Instacart Review

Check out our affiliate policy here.

INSTACART REVIEW: The Yays And Nays, And How It Is Making A Change In Grocery Shopping In This Time Of Pandemic.

First things first: What is Instacart?

Instacart is an online grocery shopping platform established in 2012 by Apoorva Mehta. This platform is available in the metro areas of the United States and some parts of Canada. It is accessible through their website or mobile app and lets you take your grocery shopping to a whole new level! Through Instacart, you can order different items from Instacart affiliated stores in your area. Then, you can have a personal shopper do the shopping for you. This includes notifying you of updates regarding some items you have on your list, giving you suggested alternatives in case an item on your list is already out of stock, and delivering it straight to your home.

How to access Instacart?

To have access to the services offered by Instacart, you must first have a registered Instacart account. You can register through their official website for free, or you can also download their mobile app, which is accessible to both Android and iOS, and follow the registration process, which is pretty easy!

How does Instacart work?

Once you have an Instacart account, you can immediately go and check out their page and start shopping!
First, do not forget your location or where you want your items to be delivered. There, you will see the stores affiliated with Instacart, and then you can choose from the variety of items available for you to add to your shopping cart. Always keep in mind to read the store’s information and pricing policy to avoid confusion as you go through with your shopping.
Once you have selected a list of items for your shopping, a personal shopper assigned to you will do all the physical shopping for you. You do not need to worry about the items on your shopping list because your personal shopper will give you updates and notifications from time to time about the items on your list. For example, if one item on the list has already run out of stock, your personal shopper will notify you through a text message and will give you a suggestion for alternatives. You can also set your preferred delivery time so that you can receive your items at a much more convenient time.

Instacart Express

Instacart Express is an upgrade from your basic Instacart services. To avail this service upgrade, you have to pay for a $149 Instacart Express Membership fee. By availing this, you will have access to multiple stores at the same time with no additional fees, and free delivery of items over $35. Those who have signed up for Instacart Express membership fees claim to have saved more in shopping expenses compared to those who have not signed up for this upgrade.

	Basic Instacart Service	Instacart Express
Delivery Fee	$3.99	Free for deliveries over $35
Service Fee	5% of your total grocery price	1.9% of your total grocery price
Multiple store purchase	Additional fees charged	No additional fees

Pros and Cons

PROS	CONS
Grocery shopping convenience	Not accessible to all areas
Coupons	Additional fee for services and delivery
Door-to-door delivery	Higher items cost
Same-day delivery
Reduced health risk
Various stores to shop
Instacart Express

Pros

Grocery shopping convenience – through Instacart, you can do your grocery shopping at the comfort of your own home without even stepping a foot outside, or wherever you are. By just a few clicks on your phone or your computer, you can immediately select a list of items you want to add to your grocery cart, and let another person do all the actual shopping for you.
Coupons – Who says online shopping does not give you a chance to save? Instacart offers coupons for various items from various partner stores that you can use to lessen the amount you have to pay for your shopping cart.
Door-to-door delivery – as part of the service offered by Instacart, not only does Instacart provide you with a personal shopper, but it will also have your goods delivered directly at your door. You don’t have to go out to pick up your items, instead, you can just stay wherever you are and wait for your items to be delivered straight to you or wherever you want it to be delivered.
Same-day delivery – Instacart makes sure that its shoppers will have a fast delivery transaction for their goods. You can have the items delivered within the day with your preferred delivery time.
Reduced health risk– we are living in tough times. We are in the midst of a global pandemic and we don’t yet have any idea when this pandemic will end. Everyone is constantly being reminded of social distancing and avoiding crowded places. With Instacart offering virtual shopping, this means less trips outside. And less trips to public places means less risk of catching the virus.
Various stores to shop – Instacart has partnered with various stores all across the United States to give its shoppers more choices for their shopping.
Instacart Express – for Instacart shoppers who have upgraded to avail the Instacart Express, this means having less delivery and service fee for their transactions. As of now, Instacart offers a 14-day trial for users to experience Instacart Express.

Cons

Not accessible to all areas – unfortunately, Instacart cannot be accessed to all areas in the United States. As of now, Instacart is only available to metro areas in the United States and some parts of Canada. For those living in rural areas, having access to the services offered may be difficult, if not impossible.
Additional fee for services and delivery – Of course, having someone else do your shopping and having it delivered to your door will always have additional costs compared with having to do your shopping yourself.
Higher items cost – One downside of this kind of platform is that some items may cost more than the actual store price. This is due to the reason that Instacart is only in a partnership with the stores and does not actually own it.

Shopping during a pandemic

2020 gave one of the biggest plot twists to people living in this generation. Who would’ve thought that just when the year is only starting to kick off, almost all plans and events will get suddenly halted by a deadly virus spread all throughout the globe. Everyone was advised to stay at home for months, with minimal to no physical contact with people outside our homes. Not only were significant events and activities cancelled, but also the small day-today activities like grocery shopping was greatly affected due to imposed health protocols for the public to follow and of course, the health risk that comes with going to public places.
With all that is happening, the public are now required to wear face masks and constantly sanitize every item they touch. Although this may reduce the risk of being contaminated with the virus, this still does not give a person total protection from the virus due to one simple fact: you are at a public place and you have no control over who you come across within these places. You don’t know who you meet in the grocery store, where they’ve been or even the items that they touch. You don’t have any idea if the person you come across at the store even for just a couple of seconds is a possible carrier of the virus. That is why services like what Instacart offers are very beneficial nowadays. Not only does it offer convenience to its shoppers by having not go through the tiring effort of shopping and carrying all those heavy shopping bags, but it also gives its users minimum risk of catching any health risk by letting them stay at the safety and comfort of their homes while they wait for their items and goods to be delivered straight to where they want it to be delivered.

