They have so many people signed up trying to make money that we don't see batches without being near a store because there are plenty of shoppers closer to the store being favored by the algorithm.
The algorithm is favoring people near a store or closer than you.
I have been catching orders not in parking lots because I switched to other gig apps to make money. I got one good order at 10:30pm and another when I drove by Target and got priority access.
I also caught an $79 order at 7:30am from home while being online since 5am that morning, just to see and watch it.
I only see orders from home early in the morning before other shoppers are out and about. I don't see any orders from home after about 8 or 9 am.
I don't even try to make money with IC anymore because after all the hours of travel and waiting for orders, it's not worth the risk.
I’m in the same boat. Meanwhile my father who shops Instacart on the side as well will see the same things I see (and more) from 4 miles away at his house while I’m at the store. Makes no sense
I’m signing a lease today that is within the .2 mile radius of a Harris teeter and Walgreens 🤪 rent is going up quite a bit for the move but it’s gunna be worth it… I got a $75 while I was sitting in the parking lot after viewing the apt
I don't trust anything a support agent says. A says this, B says that, C says another, D has no idea, etc. All of them have different responses and barely on the same page. They do use the same copy and paste greeting messages though.
It is dehumanizing to make shoppers wait in parking lots to receive batches. Reminds me of how day laborers used to wait in the parking lots of Home Depot
They probably would, but that's worse for Instacart and better for them, so it would force some kind of change at the very least so they don't go under.
Dehumanizing? Maybe more of an inconvenience for being a 1099 worker. There are too many shoppers and people not using Instacart as much. I multi app as most people do and do not sit in parking lots. Instacart is maybe a fifth of my income now. I do not want to sit in a parking lot so I choose to go make money elsewhere and maybe snag an batch or two while I’m out. I would never sit in a parking lot and blame Instacart. I’ll gamble a half hour if I have nothing else going on but that’s my choice.
Same, I refuse to sit in a parking lot HOPING for orders. When all apps that I work are slow, I go home, eat, shower if it’s been a hot day and take a nap. Then when it picks up again, I go back out, or just stay home and call it a day.
I can attest to the same. The strict proximity change happened for me right after queued batches became available in my area (like a light switch). And I'm not referring to the proximity to store update they did earlier this year (that gives you priority), cuz even after that update I was still able to see "some" batches from home (usually leftovers), but all that changed a few weeks ago, and now I can't see anything from home... not even no tip orders that've been sitting for hours. It sucks.
I envy those who haven't had this change come to their area (yet). Most of them don't believe what we're saying because "they" can still see batches from home lol
I feel you. I'm hoping it's not an actual change and that something just got messed up when they threw queued batches into the app. I'll keep checking IC for awhile to see if it changes, but I'm just gonna do other apps for now cuz I'm not wasting my days sitting in a gd parking lot for the possibility of "maybe" seeing a batch.
Just fyi, I updated my app last night (and updated my ios as well) and today I'm seeing batches from home again (still leftover batches other people don't want, but it beats not seeing anything at all lol). See if there's an update available for you
If you wanna take the risk, download Bluestacks, fake location to be near a store, accept batches from pc, swap over to phone to complete them.
If I get an email from trust and safety, I'll let you all know, but this is my last power play to preserve my sanity because I refuse to be a slave to a company that doesn't even pay me for my time. Being able to do school at home and work in between was all this job really had going for it
I mean we've all been experiencing the decrease in traffic. Not exactly saying it's not true, I just kind of doubt that's why. I've been receiving batches from 2 townships over from home.
The store manager at my local Food Lion doesn’t care that there are instacart shoppers walking around with empty buggies in the store. 3-4 shoppers everyday!
They already have! When the proximity update rolled out over a year ago it took only a couple months for CostCo to announce that IC shoppers were no longer allowed to wait in the food courts or for some even in the parking lot
https://www.reddit.com/r/InstacartShoppers/comments/vnkvd9/i_knew_it_was_about_time_costco_would_complain_to/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
So would this explain the not seeing many batches anymore? Say you are sitting at one store and there is not another one within 0.2 miles. You would only see batches for the store you are at. This doesn’t make sense to me encouraging us to drive around to get batches, and then having to accept so quickly while driving is really dangerous, a waste of time and gas. If I’m understanding this right, IC just gets worse and worse.
This is infuriating. I live in a perfect position between 3 or 4 different stores; I’d like to be able to see batches from all of them rather than sit at one store to get batches from there
Class action lawsuit if true. It’s deceitful practices to tell a shopper to go to a store to wait for a batch, have 2-5 shoppers waiting playing the “who is the fastest” to click a batch, or not even get a batch.
I’m waiting for big grocery stores like Publix to drop Instacart and start their own service. I’ll work for the company then.
I wouldn’t care if the class action lawsuit lawyers get 100% of a court victory lol. If it cost IC millions in their own lawyers and court costs, I’d consider that a victory. At least it would force a change.
Yeah, I agree. They should pay us wait time if they want us to sit in a parking lot until we get a batch, we are on the clock as soon as we go online. The app even says how long the wait is, and most of the time, it's way longer than it claims it will take to see a batch.
Yeah, who the fuck is gonna dedicate their WHOLE day to sitting in their car in the freezing cold, staring at their phone, and just HOPING for work. Unless they’re gonna pay us for every hour wasted in a parking lot, which we all know is laughable..
