10 Items or Less: Moving Up in the Company and Down on the Scale

The Instacart shopper 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? My name is Antonio, and I’m from Chicago.
2. How long have you been working with Instacart, and in what roles? I’ve been with Instacart for five years, in just about every role we have. I started as a full-service shopper, then was hired as an in-store shopper, then decided to go back to being a full-service shopper, then was hired again as a shift captain, which then transitioned into a shift lead, and now I’m a site manager.
3. What were you doing before you started shopping for Instacart? I had just sold my business and was trying to find myself. Instacart was something that I happened to fall into and I’ve been with it ever since. About a year into my time with Instacart, I also got my real estate license, so now I do both. Instacart lets me be flexible with my time.
4. Why did you decide to become an Instacart shopper? I was stuck at a really sedentary desk job and needed something that was going to get me more active. I loved the idea of shopping because it would get me moving around. As soon as I did my first Instacart order, it was like it clicked — it was the future. I was delivering diapers, and the mom was so grateful. She said she was in rough shape with her new baby and it was her first time ordering. She called it a game-changer, and I totally agreed.
5. What’s your favorite thing about being a shopper? The community in general. Instacart is really building something — it’s what separates it from everything else. From customers to shoppers to the shift leads, site managers, operations team — we’re all in it together. I’m always so inspired by the community and culture Instacart has created. Not only that, but Instacart has taught me about my own dietary needs too. I’m Mexican, so I knew about our traditional foods, but I learned so much more about foods like vegetables and fruits. I had never heard of a kumquat! Working with Instacart has changed not just my daily life, but what I eat and understand about food.
6. What’s your funniest or most interesting shopper experience? I’ve delivered to a whole host of celebrities. Being in Chicago, I’ve delivered to a player from almost every major sports team — the Bears, the Blackhawks, the Bulls. I’m a big Bulls fan, so when that player opened the door, he was almost seven feet tall and I was like, “you’re a Bulls player!” and he was like, “you’re my shopper!” He asked if I wanted to take a picture with him, and I said yeah, totally! That was a super fun day. I delivered to a famous actor once too. He was sick, I was delivering tea, and he was like “yes, it’s me.”
7. What’s your favorite food or meal? I’m on keto, so right now my go-to meal is a good fatty steak, medium-rare. With some asparagus on the side. My cheat meal is traditional Mexican frijoles con chorizo. It reminds me of being a kid.
8. What’s your secret sauce — a shopping tip that a lot of people might not know? I tap my papayas, just like my grandma taught me. If it’s ripe, it should have a good thud to it. If it sounds hollow, it’s not a good one.
9. Do you have any relationships you’ve made while being an Instacart shopper? I’ve made so many friendships through Instacart. My real estate partner, we met while we were both full-service shoppers, and now we’re in business together.
10. What 3 items are always in your cart? Definitely diapers; I have a two-year-old daughter and am about to have another, so I need a lot of those. Halo Top is a guilty pleasure of mine — when I have a rough day, I eat that instead of ice cream. And prosciutto, it has the protein and fat I need for my diet.

Check out more about Antonio and how he’s changed his lifestyle while shopping with Instacart on Good Morning America:

https://gma.abc/32mQZ8L

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Instacart is the leading grocery technology company in North America, partnering with more than 1,400 national, regional, and local retail banners to deliver from more than 80,000 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.