Is Instacart a Good Full-time Job?

Is Instacart a Good Full-time Job?

Are you looking for a full-time job that doesn’t require any degree? Do you want to supplement your income? Well, Instacart is the right place for you. Are you perplexed about whether Instacart offers full-time jobs or not? You have landed on the correct article. This article will elucidate upon the jobs Instacart offers and whether to work full-time or part-time with Instacart? Is Instacart a Good Full-time Job?

Instacart offers both part-time and full-time jobs. Full-time jobs pay a person $14 to $17 per hour, which is a decent amount, in addition to certain incentives. Part-time jobs pay $14 per hour void of any incentives. But for being a full-time worker you need to have a functional car. The article will acquaint you with the job opportunities Instacart offers.

What is Instacart?

Instacart is counted amongst one of the fastest-growing companies in the United States. The founders of this company are Apoorva Mehta, Max Mullen, and Brandon Leonardo. It is an online grocery delivery platform that provides door-to-door grocery services in around 5500 cities of the United States and Canada. It forms partnerships with local grocery stores and buys groceries on customers’ behalf and delivers it to them. It is gaining prominence these days.

People just need to order groceries through Instacart’s application and their order would be delivered on their doorsteps in a day or even within hours. 

Instacart hires its workers both part-time and full-time. People are hired either as part-time in-store shoppers and full-time independent contractors.

Eligibility criteria of being an employee in Instacart?

To be an employee in Instacart, you need to fulfill the following requirements:

  • You should own a smartphone as all the information regarding orders placed, the time frame within which the delivery has to be made and the payment operates online through smartphones.
  • You should be above 18 years of age or above to become an employee at Instacart.
  • You should be strong enough to carry 30+ pounds of weight to get hired in Instacart.
  • If you want to work as a full-time shopper or an independent contractor at Instacart, you need to have access to a car and a valid driving license.
  • You should have a savings account as the money yielded would be transferred to your accounts.

How are part-time and full-time employees paid?

As mentioned above, Instacart hires people in two ways. The next question which pops up in everyone’s mind is how much and how are these employees paid by the company.

  • Full-service shoppers

The independent contractors are also known as full-time service shoppers deal with picking up the set of groceries they would like to offer service for, then go to the nearby store, shop for the groceries customer has asked for in the Instacart application, pack it and deliver it to the door-steps of the customer. 

Their earnings depend on certain factors including the following

  • Number of hours worked
  • Number of orders completed
  • Types of items you have delivered.

A full-time shopper can earn up to $10 on every delivery, which involves buying, packing, and delivering the order on the doorsteps of the clients. If the items in the customer’s order weigh more, you will be paid more. According to glassdoor.com, on average a full-time shopper can earn up to $14-$17 per delivery.

  • Part-time shoppers

The workers who are involved in just the packing of the groceries as per the order are known as in-store shoppers or part-time shoppers. They are not required to deliver the order. You don’t need to have a car for this job. The in-store shoppers are paid on an hourly basis. According to glassdoor.com, a part-time shopper can earn up to $14.They can earn through the tips given by the customers.

Schedule for workers in Instacart

  • Full-service shoppers

The full-service shoppers at Instacart are given the autonomy to choose the number of hours they want to work. The company encourages their workers to work in peak hours which are mainly weekday evenings or all day on weekends.

The full-time shoppers can decline the orders in the application at their convenience. And if the shopper declines consecutive orders, the Instacart application logs them out automatically, considering them done for the day.

Being a full-service shopper provides you with the freedom to work as much as you want and as little as you want.

  • In-store shoppers

The in-store workers at Instacart are allowed to choose hours as per their convenience, which is often not seen in many grocery shops. This makes this a desirable part-time job. Just like full-service shoppers, in-store shoppers can earn more during peak hours.

Is Instacart a good full-time job?

Because an Instacart employee can earn up to $17 per delivery, makes it an annual average of $28,000. One can also make extra money with the tips they get. If you want to maximize your income, being a full-service shopper would be beneficial. You can earn a decent amount by working for 29 hours a week or even more.

So, if you have a car, a valid driving license, Instacart is the place for you.

The payment of salaries

Both the in-store shoppers and full-service shoppers are paid by directly depositing the money to their savings account. They can transfer the money paid to them directly to their debit cards through a feature called Instant Cashout. But for being eligible to do so, you need to have done at least 5 batches of deliveries. 

Since full-time shoppers are independent, they have to pay taxes. The taxes of in-store shoppers are paid by Instacart itself.

If we go by the reviews of Reddit, a person can make a decent amount of money by doing a full-time job at Instacart. An independent contractor, who can work for any number of hours can earn a significant amount of money. These jobs are suitable even for those who don’t possess a degree. One doesn’t need to be a skilled being to get a job at Instacart.

Effect of Covid 19 Pandemic on Instacart

Just like many renowned companies around the world, Instacart was also affected by the Covid19 pandemic, which hit the world in 2020. The company was affected profitably. The people were hoarding goods as they were afraid that markets would close down anytime. In the initial two months of the pandemic, Instacart delivered more than Walmart as per the reports of Second Firm. They experienced a massive profit within a matter of 5 weeks. Currently, around 500,000 Instacart shoppers are sailing more than 45,000 stores across the United States and Canada. Due to Covid 19 pandemic, its revenue has hit $1.5 billion.

Benefits of working at Instacart

Instacart provides its employees, both full-time and part-time with certain incentives which include the following:

  • Student loans: Instacart provides employees who are students with assistance to pay off their student loans.
  • Health and dental insurance: An insurance of about one million USD is provided to full-service employees of Instacart. 

There are many other benefits that Instacart offers like access to Care.com. This allures the people to work for Instacart.

Conclusion

From the article, we can conclude that doing a full-time job at Instacart is a good choice for those who want flexible hours of work and those who don’t possess any degree or skills. You just need to have access to a car, smartphones, and a savings account. The eligibility criteria are minimum at Instacart. Since this is a fast-growing company, job security is ensured. You get the freedom to choose hours at your convenience. You can set your own goals to earn a specific amount per month. Thus, one can pursue a full-time job in Instacart with ease.

Instacart is known for charging higher delivery charges, which they think are significant to pay for their employees.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Which is more beneficial-full-service shopper or an in-store shopper at Instacart?

Your choice depends on your requirements. But if you want to maximize your earnings, you should go for a full-service shopper as you’ll be independent and can earn more. In-store shoppers earn $14 per hour while full-service shoppers can earn up to $17 per hour and even more during peak hours. Thus, if you have a car, go for a full-service shopper.

Does Instacart pay for the gas of the car?

No, Instacart does not pay for the gas of the car or any other maintenance of the vehicle you use for delivery. You are responsible if anything happens to your car, however it does facilitate its employees with health insurance.

How much can I earn monthly through Instacart?

You can earn up to $3000 per month through Instacart depending upon the number of orders you deliver. You can even aim higher by working for more hours.

What will happen if I deny taking the order on the Instacart application?

You can deny the order if it isn’t worth your time and effort, however, if you deny five orders consecutively, it might result in you being logged out of the app. And you don’t log in within thirty minutes, it would be called a day for you.

Is Instacart a Good Full-time Job?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to top