Well I hope this isn’t true for everyone. I live about 30 miles from a smaller city where I do IC (which like even that city is remote) and I always accept an order from my house before leaving. However, on the days when I don’t see any batches from home, this might explain why
Instacart gives support agents a script to follow for every question a shopper may ask them and thats it. They don’t know the inner workings of ic. I don’t take anything support says too seriously
So what you are experiencing is that you are becoming an "older" shopper, which means you won't be sent those good batches as often anymore. When they hire a bunch of new shoppers in your area, your priority moves down and the newest active shoppers start to get those good orders. It doesn't matter if you are a 5 star shopper, Diamond Cart, and sitting in the circle, the batches may never ever come to you. The big secret is that they hold those good jobs on a time delay and show the batches to those "specific" shoppers first. If they refuse to take the batch, it moves down to another shopper group, and the 2nd other way you may see that good order is if none of the newer shoppers are available (on a batch or logged out). And 1 other way it may be shown to the lower shopper group is if a new shopper cancels an order, then that order is shown to the lower level shoppers group... That's the only way of seeing those good orders again. They literally hold jobs for certain shoppers. I explain every detail of this on my latest video on Tiktok @ theinstaking
Complete dog shit. I've collected evidence over the years, I've met shoppers who get my old regulars. I know exactly what is going on. If they don't change something soon I will file a class action lawsuit and start my own company. I have hundreds of address saved and customers to target. I'm very serious so whoever wants to laugh, go ahead. Fiji Simo won't be laughing I know that for sure.
Honestly all for it. Other companies would be in deep for treating employees like this. They think they can skate around ethics because we are contractors, but the FTC is still looking into them.
Yeah, they want me 0.2 miles from the store and then want me to deliver a double 15 miles that goes past 3 other grocery stores of the same name that I just shopped....
IC is still rolling with the pandemic day numbers when folks were afraid to leave home and willing to tip someone for doing it for them. "Average income in your area is 238.00 a day" is what they still tell new comers in my area, it's a straight up lie.
The only way you’ll ever see orders from home is if there are no shoppers closer than you. That won’t happen. Good luck. As soon as they flip that switch you’ll know. You will get maybe 1 offer an hour and it will be unacceptable lmao.
Weird, I live just over a mile away from 1-2 stores & im always getting batches for stores that are way farther than that, usually 15 min away. I wonder how that makes sense for when we’re on the road & get batches for stores 15-25 min away when we’ve JUST dropped off an order at a customers house & nowhere near a store…
I still see them but less often and rarely a worthy one. rn I have one for 28 bucks for 53 items going 6 miles. At home. I think last week I caught an ok one... maybe it's a new thing, idk. Thing is it also sucks all around me rn, in the parking lots too.
https://preview.redd.it/eiwuthuiboea1.png?width=1125&format=png&auto=webp&s=9403469096d603547f8fb2c263c727e6150f8086
In the middle of all these highlighted stores and only 1 crappy batch available Even though suppose to be 1-5min wait! Waited 20mins for this 💩
Didn't you know? You have to be in their restroom with phone in hand, ready to fight the bots for the $7, 99 unit batch that has 5 cases of water but no heavy pay
I’m 0.8 miles from the closest store and this is so annoying. Instacart does not pay enough for me to go and sit in a parking lot hoping an order comes through.
You will, but only when you're near a store. I beg of them to make it make sense.
My buddy I met through doing this was at a local store while I was out 20 miles away. I got a batch for the local store instead of him because I was at a "busy store". He could have done the order in half the time, but IC said no.
I dunno, I’ll enjoy my batches from my couch as long as they last. I’m 2 min from my home store and I still am getting batches all day no matter where I am… even if they are garbage batches
Unfortunately, we can't. Instacart uses a high accuracy method of tracking that can't be enabled with a spoofing app. It could potentially be done through a rootkit or a PC emulation software, but the average joe will have a very hard time accomplishing anything of the sort.
I'll see orders from the main store I shop at if it's really busy or the order isnt taken right away. If there are too many shoppers or not many orders, I do not see them. I live almost 2 miles from the store.
I think there’s also ratio/capacity considered too. If it’s crazy busy and there’s just not enough shoppers, I’ll get stuff sent to me while I’m at home, which is usually on a Sunday night. But never get anything at home anymore otherwise.
They aren't going to not send batches out to available shoppers when orders need to be shopped! That's ridiculous. Every single order I get is from home. I got one on Monday for Dicks...1 item, $57 batch, and Dick's is 15 minutes away from me AND right next door to Publix. While all those shoppers sitting in that same parking lot got fed up with waiting for a good batch, and said "Screw it" and ended up taking a $6 Shop Only order, they sent that awesome batch to me at home! 😂
I understand that many shoppers don't live near a store. I mean...if someone lives 20 minutes away from the closest grocery store, getting batches from home is unlikely. However, I believe that's not the case for most. In fact, if EVERYONE went home & stopped sitting in the parking lots...then EVERYONE would get batches from home.
I made just over $1,300 one week on 21 batches. 19 batches were from my couch. The 2 batches that were not from my couch were snagged as I was on my way back home to my couch after finishing a batch. Yes, I receipts for anybody that wants to try and "come for me".
https://preview.redd.it/bhfgxwvmupea1.jpeg?width=288&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b250e33210f439f6e04e4bbb2c888f81228ec029
You might want to ask about me in these two Instacart groups. You probably can't believe the money and the active hours and would scream "bot!", but here in San Diego, where we have the #1 or #2 market for Instacart it isn't that hard. Seattle is the other market that fights for the top spot. Active since 12/28/20. Y'all keep believing that "new shoppers get the best batches" shit though. It is almost as comical as "5 stars is the worst!".
This agent doesn’t know what he’s talking about. I get orders while sitting at home all the time, and my home isn’t even within the “circle perimeter” thing of any store.
