and helping me avoid a mental breakdown in the store!!! This is seriously a LIFESAVER for new moms or moms with multiple kiddos!! I don’t think I’ll ever have to take the littles grocery shopping again it’s going to be AWESOME!!!

-To the inventor of this app, THANK YOU SO MUCH, you have seriously saved me money, time, and my mental state!!!!

by Msharwin

This service is so convenient. I am on permanent disability and I am able to go to the grocery store but most of the time it’s a lot of hassle putting the groceries in the car putting them on the conveyor about putting them back in their cart putting them in my car then unloading them when I get home that’s a lot of work for me and my joints. I’ve been using this service now for approximately a year I don’t always use them for grocery shopping because I’ll go to the store sometimes but especially on the days where I have a migraine and I need to get groceries this is my number one go to.. I’ve had no issues whatsoever with the customer service team the delivery drivers are very efficient and nice they always ask for approval if they have to switch an item because it’s out of stock. Overall great service delivery is quick within two hours or you can even schedule your groceries to be delivered at the time you prefer for example when you get off work do you know what time you will be home and the groceries will be arrived shortly after you get home so that’s super convenient. Overall I would rate Instacart five stars 10 out of 10 customer service! :)