You may be familiar with the service known as Instacart; you may have even used it before when you didn’t want to leave the house. This kind of delivery service is popular now more than ever, especially given the global situation wherein people are recommended to stay home.
If you haven’t used Instacart before but have been meaning to, you’ve come to the right place. Instacart reviews such as this will be able to break down all the information you need to know. By the end of this article, you’ll be able to make an informed decision as to whether Instacart is a grocery delivery service that works for you.
What Is Instacart?
Basically, Instacart is an app and website wherein you can order groceries and other items for your home. Personal shoppers will then get the items for you, ultimately delivering them to your home once they’ve bought everything on your list. The service has a wide selection of partner stores, depending on your area, which means you have a lot of options to choose from.
Instacart Express
Instacart Express is a subscription service under Instacart that offers more benefits. Of course, it’s a completely optional offer that would suit people who constantly use the service. With Instacart Express, orders beyond $35 will have free delivery—plus, the service fees on your orders will see a reduction as well. This premium service offers two pricing options: $99 per year or $9.99 per month.
How Does Instacart Work?
As mentioned, a personal shopper will receive your grocery list and then buy your groceries for you. Before you start using Instacart, though, check if the service is available where you live. Then, once you’re sure that Instacart will work for you, proceed to do the steps below to start shopping.
Create an Account
You can create a free account either through the app or through Instacart’s website. The process is quick easy—all you need to do is type in your name, email, and password.
Enter Your Address
Go ahead and sign in to the app or website; either way is fine. After doing so, Instacart will require you to type in your ZIP code or address so that it will know where the shoppers are supposed to deliver the items. You’ll also be given a list of partner stores based on the address you enter. Choose which store you want to buy groceries from, but you can change this anytime if you change your mind.
However, if you subscribe to Instacart Express, you’ll be able to choose more than one store.
Start Shopping
At this point, it’s time for you to start shopping. Review the different options available; in fact, you can even compare the prices of the different available brands and sizes to help you decide if you’re making wise financial choices. Once you’re sure that you want to purchase something, click “add to cart.”
Choose Substitutions and Delivery Time
For each item in your cart, you can give your personal shopper some instructions in case you have substitution preferences. In case an item isn’t available, your personal shopper will still be able to get you what you want according to these preferences. If you don’t have a replacement in mind, you have a “Don’t Replace” option too. This means Instacart won’t charge you for items that aren’t available.
It’s worth mentioning that the amount you’ll be charged or refunded depends on the price of substitution items. Then, choose your delivery time. Depending on what time you placed your order, you might even be able to receive the items within 2 hours.
Enter Payment Information
After reviewing your order and made sure you’re satisfied, type in your payment information. Then, make sure you give a tip before finalizing your order.
Receive Your Order
All you have to do now is sit back and wait for your order to be delivered. Of course, make sure that you’re available to receive the order from your personal shopper when the time comes. When your shopper is on their way to your house, you’ll either receive an email, a text, or a call—it depends on your preferences.
Pricing
Instacart’s delivery fee begins at $3.99, but you’ll also have to pay a service fee which begins at 5% of your order’s total. If alcoholic beverages are a part of your order, there will be a separate service fee for that. Some of the items you’ll find on Instacart may be more expensive than their store price too. Fortunately, stores state this directly on their pricing policy whether they have higher prices on Instacart.
As mentioned, you need to consider how much you’re going to tip your personal shopper. This is a common practice for Instacart users, so you have to consider the tip amount too while planning for your budget. This is why it’s recommended that frequent Instacart users subscribe to Instacart Express because they’ll be able to save more in the end.
Pros
Same-Day Delivery
You’ll be able to receive your groceries within the same day you placed your order, sometimes even as soon as 2 hours after. This can come especially handy for those who forgot to buy ingredients but don’t want to leave their house or for sick people who can’t go grocery shopping themselves.
Ease and Convenience
With just a few taps of a button, you can order everything you need without having to stand up or move from your seat. You can use Instacart on different platforms, too, whether you’re on your phone, laptop, or tablet. Once your order is being worked on, you can chat with your shopper, track their progress, and receive all kinds of updates to ease your mind.
Variety
As mentioned, Instacart has a vast selection of partner stores. As such, you can compare the different prices from several stores if you’re looking for something cheap before adding the item to your cart.
Cons
Extra Fees
Buying groceries from Instacart means you have to pay extra fees that could have been avoided if you went out shopping yourself. There’s the delivery fee, service fee, as well as the tip, which could really increase depending on your orders.
More Expensive
Depending on the store’s pricing policies, some will have higher prices on Instacart than in-store.
Conclusion
Instacart is definitely a nifty service that can come in handy if you’re unable to buy groceries yourself. If you live in an urban area where Instacart has many partner stores, you may want to check out this service. It can especially come in handy these days when we’re still in the middle of a global crisis.