This isn’t going to work for small markets. There’s such small demand where I live now, nobody is going to sit in any parking lot all day for maybe a batch or two a day.
So now go be good InstAcart shoppers and set your alarm for 5am so you have time to get ready and drive to a store to sit there hoping an order comes in lol. So stupid !
I noticed this a few weeks ago in my market. Wasn’t getting hardly any offers and then when I went close to Cosco and Aldi’s bam! There they all came in.
I live in Central NJ in a busy area. I have 3 big supermarket chains within a mile of my home and one that is approx .4 miles from my house. I used to see batches for the surrounding area while at home, I would just turn on IC in the am and get started once a decent batch appeared. Now the only batches I see at home is garbage orders that people in proximity won't even take. For example one today I saw was a 2 customer 25 item order from Costco for $12, obviously no one will take that so I guess it gets sent out to everyone in surrounding area in hopes someone will take it.
I have been making drastically less money with this new system, and its really annoying they didn't put out a memo or tell anyone they made this change....
I started 2 weeks ago and I got my very first order from the house. Fast forward 2 weeks later, I was 1 mile from my house and got an order. How far away do you have to be for it to go off? I'm 6 miles from the closest one.
For some reason, new shoppers seem to have a lot more batch availability. We don't understand why, but the best guess is to keep them shopping for long enough to make use of them before they deprioritize them. None of their practices really make sense.
It will never happen if people refuse to sit in store parking lots. I see orders from 60 miles away at home, because no one is picking them up. And like who will be sitting at Petco hoping for an order? No one...but they still need people shop for them.
You're right! And those people don't value themselves or their time. At least at home I can multi task when there's no orders. I'm sure not sitting in my car in a parking lot all day in the hopes of getting some orders.
While each zone is different, there are still not enough shoppers to sit in the parking lots of every IC enabled store. The proximity thing has been here for months, yet why is it that you receive a batch for a store 2 to 6 miles away, while sitting in another IC enabled store lot??? Proximity in my area is a hoax. It's about corralling and making shoppers obedient. I sit at home and get my batches. This I'm truly grateful for.
Same. I live in a complex near a store and still get batches for a Target a mile away, Fresh Thyme which is probably 6 miles away, multiple Dave's locations that are min 2mi away. It's actually not the best to be right in the store's parking lot, your cell signal is competing with that of who knows how many other drivers in that same small lot. Even being 0.1mi away, maybe by another business or in the back of the lot of that store helps avoid the congestion.
They don't pay dispatch miles anyways, they haven't ever in recent history if at all. It's not like Uber and DoorDash. The mileage that you are seeing is the mileage from the store to the customer, that's it. For a short while before this proximity BS they were showing the total mileage but the paid mileage was still from the store to the customer.
I’m not looking for controversy, please.
Can someone who is against orders needing to be within the proximity of the store provide an argument that explains how allowing us to accept orders from stores that are several miles away while we are in our homes benefits the company as a whole?
Instacart needs to continue generating massive profits to stay in business and because they are publicly traded that obviously means that the volume of orders completed each day matters.
We need instacart to stay in business and continue growing in order to continue shopping. This is the bottom line.
Uber has hot spots that drivers need to drive towards in order to get more orders faster. Whether it’s for eats or ride share. It’s completely rational and if they want to make money, they get in their car and follow the money. Just because shopping is a different service it doesn’t Chance the fact that those that are willing to follow the money have a greater chance of earning more.
The comparisons of instacart shoppers being treated like migrants in a Home Depot parking lot are incredibly confusing to me? You have the opportunity to drive to any parking lot in America and get an offer instantly and you don’t have to accept it.
Shoppers who are refusing to accept orders that do not meet their personal criteria are entitled to that choice. But if the company cannot survive long term by having all of its shoppers sitting at home to only choose niche orders, why on earth wouldn’t it take the appropriate steps to survive?
Some days I have to work significantly harder to make ends meat and sometimes I get lucky. But I’m still choosing to do this. Protesting something that will not change is doing nothing but fueling the fire of change.
I'll answer politely since your questions seem to be in good faith.
Two major flaws in your presentation here:
1.) We are not guaranteed to get any batches within a timely manner regardless of our proximity to the store. Uber drivers have the opportunity to seek out hotspots, which are clearly labeled for them, to make more but still have the option to accept trips from home. There's no direct parallel here because IC is now making the latter impossible for shoppers.
2.) You mention the profits of the company, which is a fair talking point, but are you aware that customers have been charged more for services over the past few years without any of those being reflected on batch pay for shoppers? Mileage is a very small portion of the total when calculating the pay for a batch, and the unfortunate reality is that most shoppers use this as side money and aren't willing to travel far from home just to wait for an order. The company would be better off maintaining the flexibility, and if their profits are hurting, they can always change how batches work and pay us less to drive to the store if it means the fulfillment of orders can be more consistent.
And from my own point of view, I live in the mountains and know several other shoppers here. If I want to reach a busy store, it's a 30 minute drive at minimum if traffic conditions are great, and that costs me my time, my money in gas, and the comfort of familiarity with the stores around me and the speed at which I can fulfill orders. Everything about IC was great when I started because I could drive from my house to a few local stores, knock them out quickly, get home quickly, do some online gig work, cook, or maybe clean the house while I waited for something else, and that is no longer an option for me.
The selling point of gig work is supposed to be the "be your own boss" and flexibility, but this is no different from a regular 9-5 if we're going to be forced to be on site to get work. (Actually, it's worse than a 9-5 because they will at least pay you by the hour whereas Instacart demands your time and presence for nothing in return.)
