The Right Way to Tip Your Customer on Instacart
Last week, Instacart employees staged a nationwide strike that lasted three days demanding an increase in the default tip on the delivery platform interface from 5 percent to 10 percent. In a post that was removed by Medium for “confidentiality” reasons (it has since been reprinted ), several Instacart buyers approached CEO Apurve Mehta ahead of the strike, calling his business practices “unfair.”
“Every year we retreat as our pay spiral falls further and the Instacart valuation skyrockets by billions and your net worth is skyrocketing,” they wrote. “… Because of your greed, inaction, or neglect, shoppers are now struggling to put food on the table and a roof over their families.”
Less than three days after the strike ended, Instacart also conveniently announced that it was officially canceling shipping bonuses . Previously, bonuses were activated when a worker received five stars for landing.
Worse, this is not the first (or second, or even third) time that Instacart workers have been forced to put up with a delivery platform’s anti-worker policies.
Instacart made headlines earlier this year that advice from carriers was included in guaranteed shipping rates, which meant that your tip only influenced what Instacart was supposed to pay, and didn’t necessarily go towards the driver. (As we wrote earlier, Instacart later changed its tip policy so that drivers receive 100 percent of all tips, following widespread public criticism.)
Perhaps most notably, Instacart employees also went on strike in November 2017, largely due to a commission system that varied by region and time, meaning that in certain areas, shoppers could earn as little as $ 1 an hour .
According to one former Instacart employee we spoke to, the company has also had problems with allowances for a long time. “Around this time, Instacart started tinkering with how much we get per order last year, and it got a lot harder … to calculate the average time for each shopping trip, which means we didn’t get any bonuses,” she said. “I and a few other people went to the lead manager of the store we were assigned to and tried to find out what was going on. The next thing we learned, our hours started to decrease weekly. “
How to help employees
While Instacart has yet to meet any of its employees’ demands, there are a few things you can do to help their efforts. First, a boycott of the app can help. But since Instacart is unlikely to change its policy after the strike, it’s worth noting at least the right way to tip an employee.
Aside from some glaring mistakes, always tip Instacart customers at least 10 percent; just because 5 percent is displayed as the default does not mean that it is necessarily acceptable. If they deliver goods long distances, in bad weather, climb three flights of stairs, or deliver heavy items, you should consider raising your tip. (On a recent Reddit thread, one Instacart employee shared his horrific delivery stories that might be worth reading.)
On top of that, while all Instacart tips go to employees, it doesn’t hurt to tip cash as well. This advice usually applies to any such delivery service. You can check our guide on tip- on-delivery policy for more information.
As recommended by San Francisco Examiner writer Sacha Perigot on her Twitter thread , you can also donate to Gig Workers Rising , a campaign dedicated to fair wages and the treatment of workers. (Donations may not necessarily be for the work of Instacart employees, but may be directed towards a similar effort on behalf of work groups, including Uber and Lyft drivers.)
Alternatively, you can show the support sign on Twitter by retweeting any of their updates. An email to the Instacart team thanking them for your support will help as well.