10 Items or Less: Lean on Your Fellow Shoppers

The Instacart community is as diverse as the items in the grocery store — every day, tens of thousands of individuals shop, deliver, and become an extension of people’s households. We want to share this community’s stories, highlighting Instacart shoppers, shift leads, and site managers all across North America. 10 Items or Less is a series featuring just some of the amazing members of the Instacart community, sharing their unique experiences and secret sauce with the world.

1. What’s your name and where are you from?  David R — I’m from Edina, Minnesota.

2. When and why did you decide to start shopping with Instacart? October 2020 — I wanted the freedom to create my own schedule and serve those in my community whose health could be compromised by leaving their residence during the COVID-19 crisis. 

3. What’s your favorite thing about shopping with Instacart? Going above and beyond for customers and getting a positive review in the comments. It totally makes my day and the feedback motivates me to keep providing an excellent experience. 

4. What 3 items are always in your personal shopping cart? Fiji Water, Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, and Cape Cod Chips.

5. What’s a fun fact that would surprise us about you? In 5th grade I wanted to be a professional snowboarder because I thought Shaun White was the coolest athlete ever. 

6. What’s a shopping tip that a lot of people might not know (your “secret sauce”)? After you get familiar with the stores in your area, when you begin shopping a batch, look for the items you know are in high demand based on the season first. This will give the customer more time to decide if a replacement is needed.

7. Do you have any relationships you’ve made while shopping with Instacart? I’ve definitely gotten to know some of the cashiers and food runners at my local grocery stores!

8. What’s your “side dish” — a hobby, a hidden talent, another job you do on the side? I’m a videographer/editor for musicians and artists.

9. What’s one piece of guidance or encouragement you would give to Instacart’s shopper community? Getting orders done properly will always go a lot further than doing them quickly. The more an Instacart experience benefits the customer, the more it benefits everyone. 

10. Anything else you want to share with the shopper community? Never be afraid to ask other shoppers for help or advice! It’s not a competition between us and most are likely to help.

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Instacart is the leading grocery technology company in North America, partnering with more than 1,500 national, regional, and local retail banners to deliver from more than 85,000 stores across more than 14,000 cities in North America. To read more Instacart posts, you can browse the company blog or search by keyword using the search bar at the top of the page.