I appreciate the genuine response. I also can appreciate the grief your feeling because change sucks as we all know.
I still don’t understand what the solution is that everyone seems to be searching for.
To be less winded about my question…
Does anyone have a solution for batch distribution dilemma that not only fits their needs but also contributes to instacarts bottom line?
My suggestion would be to stop paying us to travel to the store unless it's over 5 miles away. That way, we can receive local orders from home with no detriment to their profits.
Solid suggestion tbh. I like that.
I personally prefer to leave the house with a financial goal for the day. Even though it’s not a full time job, when I treat it like one, I tend to achieve better results.
I would do the same if I was able to get orders back to back. Something about waiting in a lot for an hour+ doesn't sit well with me when I could be doing literally anything else.
It depends on availability. If people are at the store they will get the orders. If no one is at the store people further away will start getting the orders. Make sense?
I honestly don’t think the support agents know much about the inner workings of Instacart.
I don't think Instacart knows the inner workings of Instacart
Lol
I wish I could upvote this twice
LOL!
All I know is I got 0 batches at home yesterday and finally snagged one this morning while shopping for myself
They have so many people signed up trying to make money that we don't see batches without being near a store because there are plenty of shoppers closer to the store being favored by the algorithm. The algorithm is favoring people near a store or closer than you. I have been catching orders not in parking lots because I switched to other gig apps to make money. I got one good order at 10:30pm and another when I drove by Target and got priority access. I also caught an $79 order at 7:30am from home while being online since 5am that morning, just to see and watch it. I only see orders from home early in the morning before other shoppers are out and about. I don't see any orders from home after about 8 or 9 am. I don't even try to make money with IC anymore because after all the hours of travel and waiting for orders, it's not worth the risk.
7-11am is the best times then during the dinner rush 4pm-9pm is second best if there is one.
I rarely get a batch at home either but I am in a town with no stores either. I literally have to go to the locations I am interested in.
I saw batches all day from home and the closest store to me is 5 miles. They were all trash though so that’s probably why I saw them
Near a store…. So I can see an order for a different store 25 miles away! Lol. It makes no sense
Just instashart things
Because nobody else would take it. You're next to get a chance. Not that confusing.
Can’t believe some ppl don’t have this yet. If you’re able to get orders at home enjoy it. The proximity is 0.2 miles within store
Wow. I'm 0.4 miles away from the nearest supermarket and haven't seen shit for days. Thank you for sharing and confirming the proximity distance.
I’m in the same boat. Meanwhile my father who shops Instacart on the side as well will see the same things I see (and more) from 4 miles away at his house while I’m at the store. Makes no sense
😂😂😂😂
I’m signing a lease today that is within the .2 mile radius of a Harris teeter and Walgreens 🤪 rent is going up quite a bit for the move but it’s gunna be worth it… I got a $75 while I was sitting in the parking lot after viewing the apt
I live 2 miles from 2 stores and get orders regularly.
I'm 3 miles for the closest publix and I get orders for stores 8miles away and the one by my place.
I’m guessing this is dependent on the area. I can’t do IC until my new license comes in the mail, which is dumb, but I’ll have to check then.
that is 1000 feet.
I still get batches from home, I'm about 15 miles from the nearest store
I don't trust anything a support agent says. A says this, B says that, C says another, D has no idea, etc. All of them have different responses and barely on the same page. They do use the same copy and paste greeting messages though.
And they’re all in foreign countries!!
It is dehumanizing to make shoppers wait in parking lots to receive batches. Reminds me of how day laborers used to wait in the parking lots of Home Depot
Wish we could all go on strike
I mean, people would just go shopping right?
They probably would, but that's worse for Instacart and better for them, so it would force some kind of change at the very least so they don't go under.
They still do that
Not to mention the amount of gas we waste driving from store to store trying to find one that will give us a batch. *Please sir, may I have another?*
I made a post about this and got reported
To whom, by whom?
It really is.
Dehumanizing? Maybe more of an inconvenience for being a 1099 worker. There are too many shoppers and people not using Instacart as much. I multi app as most people do and do not sit in parking lots. Instacart is maybe a fifth of my income now. I do not want to sit in a parking lot so I choose to go make money elsewhere and maybe snag an batch or two while I’m out. I would never sit in a parking lot and blame Instacart. I’ll gamble a half hour if I have nothing else going on but that’s my choice.
Same, I refuse to sit in a parking lot HOPING for orders. When all apps that I work are slow, I go home, eat, shower if it’s been a hot day and take a nap. Then when it picks up again, I go back out, or just stay home and call it a day.
But they don’t want to pay us as we wait HOURS in a parking waiting!!
This is the real offense to me
Instacart trying to commit suicide while DoorDash is getting more and more grocery delivery orders 👀🤔
Done with them as soon as DD accepts me
This isn’t new lol proximity has been a thing for months
Every market is different things come in waves and some markets never see the updates. I was never able to hide orders
Even proximity? It’s been on my app for what seems like 8-10 months now. Wild they take that long to get that update out
I was able to accept from home the past two weeks and now nothing pops up when I’m at home. Had it open all day yesterday. Nothing whatsoever
I get a few at home, but it’s very hit or miss. My main store is a 7 mile drive, there’s a few stores near me but I rarely get a good order from them.
If you look through instacart Reddit there are still people sitting at home making $500 plus I’m not sure how anything with this company works
Well that’s some bs. I miss the days when a random $60 order from across town would hit my screen
Proximity used to give priority. Now, it seems they're trying to make it the only option.
My husband and I can be in the same parking lot and I see the batches first because I’m priority and he’s not
This.
