My first instacart dealio

[Panina]

Does the monthly fee wipe out the service fee? Or just the delivery fee?

It wipes out the delivery fee if order is at least $35. and seems to cut in half the service fee, if there is one.

 

[Panina]

I had my delivery from Aldi‘s today with Instacart and was very happy with it And got everything I ordered. A first in weeks. All the vegetables were good. I don’t eat chicken but my other half does, chicken looked good too. I never shopped at Aldi’s but with the pickings slim I figured I would try it.

I went to make an delivery for next week and no slots are open. I haven’t had a problem before making a delivery a week or two out. I will keep checking. Makes me wonder if because I have the free delivery now if they are limiting me.

Tomorrow is a Publix delivery. Let’s see if I get everything I ordered. Usually quite a few things are not available.

 

[wackymother]

I had my delivery from Aldi‘s today with Instacart and was very happy with it And got everything I ordered. A first in weeks. All the vegetables were good. I don’t eat chicken but my other half does, chicken looked good too. I never shopped at Aldi’s but with the pickings slim I figured I would try it.

I went to make an delivery for next week and no slots are open. I haven’t had a problem before making a delivery a week or two out. I will keep checking. Makes me wonder if because I have the free delivery now if they are limiting me.

Tomorrow is a Publix delivery. Let’s see if I get everything I ordered. Usually quite a few things are not available.

That's impressive! Two Instacart deliveries in three days!

 

[csodjd]

Ouch! Can you do a charge back to your credit card?

Gave it a couple of weeks to see if they'd get to it, but they hadn't, so I did a "dispute" a few days ago.

 

[csodjd]

Remember to tip well and show gratitude. The workers are risking their lives to deliver food to your home.

We had a delivery from I'm not even sure who yesterday. We weren't sure if they include a tip in the bill or not, but gave the young girl $14 for a $60 order in cash just to be sure she didn't get stiffed by the company.

 

[csodjd]

BTW, we ordered from Omaha Steaks, for the first time. Paid for delivery (instead of free delivery) to get it a week faster. Took about 6 days and we got a bunch of stuff, from ribs and burgers to bacon-wrapped Filet. All goes straight into the freezer (comes frozen) and we take out the day before use and defrost in the refrigerator.

 

[Panina]

That's impressive! Two Instacart deliveries in three days!

I set these deliveries up last week. Right now there are no days available to book for next week or the week after.

 

[VacationForever]

BTW, we ordered from Omaha Steaks, for the first time. Paid for delivery (instead of free delivery) to get it a week faster. Took about 6 days and we got a bunch of stuff, from ribs and burgers to bacon-wrapped Filet. All goes straight into the freezer (comes frozen) and we take out the day before use and defrost in the refrigerator.

I ordered from Butcherbox and Stockyards, the latter which I used for many years for prime grade beef until Costco started carrying them, and I was very pleased with the first delivery from Butcherbox. The Stockyards order is coming tomorrow but I know their quality so it won't be an issue. I had initially thought about ordering from Omaha Steaks although we never really liked what we had gotten from them before. We decided to stay with Butcherbox as they are grass fed/organic/wild etc and we have put in a very large order of meat and seafood which will be delivered in 10-14 days.

 

[csodjd]

I ordered from Butcherbox and Stockyards, the latter which I used for many years for prime grade beef until Costco started carrying them, and I was very pleased with the first delivery from Butcherbox. The Stockyards order is coming tomorrow but I know their quality so it won't be an issue. I had initially thought about ordering from Omaha Steaks although we never really liked what we had gotten from them before. We decided to stay with Butcherbox as they are grass fed/organic/wild etc and we have put in a very large order of meat and seafood which will be delivered in 10-14 days.

I looked at Stockyards. It's quite pricey. Certainly compared with Costco. Four Prime 8-oz New York Strip Steaks at $120. That's about $30/lb. Double Costco. I did a check on Butcherbox and they actually have a waitlist to join.

 

[VacationForever]

I looked at Stockyards. It's quite pricey. Certainly compared with Costco. Four Prime 8-oz New York Strip Steaks at $120. That's about $30/lb. Double Costco. I did a check on Butcherbox and they actually have a waitlist to join.

It is worthwhile waitlisting with Butcherbox. I got in before they did that.
I agree that Stockyards steaks are pricey when compared with Costco's. If you want prime grade steak burgers, Stockyards' cannot be beaten, and it does not break the bank. They used to throw in free prime grade steak burgers when I ordered steaks and that was when I found out how great they were.

