Instacart - A Cautionary Tale

Instacart has come to our town.

This is a grocery shopping service.  You place your order online from your local stores, and Instacart picks and delivers it and charges your credit card.  When you place your order there is a hold on your credit card of the estimated amount plus a bit to cover eventualities, like more grapes in a bag than was estimated.  That hold is returned and the correct amount is charged after completion of the order.

When Instacart came to town, they offered one month with no service fee for delivery.  We decided to try it to see if it were something that would be useful "in the future". 

But - and there is always a but, isn't there - caveat emptor.

There are some things to be aware of. 
Some stores charge more per item than if you shopped in the store.  Aldi's adds about 10% to each item.
The picker can make mistakes.  One picker grabbed the organic blueberries at $5.69 instead of the sale blueberries at $1.49.  I ate that one.  One picker grabbed an item that was out-of-code and actually looked bad (it was).  Instagram refunded the cost of the item.  One picker substituted Swiss Cheese brands.  The dog enjoys the new one.
The store may not honor the sales prices shown in the flier.  Aldi's does not include the sale prices and does not include the Aldi's Finds.  Tops does honor sale prices.  Price Chopper has honored them in the past.
Instagram may change the prices in the middle.  Here's where I got ripped off.  When I placed items in my cart on Thursday, Pepsi was on sale at $1.99.  Somehow that changed. Because I knew what the prices were in my "cart",  I, foolishly, did not carefully look at the price on Saturday when I finished placing my order.  By the time it was delivered, the Pepsi had become $4.99 on Instacart.  The PICS butter had changed from $2.49 to $2.99.  I lost $24.50 and probably a couple of hours of back and forth emails on this shopping experience. 

For me, I have decided to keep the service - I did pay for one-year of membership to get free delivery. 
I am less likely to use it for Aldi's, because I resent the 10%.  If something is still cheaper there with the 10%, I may still get it.  I am more careful now.
I will take screenshots of my orders.  (I had done a copy/paste, but that doesn't show prices.)
I will scrutinize the bill again and again before I authorize it - don't trust that they did not change it.
I will probably only use it in winter or when I am feeling exceptionally lazy.  It may not be worth the expense and hassle at other times.

Bottom line - there are definitely benefits - but I must weigh the drawbacks.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Here is the documentation for the latest frustration.

This is the weekly ad:

Note that Pepsi is $1.99.  Also, note that the Pepsi is right next to "We Deliver" and "Instacart"


This is my Instacart bill, showing $4.99 each, as charged to my credit card:

Your order was placed on August 17th and delivered August 17th at 1:17 PM from Price Chopper

Review Tip and Rating

11 Items Delivered

PRICE CHOPPER	11
DAIRY & EGGS
Cabot Creamery Seriously Sharp Cheddar Cheese (2 lb)  1 x $9.99 $9.99
PICS by Price Chopper Unsalted Sweet Cream Butter Quarters(4 each)  1 x $3.49 $3.49
BEVERAGES
Diet Pepsi Soda Cola (6 x 6 x 16.9 fl oz)  6 x $4.99 $29.94
Pepsi Cherry Cola Soda (6 x 6 x 16.9 fl oz)  2 x $4.99 $9.98

This is the receipt from Price Chopper showing that Price Chopper charged $1.99 for the Pepsi and $1.27 sales tax.  (My Instacart bill shows $4.99 for the Pepsi and $3.20 for the sales tax.)



Somebody got ripped off!  Was it Instacart?  Price Chopper?  Me?