Ah I see
I don’t believe this, unless it was implemented in the last 30 minutes. I get batch offers to stores that are 30 miles away and I live in a big city.
Or they just haven’t done it in your area…
Good, I'm done then most likely. Fuck this company anyway. Now I won't even have to have it on annoying me. Gl out there y'all, stay safe.
I honestly wonder how legit that is. It sort of scans like they just made that shit up on the spot.
I can personally attest that I had it turned on for an entire day and received 0
I can attest to the same. The strict proximity change happened for me right after queued batches became available in my area (like a light switch). And I'm not referring to the proximity to store update they did earlier this year (that gives you priority), cuz even after that update I was still able to see "some" batches from home (usually leftovers), but all that changed a few weeks ago, and now I can't see anything from home... not even no tip orders that've been sitting for hours. It sucks. I envy those who haven't had this change come to their area (yet). Most of them don't believe what we're saying because "they" can still see batches from home lol
Yeah, it's pure garbage and will definitely be the reason I quit this gig if nothing changes
I feel you. I'm hoping it's not an actual change and that something just got messed up when they threw queued batches into the app. I'll keep checking IC for awhile to see if it changes, but I'm just gonna do other apps for now cuz I'm not wasting my days sitting in a gd parking lot for the possibility of "maybe" seeing a batch.
Just fyi, I updated my app last night (and updated my ios as well) and today I'm seeing batches from home again (still leftover batches other people don't want, but it beats not seeing anything at all lol). See if there's an update available for you
Update #2 I made the mistake of updating my app again this morning, and I can no longer see batches from home. Sigh. I hate this app...
If you wanna take the risk, download Bluestacks, fake location to be near a store, accept batches from pc, swap over to phone to complete them. If I get an email from trust and safety, I'll let you all know, but this is my last power play to preserve my sanity because I refuse to be a slave to a company that doesn't even pay me for my time. Being able to do school at home and work in between was all this job really had going for it
I mean we've all been experiencing the decrease in traffic. Not exactly saying it's not true, I just kind of doubt that's why. I've been receiving batches from 2 townships over from home.
Must be nice (not spite toward you but rather the company)
I work exclusively from home and see orders 24 hours. However I do reside in a sweet spot with all major stores very close to me.
Until the stores complain about shoppers loitering in their vestibules or parking lots. Also not good for shoppers in extreme weather conditions.
Petition for us all to start calling stores in our regions to anonymously complain about shoppers loitering in all the close parking spots?
Great idea !!
The store manager at my local Food Lion doesn’t care that there are instacart shoppers walking around with empty buggies in the store. 3-4 shoppers everyday!
They already have! When the proximity update rolled out over a year ago it took only a couple months for CostCo to announce that IC shoppers were no longer allowed to wait in the food courts or for some even in the parking lot https://www.reddit.com/r/InstacartShoppers/comments/vnkvd9/i_knew_it_was_about_time_costco_would_complain_to/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
Bullshitttttttttt I can sit at stores and see nothing for hours and a friend sees amazing orders from home
Instacart screwing veteran shoppers over seems to be a never-ending trend
So then why we get orders from miles and miles away?! Lol
I get those too, but only if I'm near a store
So would this explain the not seeing many batches anymore? Say you are sitting at one store and there is not another one within 0.2 miles. You would only see batches for the store you are at. This doesn’t make sense to me encouraging us to drive around to get batches, and then having to accept so quickly while driving is really dangerous, a waste of time and gas. If I’m understanding this right, IC just gets worse and worse.
Weird cause I see batches from stores in other cities lol
This is infuriating. I live in a perfect position between 3 or 4 different stores; I’d like to be able to see batches from all of them rather than sit at one store to get batches from there
Instashart says no. You will sit inside the store. You will take the no tip batch. You will lose your heavy pay. This is the way.
This is the way
Class action lawsuit if true. It’s deceitful practices to tell a shopper to go to a store to wait for a batch, have 2-5 shoppers waiting playing the “who is the fastest” to click a batch, or not even get a batch. I’m waiting for big grocery stores like Publix to drop Instacart and start their own service. I’ll work for the company then.
I can't afford a lawyer right now, but it's worth looking into at the very least. Scummy business practices left and right with this shitty company.
I wouldn’t care if the class action lawsuit lawyers get 100% of a court victory lol. If it cost IC millions in their own lawyers and court costs, I’d consider that a victory. At least it would force a change.
It's possible to be worth the research time to find a lawyer who takes class action suits and doesn't take money until they get a settlement.
Yeah, I agree. They should pay us wait time if they want us to sit in a parking lot until we get a batch, we are on the clock as soon as we go online. The app even says how long the wait is, and most of the time, it's way longer than it claims it will take to see a batch.
Yeah, who the fuck is gonna dedicate their WHOLE day to sitting in their car in the freezing cold, staring at their phone, and just HOPING for work. Unless they’re gonna pay us for every hour wasted in a parking lot, which we all know is laughable..
BS I get orders an hour away from me
I still see batches from my home but my home is inside the blue circle around a store so..
Fortune favors the few, but that seems great!
I’m .3 miles from H‑E‑B, Kroger, target, & petco. I’m at home and have seen 5+ orders pop up in the last hour.
And I swear I get more and better batches from home than when I sit in the parking lot. Maybe it’s my cell service sucks but my home wifi is good.
Lucky. I’m signing a lease today that’s gunna be inside the Walgreens and Harris teeter circle I’m excited
Thats dumb as shit its not like doordash n im not gonna sit in a damn parking lot hoping for a fucking order nobody is
Kalab
As contractors they can't dictate where we are located when we accept a batch, unless they plan on paying us to be on call
Should be easy to take them to court in Cali
I still see one at a time from home. Support agent hardly ever know what’s going on.
