Supporting Shoppers Throughout the COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout

As states, provinces, and territories across the US and Canada begin their phased COVID-19 vaccine rollout, we want to support shoppers in navigating this process. To further support the health and safety of our shopper community, we’ve added some new resources, information and offerings that can be accessed directly from the Shopper app.

Understanding vaccine eligibility

At Instacart, we’ve been calling on the CDC and state and local elected leaders to support shoppers and follow the essential worker designation by including grocery delivery workers for early access to the COVID-19 vaccines. The CDC has made recommendations for vaccine rollout, with individual states finalizing their distribution plans. While eligibility may vary by state, as a shopper, you may be able to receive the COVID-19 vaccine earlier than the general public.

Your status as an Instacart shopper may not be the only criteria to get a COVID-19 vaccine — there are many other factors like age, underlying health conditions, and your place of work that could also impact your eligibility for early vaccine distribution. We recommend referring to your local health department website to check your eligibility. The CDC has links to all state health departments for more information. If you’re a Canadian shopper, Health Canada has links to each province or territory’s local rollout plans.

Shopper verification letter for vaccine eligibility

Once you’ve determined your eligibility, you may need to show proof that you are an Instacart shopper in order to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. If you need to verify that you are an Instacart shopper, you can access a verification letter directly in the Shopper app.

To view your letter, tap on “COVID-19 vaccine” from the navigation bar in the Shopper app. You can then show this letter to demonstrate that you are an essential grocery worker. Please make sure you have the latest version of the Shopper app to see your verification letter.

Vaccine Support Stipend

As we shared last month, we’re introducing a new Vaccine Support Stipend to help eliminate any concerns about taking time away from shopping to get vaccinated. If you were an active shopper when you received your COVID-19 vaccine, you can submit your request for the stipend by tapping “COVID-19 vaccine” from the navigation bar in the Shopper app.

Any active full-service shopper who has shopped at least 5 batches in the past 30 days will be able to submit a request for the stipend. Please make sure you upgrade to the latest version of the Shopper app to submit your request. All active in-store shoppers and shift leads are also able to request the stipend.

Committed to health and safety

We are continuing to update our processes, offerings, and resources to help keep the shopper community safe. As always, you can refer to the shopper health and safety guidelines for the latest best practices for shopping safely, as well as available resources for you. You can also visit the COVID-19 Resource Center for more information.

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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.