Changes to Instacart in Seattle

In 2023, the Seattle City Council passed a new law that impacts how Instacart operates in Seattle. Due to these new regulations, we’re making several changes that will go into effect as of January 13, 2024. 

Changes to the shopper experience

Shoppers will receive a guaranteed minimum earnings amount of $0.44 per minute, as well as $0.74 per mile they drive while they are fulfilling orders — this equates to more than $26 per hour while they fulfill orders on our platform. Due to the new pay structure and certain requirements under the new law, heavy pay, peak earning times, and Instant Cashout will no longer be available in Seattle.

Reduced service options

As a result of the new requirements within Seattle city limits, we will only be able to facilitate orders from Seattle retail locations to customers who live within Seattle. This means that customers outside of Seattle will not be able to order from stores within Seattle, and vice versa.

Tipping and pricing changes

As always, tipping is optional, and customers will now have the option to tip their shopper after they have received their order. Customers will also see new fees as a result of the significant increase in operating costs under this regulation.

Each of these changes are being made as a result of the new ordinance passed by the Seattle City Council. As always, we will work to deliver the best customer and shopper experience despite the limitations put in place by the City Council, and we may need to make additional changes in response to these new set of laws.

Update 2/26/24: Updated to reflect changes to the tipping process for customers in Seattle.

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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.