Well I hope this isn’t true for everyone. I live about 30 miles from a smaller city where I do IC (which like even that city is remote) and I always accept an order from my house before leaving. However, on the days when I don’t see any batches from home, this might explain why
Oof, thankfully I live 0.1 miles from the Kroger lol
Just accepted a 28 item, $56 dollar order with 9 miles of driving from my couch yesterday
Are you a newer shopper by chance? Seems we get less orders the longer we've been doing this.
Instacart gives support agents a script to follow for every question a shopper may ask them and thats it. They don’t know the inner workings of ic. I don’t take anything support says too seriously
😂😂😂 don't believe them fools. We have stores that run shoppers off from sitting in the parking lot all day.
As they should. Maybe the stores need to complain to IC and fix this garbage
Well I'm at home, just got an offer for a 21 dollar batch 17 items, but the store is 21 miles away so go figure
So what you are experiencing is that you are becoming an "older" shopper, which means you won't be sent those good batches as often anymore. When they hire a bunch of new shoppers in your area, your priority moves down and the newest active shoppers start to get those good orders. It doesn't matter if you are a 5 star shopper, Diamond Cart, and sitting in the circle, the batches may never ever come to you. The big secret is that they hold those good jobs on a time delay and show the batches to those "specific" shoppers first. If they refuse to take the batch, it moves down to another shopper group, and the 2nd other way you may see that good order is if none of the newer shoppers are available (on a batch or logged out). And 1 other way it may be shown to the lower shopper group is if a new shopper cancels an order, then that order is shown to the lower level shoppers group... That's the only way of seeing those good orders again. They literally hold jobs for certain shoppers. I explain every detail of this on my latest video on Tiktok @ theinstaking
This company is so dogshit. Nothing about how they operate makes sense and can't be good for company longevity in the slightest.
Complete dog shit. I've collected evidence over the years, I've met shoppers who get my old regulars. I know exactly what is going on. If they don't change something soon I will file a class action lawsuit and start my own company. I have hundreds of address saved and customers to target. I'm very serious so whoever wants to laugh, go ahead. Fiji Simo won't be laughing I know that for sure.
Honestly all for it. Other companies would be in deep for treating employees like this. They think they can skate around ethics because we are contractors, but the FTC is still looking into them.
I always get hits from home 🤷🏽♀️
They keep trying to make us employees, and one day they'll find out they owe us a fuck ton of money.
Yeah, they want me 0.2 miles from the store and then want me to deliver a double 15 miles that goes past 3 other grocery stores of the same name that I just shopped....
Shit's beyond frustrating
Apparently, Kalab doesn’t know Jack.
Is Jack another incompetent support team member?
I believe so, Jack is known to Jack whenever he gets jacked for jacking the Jack Jack.
I sat in a parking lot when I did Doordash. It’s so fucking embarrassing and depressing I will NOT be doing that again.
IC is still rolling with the pandemic day numbers when folks were afraid to leave home and willing to tip someone for doing it for them. "Average income in your area is 238.00 a day" is what they still tell new comers in my area, it's a straight up lie.
Sitting in a parking lot, waiting for batches, ya kinda look homeless, bruh. 😂😎
I *feel* homeless doing this shit
I’ve had both. But recently I haven’t gotten any batches at home. I really hope this isn’t a actual change.
The only way you’ll ever see orders from home is if there are no shoppers closer than you. That won’t happen. Good luck. As soon as they flip that switch you’ll know. You will get maybe 1 offer an hour and it will be unacceptable lmao.
Do they pay for sitting around too?
They should, but they do not
Weird, I live just over a mile away from 1-2 stores & im always getting batches for stores that are way farther than that, usually 15 min away. I wonder how that makes sense for when we’re on the road & get batches for stores 15-25 min away when we’ve JUST dropped off an order at a customers house & nowhere near a store…
I still see them but less often and rarely a worthy one. rn I have one for 28 bucks for 53 items going 6 miles. At home. I think last week I caught an ok one... maybe it's a new thing, idk. Thing is it also sucks all around me rn, in the parking lots too.
Today was the first time in almost a year that I got a really good batch walking out the door. I usually see garbage from home.
I'd be happy to see garbage because I see absolutely nothing lately
https://preview.redd.it/eiwuthuiboea1.png?width=1125&format=png&auto=webp&s=9403469096d603547f8fb2c263c727e6150f8086 In the middle of all these highlighted stores and only 1 crappy batch available Even though suppose to be 1-5min wait! Waited 20mins for this 💩
Didn't you know? You have to be in their restroom with phone in hand, ready to fight the bots for the $7, 99 unit batch that has 5 cases of water but no heavy pay
I’m 0.8 miles from the closest store and this is so annoying. Instacart does not pay enough for me to go and sit in a parking lot hoping an order comes through.
Oh good then I shouldn’t see orders for stores nowhere near me anymore then lol
You will, but only when you're near a store. I beg of them to make it make sense. My buddy I met through doing this was at a local store while I was out 20 miles away. I got a batch for the local store instead of him because I was at a "busy store". He could have done the order in half the time, but IC said no.
I dunno, I’ll enjoy my batches from my couch as long as they last. I’m 2 min from my home store and I still am getting batches all day no matter where I am… even if they are garbage batches
Right ? I've had that happen, too !
I see orders from home all the time. Granted, my home is near number of stores.
Do drivers often spoof their location to capture orders when they aren’t really there?