 

[wackymother]

We have our Instacart order on Saturday...but our local small good grocery just confirmed they will do a delivery to us on Friday! Eep! I trust the local place for produce especially so will need to remove all that from Instacart order, I hope.

 

[presley]

I still haven't been able to get an Instacart delivery time or any store's delivery slot, but I was able to order groceries through Postmates last night. It was great. I didn't mind paying the $9.99 or the tip in exchange for avoiding the grocery store.

 

[csodjd]

I still haven't been able to get an Instacart delivery time or any store's delivery slot, but I was able to order groceries through Postmates last night. It was great. I didn't mind paying the $9.99 or the tip in exchange for avoiding the grocery store.

We also were able to use Postmates a couple days ago. About 20% higher on the cost of the goods, plus delivery and tip, so it's not inexpensive. But they were quick and my wife was quite satisfied.

 

[TravelTime]

My country club is now offering Chef Packs of meat and poultry as well as Grocery Boxes (partnering with Produce Express). The pricing seems pretty reasonable actually compared to the prices I am hearing on TUG. The Chef Packs range from $49 to $159 and you get a lot of meat for these prices. The Grocery Boxes range from $39 to $59. They include 15% tip on top of the price but that seems fair. Members go to the club house for pick up. They have been offering prepared meals to go for the past month since SIP started. We are having Paella Wednesday LOL. They even offer vodka libations to go and 4 packs of fancy beers to go. They are getting creative with how to stay afloat and help the members. They also offer spinning outside (they placed all the bikes outside and you spin by yourself) but the gym is closed. Golf course is open but pro shop is closed. Maybe we should learn to play golf after this covid stuff ends. Seems like golfers are pretty dedicated to playing, no matter what is going on in the world. We have not used any of their food to go services yet but it’s a great idea since Instacart is having trouble meeting the demand.

 

[csodjd]

My country club is now offering Chef Packs of meat and poultry as well as Grocery Boxes (partnering with Produce Express). The pricing seems pretty reasonable actually compared to the prices I am hearing on TUG. The Chef Packs range from $49 to $159 and you get a lot of meat for these prices. The Grocery Boxes range from $39 to $59. They include 15% tip on top of the price but that seems fair. Members go to the club house for pick up. They have been offering prepared meals to go for the past month since SIP started. We are having Paella Wednesday LOL. They even offer vodka libations to go and 4 packs of fancy beers to go. They are getting creative with how to stay afloat and help the members. They also offer spinning outside (they placed all the bikes outside and you spin by yourself) but the gym is closed. Golf course is open but pro shop is closed. Maybe we should learn to play golf after this covid stuff ends. Seems like golfers are pretty dedicated to playing, no matter what is going on in the world. We have not used any of their food to go services yet but it’s a great idea since Instacart is having trouble meeting the demand.

I'm picking up dinner tonight at our club. Daughter is having Salmon. I've having chicken stir fry. Wife is having Beef Stroganoff. Sunday we're picking up ham for Easter. All the meals are designed as "heat and go" meaning they are fully cooked, and just need to be reheated and they are ready. Golf course is closed, however, because the County required it. We have kept all staff on the payroll, with full pay, however. About 145 people. Only a small group is working, keeping the course mowed, etc., and making the to-go food.

 

[VacationForever]

My country club is now offering Chef Packs of meat and poultry as well as Grocery Boxes (partnering with Produce Express). The pricing seems pretty reasonable actually compared to the prices I am hearing on TUG. The Chef Packs range from $49 to $159 and you get a lot of meat for these prices. The Grocery Boxes range from $39 to $59. They include 15% tip on top of the price but that seems fair. Members go to the club house for pick up. They have been offering prepared meals to go for the past month since SIP started. We are having Paella Wednesday LOL. They even offer vodka libations to go and 4 packs of fancy beers to go. They are getting creative with how to stay afloat and help the members. They also offer spinning outside (they placed all the bikes outside and you spin by yourself) but the gym is closed. Golf course is open but pro shop is closed. Maybe we should learn to play golf after this covid stuff ends. Seems like golfers are pretty dedicated to playing, no matter what is going on in the world. We have not used any of their food to go services yet but it’s a great idea since Instacart is having trouble meeting the demand.

This week we are playing 6 days of golf. Our course is closed on Mondays. Best outdoor activity with nice fresh air.

