Buying essentials items from grocery stores are indeed easy despite strict lockdown rules. Thanks to those people who are willing to shop for you, and developers who built such apps for deliveries. However, not all users appreciate them.
Tricked by Instacart Customers
In late March, CNN reported users tricked Instacart worker Annaliisa Arambula by showing big tips when they order groceries. Arambula said she accepted the order because of a big tip: $55, the store was just down the street, and the items were all available.
However, an hour later, when she checked her earnings on the Instacart app, the entire tip was gone, with a message saying the "customer modified the tip post-delivery." She ended up making just $8.95 from Instacart on order.
"I was flabbergasted. I couldn't believe it," Arambula told CNN Business.
Delivery Services Surge and Problems Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
Since most people (aside from essential workers) are advised to stay at home and practice social distancing, delivery services are now in demand as many customers are struggling to get items they need. With that, there are cases that the delivery time is delayed due to the surge.
Both essential workers and customers are dealing with surge problems. Some customers are offering big tips as high as $50 or more to entice Instacart workers to pick up their orders. Meanwhile, some people use the bait-and-switch tactic to lure workers. At first, they offer big tips and then taking it away as soon as the person accepts their request.
Allowing Customers to Edit Tips
Instacart workers can see the items requested before accepting it. Usually, orders consist of one or a few orders from different customers. The app has a feature that allows customers to change a tip for up to three days. For its workers, tips from customers are a big help to "make up half of their income or more."
"It's very demoralizing," said Arambula. She started working at Instacart in 2017.
"I don't pretend to be a hero, like a nurse in a hospital ... but I literally am exposing myself [to coronavirus] and when I return home, exposing my own family to the possibility of transmitting this disease. When you know that it's somebody who's just doing it to game the system and to get their order when they want it, it's really frustrating," she added.
Her family is relying on her work for Instacart to pay bills and other expenses. Her husband is unemployed and at risk for COVID-19 because he has diabetes.
Instacart is one of the fast-growing companies and now expanding its business due to the demand. Previously, the company announced its plans to bring on another 300,000 full-service shoppers in North America.
An Instacart spokesperson said in March, the majority of their customers did not adjust their tip after delivery. He also added that the company removed the "none" tip option for people. With that, users who want to tip nothing must manually change a tip to $0 and could deter users from doing so. Just like most apps, Instacart allows its users to leave feedback and rate a worker. The spokesperson noted that most of the time, customers leave comments or feedback when they removed a tip.