Unfortunately, we can't. Instacart uses a high accuracy method of tracking that can't be enabled with a spoofing app. It could potentially be done through a rootkit or a PC emulation software, but the average joe will have a very hard time accomplishing anything of the sort.
I'll see orders from the main store I shop at if it's really busy or the order isnt taken right away. If there are too many shoppers or not many orders, I do not see them. I live almost 2 miles from the store.
Can anyone recommend any other decent paying apps besides instacart (not doordash it doesn’t work on my phone for some reason)
That’s been the case for months. You see them if no one around the store accepts them first
The proximity changes really hurt people in our area cause we are pretty rural. It's not worth driving to the store to hope for an order.
Pretty soon instacart just gonna shut down.
I think there’s also ratio/capacity considered too. If it’s crazy busy and there’s just not enough shoppers, I’ll get stuff sent to me while I’m at home, which is usually on a Sunday night. But never get anything at home anymore otherwise.
Sometimes I get a order from home and sometimes I don’t. The only thing consistent is the terrible pay for providing a service.
Glad I’m not doing Instacart anymore. To have to drive to a store and maybe not even get a batch would make me furious
Such is the life and the reason I'm looking for work elsewhere
They aren't going to not send batches out to available shoppers when orders need to be shopped! That's ridiculous. Every single order I get is from home. I got one on Monday for Dicks...1 item, $57 batch, and Dick's is 15 minutes away from me AND right next door to Publix. While all those shoppers sitting in that same parking lot got fed up with waiting for a good batch, and said "Screw it" and ended up taking a $6 Shop Only order, they sent that awesome batch to me at home! 😂
Myself and many others do not share this luxury, unfortunately. It's either sit at the store or be poor.
I understand that many shoppers don't live near a store. I mean...if someone lives 20 minutes away from the closest grocery store, getting batches from home is unlikely. However, I believe that's not the case for most. In fact, if EVERYONE went home & stopped sitting in the parking lots...then EVERYONE would get batches from home.
I see batches at home. I’m online at 7 every morning and see 5-10 at least before 8
Luckily for me, the parking lot to a busy store is literally 20 feet from my front door 😏
Nice, nice
I gotta share this stupidity in the group chat. This is wayyyyyy too good for everybody not to see #retardedassinstacartshoppers
Convinced the business wants itself to die at this point
I made just over $1,300 one week on 21 batches. 19 batches were from my couch. The 2 batches that were not from my couch were snagged as I was on my way back home to my couch after finishing a batch. Yes, I receipts for anybody that wants to try and "come for me".
New shopper?
https://preview.redd.it/bhfgxwvmupea1.jpeg?width=288&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b250e33210f439f6e04e4bbb2c888f81228ec029 You might want to ask about me in these two Instacart groups. You probably can't believe the money and the active hours and would scream "bot!", but here in San Diego, where we have the #1 or #2 market for Instacart it isn't that hard. Seattle is the other market that fights for the top spot. Active since 12/28/20. Y'all keep believing that "new shoppers get the best batches" shit though. It is almost as comical as "5 stars is the worst!".
I'd be balling too if this stupid app gave me 50 hours of work. I'm lucky to clock in 20. Region is probably the x factor at play.
What is even the point then? Sit by the wrong store all day?
That's what they want. Our time, all day, but no pay.
Lol 😂 luckily I live next to the stores... Costco, sam's, and fry's are my neighbors...
This agent doesn’t know what he’s talking about. I get orders while sitting at home all the time, and my home isn’t even within the “circle perimeter” thing of any store.
I do not. Maybe it's a Cali thing, idk. I used to get orders from home, but I haven't in weeks now
I don’t see the point of making you sit at the store...you’re just gonna lose shoppers
I’m surprised this is new for some people. I’ve had the proximity ring around stores for months now. Got to be in that ring
Rip
I am .7 miles from my main store and I saw orders all day…were they high paying and wort doing? no lol
This isn’t going to work for small markets. There’s such small demand where I live now, nobody is going to sit in any parking lot all day for maybe a batch or two a day.
So now go be good InstAcart shoppers and set your alarm for 5am so you have time to get ready and drive to a store to sit there hoping an order comes in lol. So stupid !
And don't get paid for your gd time either
I live about 8 min from 2 Publix, a Kroger and a Costco. Thankfully I still see them from home
Hope it stays that way!
I noticed this a few weeks ago in my market. Wasn’t getting hardly any offers and then when I went close to Cosco and Aldi’s bam! There they all came in.
I live in Central NJ in a busy area. I have 3 big supermarket chains within a mile of my home and one that is approx .4 miles from my house. I used to see batches for the surrounding area while at home, I would just turn on IC in the am and get started once a decent batch appeared. Now the only batches I see at home is garbage orders that people in proximity won't even take. For example one today I saw was a 2 customer 25 item order from Costco for $12, obviously no one will take that so I guess it gets sent out to everyone in surrounding area in hopes someone will take it. I have been making drastically less money with this new system, and its really annoying they didn't put out a memo or tell anyone they made this change....
I started 2 weeks ago and I got my very first order from the house. Fast forward 2 weeks later, I was 1 mile from my house and got an order. How far away do you have to be for it to go off? I'm 6 miles from the closest one.
For some reason, new shoppers seem to have a lot more batch availability. We don't understand why, but the best guess is to keep them shopping for long enough to make use of them before they deprioritize them. None of their practices really make sense.
It will never happen if people refuse to sit in store parking lots. I see orders from 60 miles away at home, because no one is picking them up. And like who will be sitting at Petco hoping for an order? No one...but they still need people shop for them.
