10 Items or Less: Promoting Positive Energy

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? My name is Shameekia and I’m from Brooklyn, NY.
2. How long have you been working with Instacart, and in what roles? I have been at Instacart for five years as of April 2020. Right now I’m a site manager, but I’ve also been a shift lead, a cashier, bagger, tagger (CBT), and an in-store shopper. I’ve also done some full-service shopping!
3. Why did you decide to start working with Instacart? I started working at Instacart because it gave me the opportunity to finish school and balance my chronic illness — Sickle Cell Disease. At my previous job I didn’t feel much job security when I needed to choose my health over working for extended periods of time and Instacart provided me with the space and opportunity to be able to do both.
4. What’s your favorite thing about working with Instacart? My favorite thing about working at Instacart is being able to interact with my shopper and shift lead teams. There are so many different personalities that I encounter on a daily basis and it has truly molded me into an amazing people leader. We are consistently promoting “positive energy” in all of our stores which in turn reflects positively on the customer and their experience. It’s a win-win situation.
5. What’s a shopping tip that a lot of people might not know (your “secret sauce”)? Replacements are important when solving for the customer, so here are my tips:
   · Shop as if you’re shopping for the person you love the most (I always think about my mom).
   · Think about if the item was for you — can you use the item that you are replacing in the same manner as the original item requested?
   · Would you be happy and order again if you receive this replacement or would it dampen your experience?
   If you ask yourself these questions it really puts you in the shoes of the customer and will guide you along the way.
6. Do you have any relationships you’ve made while working with Instacart? More than I can count. My Instacart family is truly close to my heart.
7. What’s your most-used Instacart emoji? The CARROT of course!!
8. What’s your “side dish” — a hobby, a hidden talent, another job you do on the side? I’m a baker! I currently have a business where I bake cakes, cupcakes, cake jars & more! On the side you can call me Chef Coco!
9. What 3 items are always in your personal shopping cart? Salmon, a range of veggies, and strawberry shortcake.
10. What’s one piece of guidance or encouragement you would give to our shopper community? Instacart is truly a place where you can love what you do. There’s opportunity to learn and grow every single day. This job can prepare you for your future career whether it’s with us or in another place. Remember we are here to make our customers’ experiences great but it starts with YOU.

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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.