InstaCart is a delivery service that brings your groceries to your door, rather than requiring that you go to the store yourself. This service is setup on the iOS or Android app on your phone or other devices.
What is InstaCart?
Going to the grocery store is one of the necessary responsibilities of adulthood, but it’s not always convenient to go shopping. There will be some days when you’re sick and should not be around others, while some days may involve even healing from an injury that makes it hard to move. Maybe you’re a new mother, and you can’t leave your sleeping child unattended, but you need some supplies.
Rather than having to deal with the unpleasant task of leaving home, you can use InstaCart.
InstaCart gives you the option of staying home while someone else picks up the food and supplies you need. The service is setup electronically, and works with many popular retailers, depending on your location. Some of the companies that participate include:
- Whole Foods
- Safeway
- QFC
- Costco
- Petco
Some cities have other delivery services available, but most of these options are meant for people that have home health care, due to their limited mobility in their old age. Unfortunately, the service will depend on the small businesses in your area, and often don’t give necessary support to anyone else that might need the help. With InstaCart, there’s no discrimination between different situations, which means you can use this service while healing from an injury, as a favor when you’re busy, or just to avoid leaving home.
How Does InstaCart Work?
The InstaCart system is incredibly easy to use. You do everything from the comfort of your home, even when it comes to the delivery.
First, you need to check the stores in your area for the foods and other products that you need. You will have access to a list of stores that participate near you. You choose which foods you need and how much of it that you need. You can choose from any product that is listed on the website, which should be equivalent to the entire store.
Once your order is ready, you can go to checkout. You will determine how soon or late you want the delivery to occur, but you can have it sent to you as early as an hour after your order is placed, depending on your purchase. When InstaCart receives your purchase, a shopper will go around and pick up all the ingredients you selected, bringing them straight to your door afterwards.
Even though this is a helpful service, you will be surprised to learn how easy it is to schedule. You follow the normal prompts on the website, and you could get your dinner groceries for tonight delivered in the morning. You don’t need to even speak with a customer service representative for any of the purchase, since it’s all controlled by the application.
The only restriction on the program is the location. While many locations participate, the city selection is presently expanding to service more consumers as needed.
Setting Up Services with InstaCart
The easy part about InstaCart is that you can use your phone to setup services. Once you download the app, you can browse through the local sales and regular prices at the selected store, checking whichever products you need in your order. In order to have the products delivered, you will need to make sure your purchase is at least $10 per store, but you can order from multiple stores at once.
You will be able to purchase alcohol in your order, as long as you can provide a photo ID and that someone over the age of 21 is present for the delivery.
If you’re unsure if InstaCart services your address, you can enter your zip code on the website to determine the participating stores. If you are not eligible, you may just need to leave your email address to be notified when services are allowed in your area.
Orders can be submitted up to six days in advance, and can be modified during this time. However, you may have to cover a $15 for rescheduling if your order was already picked up.
Pricing for InstaCart
When you make your purchase through InstaCart, your total cost will depend on the amount of your order. Essentially, you just must pay the total cost of your grocery bill, along with a 10% service fee for the delivery. This cost doesn’t include a tip for the delivery driver.
You will not have to pay for the total cost of InstaCart until it is delivered to your door. You can submit your order through the application. If this is the first purchase you’ve made through InstaCart, you will be eligible for free shipping.
Contacting the Creators of InstaCart
Since the information listed on the website for InstaCart is relatively limited, you will want to get more information before you submit an order. Even if you’ve already submitted your order for groceries, you may still need help. That’s why the customer service team is available via phone or email.
To call the company, you can use 1-888-2-INSTACART to reach someone. Unfortunately, hours of operation are not listed on the website, which may make it hard to reach someone with an urgent matter. You can still submit an inquiry via email to [email protected].
Before you call or email your questions, you can check to see if your question is answered in the Help Center on the Contact page.
InstaCart Conclusion
InstaCart is a helpful service for anyone that struggles to be able to leave the house in time to get to the store. You don’t need to fall under any specific type of qualifications, except for your address. When you’re ready to have groceries delivered for a small fee, you just need to download the free InstaCart app to setup your purchase.