What should I expect when I use Instacart?

Cost – Well, it can be said that Instacart can be a bit pricey most especially if you have not yet signed up to upgrade to Instacart Express. Expect at least $3.99 for delivery fee and a 5% of your total grocery items cost as a service fee plus the tip you have to give to your personal shopper. Not to mention that some item prices are much higher compared to the actual store price of the same item. But, if you register to Instacart Express, you will see, like many others, that the cost is actually worth it, and that it is more practical nowadays. And if you worry about saving a few extra bucks, you can still do it even if you don’t do the actual shopping yourself. According to those who have signed up for Instacart Express membership, they were able to save around $7 on each transaction they have. Not bad at all!
Shopping items to choose from – When you go grocery shopping, you must have experienced some instances when the item you want to buy is not in the store you are in. Chances are, you have to pick another item with another brand or you go to another store if you really want that exact same item. Expect the same scenario when you try to shop using Instacart. You might come across some instances where your personal shopper will not find the same exact item on your shopping list. But, you don’t have to worry that much. Your personal shopper will immediately notify you and update you for your items. If they haven’t found the same exact item in the store they are currently in, they will immediately give you suggested alternatives for your item. They will text you or send you pictures of the actual items in the store. You can have the opportunity to choose another item that you want. Also, if you have signed up to be a member of Instacart Express, looking for items at another store can be much easier because it allows you to shop at multiple stores at the same time without paying any additional fee. Also, it’s a plus that their shoppers are actually nice. So, no worries!

Convenience – Who wouldn’t want to be able to do their shopping at the comfort of their homes or wherever they may be? Or maybe you have just got off from work and you’ve had a very long day and you just realized that you still have to run to the store and do some shopping. Such a hassle, right? That is why Instacart offers you what you need. Convenience! You can now tick off going to the grocery store from your list of chores. And with less chores to do, it means more time for yourself, your family, or any other relevant activities.

How am I supposed to use Instacart for my grocery shopping?

To shop using Instacart, here are short step-by-step instructions on how you can do your grocery shopping through Instacart.

Open the Instacart app.
Once the app is opened, enter your email address and password, and then tap on Log In.
Once you are logged in, you will need to enter your ZIP code or the area your items are to be delivered.
Once you have entered your ZIP code or the delivery address, you will see the list of stores you can shop through using Instacart for that specific area. Select a store you want for your grocery shopping from the given list. Always keep in mind to view the store’s pricing policy to avoid confusion or any problems when it comes to payment for your selected items. Also if you are using Instacart Express, you can choose multiple stores to shop at the same time.
Once you have selected a store, you can now choose items to add to your shopping cart. Tap on Add to Cart for items you want to purchase. Take note that some items may cost a bit more compared to its actual store price, so it is important to check first the prices of each item before adding it to your cart.
Tap on the option that says Savings at the bottom of the screen if you want to check out items currently on sale.
If a particular item on your list is unavailable and out of stock, you will be given three options: Find Best Match, Pick Specific Replacement, and Don’t Replace. Select among these three options what you want your personal shopper to do. Take note that you might be charged an additional cost or a different price for items you want to be replaced. However, if you choose not to have any replacement for any unavailable item, you will not be charged any additional charge. You can also send a special instruction to your personal shopper if you want to.
Once you have all the items on your grocery list, tap on the option that says Cart to review your shopping list.
Once you have checked all your shopping list and if everything looks good, tap on Go to Checkout.
Once you tap on Go to Checkout, select your preferred delivery time from the given options, enter the delivery address, and your payment information, and then tap on Place Order. You can also include special instructions for personal shoppers when your items are to be delivered.
Take note that you must first have an Instacart account for you to access this platform. For you to sign up to Instacart, you can download their app from Playstore if you are using an Android device or from the App Store if you are using an iOS device. You can also create an account using your desktop browser by going to Instacart.com to access their website.

Should I then try Instacart?

For me, it’s an easy Yes! Although it’s true that this kind of platform may not be perfect and it would always have its flaws, it is still worth trying. It offers you minimum health risk during this time of pandemic. You don’t need to go to the grocery store. You do not need to interact with people you barely know, much more, their whereabouts. You have minimal contact with people coming from public places and minimal contact with items coming from these places. So, keep that in mind. Less contact means less health risk and complications not only for you but for your family as well and all other people around you. What more? Aside from the health safety it offers you, it can also help you with your shopping expenses. Although using its services comes with a corresponding additional fee unlike if you do the grocery shopping yourself, it is quite understandable because you will be paying another person to do the task for you. This will save you the tiring effort of driving or commuting to the grocery store, walking around selecting items and carrying them back to your destination. Another good thing about this is if you are trying to save your shopping expenses, you can definitely do it even with the additional costs and fee. Why? Think about this. If you are the one who will personally go to the store, you would still have to pay for fuel if you own a car and use it, or if you will be commuting, you would still have to pay for your fare back and forth. Also, by only selecting items you want to buy online, you avoid the tendency of being an impulsive buyer once you enter the store. Your personal shopper will only buy what you have on your list thus, you can avoid buying other unnecessary items. Thus, it is a win-win situation for both shoppers and the service provider despite some downsides in using this platform. The pros clearly outweigh the cons. It clearly offers both practicability, convenience, and safety most especially during these times when you have to watch out for your health and safety. Many people all over the United States are also using Instacart mainly due to the same reasons mentioned, so why hesitate?