Instacart
Instacart offers consumers the ability to shop from a variety of places without having to put in two different orders for food and household items. They’re currently available in many areas, from bustling New York to Alaska, Boston, San Francisco, and even Eagle River.
Delivery usually costs between $3.99 and $7.99, with a $2 order minimum and a 5% fee for the service. Express members ($9.99 per month or $99 per year) get lower service fees and don’t need to pay for delivery on orders higher than $35. Additionally, Express members may also pick multiple stores within the same order.
You can also avoid delivery fees if you opt to pick your deliveries up yourself, though the store will determine a pickup charge instead.
Instacart is partnered with a variety of supermarkets such as Kroger, Acme, Albertsons, Safeway, Costco, Sam’s Club, Petco, and CVS, to name a few. A personal shopper will pop in to gather all your items and will keep in contact with substitutes. Prices might vary as retailers decide on how much to charge Instacart customers, but manufacturers’ coupons will be honored. Additionally, you can benefit from various sales and promotions by using this service.
In terms of tipping, the default is set to 5%, but you can also opt-out completely if you’re in a particular bind, money-wise.
