Instacart Users Reportedly Scam Shoppers With Huge Tip Baits

The primary objective of grocery delivery services is to make it convenient for busy people to shop for groceries without going to the supermarket. Amid the coronavirus pandemic and stay-at-home orders, such services are not about convenience anymore but rather one of necessity.

This is why such services are very much in demand right now, making it difficult to book a slot. Because of this, customers have resorted to including a big tip in their orders just to lure Instacart workers into receiving and serving their orders. There are cases, however, where some customers just to secure a time slot for their orders have turned this tip-giving into a bait-and-switch tactic. A terrible lesson that Instacart worker Annalisa Arambula would later learn.

A Necessity

Same-day grocery delivery and pick-up services were conceived to make it easy for customers to do some grocery shopping without going to the grocery store. Examples of these services include Amazon Fresh, Instacart, Peapod, Fresh Direct, Walmart, and Shipt. In the light of the coronavirus pandemic where local authorities have been urging citizens to stay at home, the system has become an essential service. The downside to this, however, is that they have become over-subscribed, causing long queues in the ordering system. To ensure they have a time slot, some customers offer big tips for their orders.

In March, Annalisa Arambula, an Instacart worker, accepted an order that came with a huge tip of $55. Ms. Arambula was happy as the store was near, and everything on the customer’s list was available. The order was easy, and Ms. Arambula was eager to receive the extra cash. An hour later, however, when the Instacart worker checked her Instacart earnings, the entire tip was nowhere to be found. All that was left is a message saying, “customer modified the tip post-delivery.” Arambula earned only $8.95 on the order.

Frustration and Disbelief

In an interview with CNN Business, Arambula said, “I was flabbergasted. I couldn't believe it.” She also said that it is very demoralizing because of dashed expectations. “I don't pretend to be a hero, like a nurse in a hospital ... but I literally am exposing myself [to coronavirus]," said Arambula. She also said that there is always a possibility that she will be exposed to the virus whenever she shops for a customer. Arambula said that when she returns home, she may be exposing her own family to the disease. “When you know that it's somebody who's just doing it to game the system and to get their order when they want it, it's really frustrating,” said Arambula.

The husband of Ms. Arambula is unemployed at present. Because he has diabetes, he is considered to be at high risk for coronavirus infection. Their family is relying on Arambula’s work for Instacart to pay their bills.