New Updates and Support for the Shopper Community

The last few weeks have been some of the busiest in Instacart’s history, and we’re immensely grateful to the shopper community for stepping up as household heroes during this time. Our teams have been working hard to deliver new features and more resources to support shoppers as you continue to bring much-needed groceries and household essentials to consumers across North America.

Ratings Won’t Affect Access to Batches

We know that your customer rating is important to you, and we’re grateful for your commitment to delivering with quality even in the busiest of circumstances. Based on your feedback, we’ve temporarily paused prioritizing access to batches based on average star rating. This means that your rating will not affect your access to batches during this time. We’re also continuing to automatically forgive your lowest rating and any ratings under 5 stars for specific factors that may be out of your control, such as known app issues, if we know the order is going to be late, and extreme weather. Given the current national state of emergency, all ratings below 5 stars will be automatically forgiven during this time period.

Introducing Cancel Batch

If you are no longer able to shop the batch you accepted, you may choose to have the batch removed by selecting “cancel batch.” You can find the “cancel batch” button on your order screen, and you can cancel without contacting Care until the point you arrive at the store and begin shopping. Cancelling a batch will impact your cancellation rate, which is based on your last 100 batches. You’ll be able to see your cancellation rate starting this week. For more information about cancelling batches and your cancellation rate, visit the Help Center.

Automatically Canceling Out of Stock Orders

We know that many stores are running low on popular items, and sometimes customers’ orders are entirely out of stock. If all of a customer’s requested items are out of stock, please communicate directly with the customer and consider sharing photos as needed to provide real-time updates of unavailability. Their order will automatically cancel, so you don’t need to contact Care to have the order canceled. Any batches cancelled because all items are out of stock will not impact your cancellation rate.

Mobile Checkout Available Everywhere

As we recently announced on our shopper blog, we’ve introduced Instacart Mobile Checkout, allowing you to pay for groceries with Apple Pay or Google Pay. This feature is now available for all shoppers in the U.S., so you can pay at the register with just a tap of your phone, without needing to reach for your wallet or touch the keypad in front of you.

Working With Our Retail Partners

We’ve been working closely with our retail partners to ensure we’re making the in-store shopping experience as smooth as possible during this busy time. As some retailers are limiting the number of items that can be purchased in-store, we’ve been working to ensure customers are only able to order the number of items in-app that retailers allow to be purchased. We’re also making sure we update store hours as many retailers are adjusting the time that they are open, and we’re in continued conversation to streamline the Instacart shopping experience, whether that’s by a dedicated checkout line, entrance, or staging area in the store. We’ll continue to share updates on specific retailers and regions as the situation evolves.

More Information About Extended Pay

As we announced last week, we’re offering up to 14 days of pay for any part-time employee or full-service shopper who is diagnosed with COVID-19 or placed in individual mandatory isolation or quarantine, as directed by a local, state, or public health authority. We understand shoppers have specific questions about how this will affect them during this time. Below are some frequently asked questions about how we’re addressing the needs of shoppers.

Will Instacart continue to operate?
Yes — we will continue to operate. We are closely monitoring this evolving situation and working with local, state, and national authorities to ensure that we are taking the necessary precautionary measures and continue operating safely. To date, no grocery stores or delivery services have been shut down as a result of COVID-19, and as our platform supports those businesses, we will remain fully operational as an essential service to our communities. We will continue to communicate directly with shoppers, customers, and the Instacart community with any relevant updates.

Who is eligible for extended pay?
All full-service shoppers and non-exempt employees — including in-store shoppers, shift leads, site managers, and Care agents — are eligible for extended pay in the event that they are diagnosed with COVID-19 or placed in individual mandatory isolation or quarantine, as directed by a local, state, or public health authority. Full-service shoppers will need to have an active shopper account, completed a batch within the last 14 days, and been active on the platform for a minimum of 30 calendar days. Non-exempt employees will need to be current employees of Instacart, worked a shift within the last 14 days, and been employed with Instacart for a minimum of 30 calendar days.

How much payment can we expect to receive if we are eligible for extended pay?
You will be paid up to 14 days of pay if you are diagnosed with COVID-19 or placed in individual mandatory isolation or quarantine. For hourly employees, you will be given your hourly pay for the last 14 days. For full-service shoppers, we calculate extended pay based on your total Instacart payments in the 14 days before your diagnosis.

How can I claim my extended pay?
For more information about extended pay and to submit your request, visit the Instacart health and safety guidelines.

Until when can I request extended pay?
Extended pay is available for 30 days, after which time we will reassess and share an updated go-forward plan.

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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.