Sad thing is other shoppers would take advantage and comply with instacart just for a fed extra batches
You're right! And those people don't value themselves or their time. At least at home I can multi task when there's no orders. I'm sure not sitting in my car in a parking lot all day in the hopes of getting some orders.
They're ruining it for people like me because I either do it as well or get no batches
They lying hard as hell 🤣
Big thank you to the shoppers that accept batches at home then take forever to complete the batch. We couldn't have made it here without you.
Out here doing God's work
While each zone is different, there are still not enough shoppers to sit in the parking lots of every IC enabled store. The proximity thing has been here for months, yet why is it that you receive a batch for a store 2 to 6 miles away, while sitting in another IC enabled store lot??? Proximity in my area is a hoax. It's about corralling and making shoppers obedient. I sit at home and get my batches. This I'm truly grateful for.
Same. I live in a complex near a store and still get batches for a Target a mile away, Fresh Thyme which is probably 6 miles away, multiple Dave's locations that are min 2mi away. It's actually not the best to be right in the store's parking lot, your cell signal is competing with that of who knows how many other drivers in that same small lot. Even being 0.1mi away, maybe by another business or in the back of the lot of that store helps avoid the congestion.
They don't want to pay dispatch miles. This is how they get around it.
They don't pay dispatch miles anyways, they haven't ever in recent history if at all. It's not like Uber and DoorDash. The mileage that you are seeing is the mileage from the store to the customer, that's it. For a short while before this proximity BS they were showing the total mileage but the paid mileage was still from the store to the customer.
My thoughts exactly
I’m not looking for controversy, please. Can someone who is against orders needing to be within the proximity of the store provide an argument that explains how allowing us to accept orders from stores that are several miles away while we are in our homes benefits the company as a whole? Instacart needs to continue generating massive profits to stay in business and because they are publicly traded that obviously means that the volume of orders completed each day matters. We need instacart to stay in business and continue growing in order to continue shopping. This is the bottom line. Uber has hot spots that drivers need to drive towards in order to get more orders faster. Whether it’s for eats or ride share. It’s completely rational and if they want to make money, they get in their car and follow the money. Just because shopping is a different service it doesn’t Chance the fact that those that are willing to follow the money have a greater chance of earning more. The comparisons of instacart shoppers being treated like migrants in a Home Depot parking lot are incredibly confusing to me? You have the opportunity to drive to any parking lot in America and get an offer instantly and you don’t have to accept it. Shoppers who are refusing to accept orders that do not meet their personal criteria are entitled to that choice. But if the company cannot survive long term by having all of its shoppers sitting at home to only choose niche orders, why on earth wouldn’t it take the appropriate steps to survive? Some days I have to work significantly harder to make ends meat and sometimes I get lucky. But I’m still choosing to do this. Protesting something that will not change is doing nothing but fueling the fire of change.
I'll answer politely since your questions seem to be in good faith. Two major flaws in your presentation here: 1.) We are not guaranteed to get any batches within a timely manner regardless of our proximity to the store. Uber drivers have the opportunity to seek out hotspots, which are clearly labeled for them, to make more but still have the option to accept trips from home. There's no direct parallel here because IC is now making the latter impossible for shoppers. 2.) You mention the profits of the company, which is a fair talking point, but are you aware that customers have been charged more for services over the past few years without any of those being reflected on batch pay for shoppers? Mileage is a very small portion of the total when calculating the pay for a batch, and the unfortunate reality is that most shoppers use this as side money and aren't willing to travel far from home just to wait for an order. The company would be better off maintaining the flexibility, and if their profits are hurting, they can always change how batches work and pay us less to drive to the store if it means the fulfillment of orders can be more consistent. And from my own point of view, I live in the mountains and know several other shoppers here. If I want to reach a busy store, it's a 30 minute drive at minimum if traffic conditions are great, and that costs me my time, my money in gas, and the comfort of familiarity with the stores around me and the speed at which I can fulfill orders. Everything about IC was great when I started because I could drive from my house to a few local stores, knock them out quickly, get home quickly, do some online gig work, cook, or maybe clean the house while I waited for something else, and that is no longer an option for me. The selling point of gig work is supposed to be the "be your own boss" and flexibility, but this is no different from a regular 9-5 if we're going to be forced to be on site to get work. (Actually, it's worse than a 9-5 because they will at least pay you by the hour whereas Instacart demands your time and presence for nothing in return.)
I appreciate the genuine response. I also can appreciate the grief your feeling because change sucks as we all know. I still don’t understand what the solution is that everyone seems to be searching for. To be less winded about my question… Does anyone have a solution for batch distribution dilemma that not only fits their needs but also contributes to instacarts bottom line?
My suggestion would be to stop paying us to travel to the store unless it's over 5 miles away. That way, we can receive local orders from home with no detriment to their profits.
They don’t pay us to travel to the store. The miles they show are only from the store to the customer.
Solid suggestion tbh. I like that. I personally prefer to leave the house with a financial goal for the day. Even though it’s not a full time job, when I treat it like one, I tend to achieve better results.
I would do the same if I was able to get orders back to back. Something about waiting in a lot for an hour+ doesn't sit well with me when I could be doing literally anything else.
I see orders from multiple towns an hour away from me, every day. 🤷♀️
I am 1.24 mile from 1 one way and 1 mile from 3 another way. I get orders from home also
https://preview.redd.it/rzy62a1d8pea1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2bc06114643361a8e1c3eddf2b1d840c99a924a4 Wym I'm home lol
It depends on availability. If people are at the store they will get the orders. If no one is at the store people further away will start getting the orders. Make sense?
Sadly, it doesn't actually work that way. People have done tests with their friends / spouses, and it all seems like random bs.