Introducing New Vaccine Support Stipend for Shoppers

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the health and safety of the entire Instacart community has been our top priority. In the past year, more than 500,000 Instacart shoppers have stepped up to support their communities by fulfilling millions of orders across North America. Throughout this time, we’ve been advocating for the health and safety of every member of the shopper community.

Last spring, we worked closely with state and federal officials to ensure Instacart shoppers were considered essential workers as they continue supporting families and communities across the country in the wake of COVID-19. More recently, we’ve urged the CDC and all 50 governors to support those who have delivered life’s necessities throughout the pandemic and follow the essential worker designation again, and include grocery delivery workers for early access to the COVID-19 vaccines.

As states begin their phased rollouts of the COVID-19 vaccine, we want to continue to support our shopper community by offering a new Vaccine Support Stipend.

Financial support and resources for COVID-19 vaccine distribution

Available to shift leads, in-store shoppers, and full-service shoppers beginning February 1, the new COVID-19 Vaccine Support Stipend will provide shoppers and in-store teams with financial assistance as you take time away from shopping to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Eligible shoppers will receive $25 to ensure that, when the time comes, you don’t have to choose between earning income as an essential service provider or getting vaccinated.

As the vaccine starts to become available in various areas, we’ll roll out new in-app messages sharing more details with eligible shoppers about how to request the stipend. Any active full-service shopper who has shopped at least 5 batches in the previous 30 days and can verify they have received a COVID-19 vaccine will be eligible to receive the stipend. Shift leads and in-store shoppers who are actively employed when they receive the vaccine will also be eligible.

Additional health and safety kits for shoppers

To continue to support the community, even before the vaccine is available to everyone, we’re redistributing free health and safety kits to any active shopper. If you are in need of additional personal protective equipment, you can order a health and safety kit free of charge.

The health and safety kits continue to include a multi-layer face mask that is washable and reusable, as well as a bottle of alcohol-based hand sanitizer that will ship with a leak-proof seal. You can order your free kit directly from the Shopper app or by visiting the carrot store. We’ve already shipped more than 620,000 health and safety kits, and look forward to shipping even more to ensure the continued support of our shopper community.

Committed to the shopper community

Throughout this unprecedented pandemic, we’ve continued to consult with the CDC to refine our policies, products, and education, as well as our team of health and safety experts. As part of our ongoing commitment to supporting the shopper community, we’re continuing to offer a number of health and safety resources that we introduced for shoppers last year.

Along with health and safety kits and the new Vaccine Support Stipend, shoppers have access to daily in-app wellness checks, free telemedicine consultations with Doctor on Demand, extended pay for those affected by COVID-19, and extensive health and safety guidelines. You can always visit the COVID-19 Resource Center for the latest information about what’s available.

As the COVID-19 situation evolves, our teams are committed to continuing to deliver for all the communities we serve and ensuring customers and shoppers can safely and reliably use Instacart. Thank you for being a part of our community.

Instacart

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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.