 

[MULTIZ321]

Instacart adds new features aimed at opening more delivery windows

Instacart adds new features aimed at opening more delivery windows | TechCrunch

Instacart today is rolling out new ordering options aimed at unlocking more delivery windows amid a surge of demand for its online grocery service due to

techcrunch.com

Richard

 

[CalGalTraveler]

Was finally able to snag some delivery windows at midnight. Since first availability for a time slot was 5 days out, I selected the new Fast and Flexible Feature as described in the article because that was sooner within the next 5 days for Costco and a local grocery. I let the third store go with a later timeslot.

FWIW...I was so overjoyed at finally getting a delivery time that I ended up buying the express delivery subscription by accident instead of getting the free 14 day trial and 10% off first order. However I don't want to potentially lose my delivery times by editing my order. Premium is worth it to not go to the store right now.

The cart took a while to get right but I presume this would get easier once my items were in the system from a prior order. Now awaiting deliveries...fingers crossed.

 

[Panina]

Sad customers would bait and switch
People are luring Instacart shoppers with big tips -- and then changing them to zero
https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/09/tech/instacart-shoppers-tip-baiting/index.html

 

[easyrider]

Sad customers would bait and switch
People are luring Instacart shoppers with big tips -- and then changing them to zero
https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/09/tech/instacart-shoppers-tip-baiting/index.html

That seems despicable. I wonder if the shopper can leave feed back on the customer ? Like Uber.

Bill

 

[heathpack]

Instacart adds new features aimed at opening more delivery windows

Instacart adds new features aimed at opening more delivery windows | TechCrunch

Instacart today is rolling out new ordering options aimed at unlocking more delivery windows amid a surge of demand for its online grocery service due to

techcrunch.com

Richard

We got two Instacart orders using the “fast and flexible” method. For one of them, I was able to manually move the order up several days. And for the other one, my window for my groceries arriving was Thurs-Mon and they arrived on Thursday.

Both times my shoppers have been great and I’ve gotten almost everything I ordered!

I am actually thinking about joining Instacart Express. My main hesitation is the increased cost of groceries (on a per item basis) at some stores. Costco items seem to be significantly higher although Sprouts and Aldi (where I actually got my orders from) seemed to have sale prices and regular items were not wildly inflated.

I actually like grocery shopping. But I could see Instacart being something of a money saver, in that if I started with a weekly meal plan, I could tighten up my lists any maybe buy less. That could make the Instacart fees something of a wash and my net cost could be unchanged, I’d just save time.

I also put an order in to a local organic farm. They deliver free right now with a $35+ order.

 

[MULTIZ321]

People are luring Instacart shoppers with big tips and then changing them to zero.

People are luring Instacart shoppers with big tips — and then changing them to zero

Instacart is one of several delivery companies now expanding rapidly due to demand spurred by the pandemic.

www.mercurynews.com

Richard

 

[Brett]

People are luring Instacart shoppers with big tips and then changing them to zero.

People are luring Instacart shoppers with big tips — and then changing them to zero

Instacart is one of several delivery companies now expanding rapidly due to demand spurred by the pandemic.

www.mercurynews.com

Richard

that was pointed out earlier in the thread

but using grubhub, doordash, uber eats, etc.

ugghh !

 

[CalGalTraveler]

Although we had fast and flexible until next Tuesday one of our stores delivered same day. So far so good. I like how I could interact with the shopper real-time by text on substitutions since so many items in the store are out of stock.

What is a reasonable tip? I gave a $45 tip for $400 worth of groceries this was double the 5% guideline they offered. Between tips, delivery fee, Instacart service fees and inability to get in-store discounts this is not cheap. However, worth more than getting sick until this pandemic dies down.

FYI...article below might shed light on the Costco puzzler. If you already have a Costco membership then ordering 2 day is more cost effective because you get free delivery, no tips and no service fees like Instacart. However Costco grocery items are only available by Instacart.

Is Costco's Same-Day Fresh Food Delivery Worth It?

In this look at Costco's same-day fresh food delivery, Consumer Reports says you'll pay far more than in-store, but our analysis found it's still a deal compared with other grocers that deliver.

www.consumerreports.org

 

[TravelTime]

Instacart and other delivery services should make the tip mandatory and only allow people to increase it, not decrease it. I think that bait and switch thing is unethical. I can’t believe people do that just to lure shoppers to take their orders.