How to Make $100 a day(or more) Doing Something you Already Do Every Week

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Do you need to make money fast?

Consider Instacart and get paid for doing something you do almost every week the SAME DAY!

People pay for convenience every day, and that does not exclude the daunting task of Grocery Shopping.

Instacart has capitalized on this need and for those who want to leave the shopping to someone else, opens a door for you to fulfill the orders, make the delivery, and get PAID.

Instacart has changed its platform so here’s what you need to know before you get started

This article has been updated if you rather read it than watch it.

To make money with Instacart you have two options:

• In-store shopper who only fulfills orders in the-store and hands them off to an Instacart driver
• Full-service shopper fulfills the orders in the store and delivers the groceries to the customer’s home.

In this article, I’m going to focus on the full-service shopper because that’s how you can make the most money

You first want to make sure Instacart delivers in your area, so check here in case you’re unsure.

If they’re in your area, you can simply click here to get started.

The hiring process is quick and easy and it only takes a couple of days to get started once you sign up.

Instacart Full-Service Shopper Requirements

• 18 years or older 
• Able to lift 40+ lbs 
• Eligible to work in the United States
• Own/have consistent access to a car
• iPhone or Android
• Auto Insurance and it needs to include Instacart services (Check with your insurance company to verify this)

After you go through the sign-up process you’ll sign some paperwork and go through a background check. The background check can take up to 10 days but I’ve seen it happen in 2-3 business days.

Instacart will send you a payment card to purchase groceries and you should also receive a lanyard, and now a mask. Once you receive all your stuff they’ll let you know when you can start. 

How Much Can You Earn with Instacart

There are SEVERAL factors that play a part in how much money you can earn with Instacart. For example, if you live in a well-populated area you’ll have access to more orders, which means you can make more money.

Also, the number of hours you work and the types of orders you receive all matter.

For example, you earn more for batches with heavy loads so if you had cases of water in your order, you’re going to make more money.

So it’s hard to say how much you can make per hour but you can definitely make $100 a day. How quickly, strongly depends on where you live, the types of orders you pick, and the amount of time you put in. To find out how much you can earn, you’ll have to try it out.

Instacart also allows you to get 100% of customer tips and I’m going to share some tips to help you maximize your earnings.

When you’re ready to start making money, you’ll open that app to see which batch you want to pick up. Here is an example of a batch (Instacart calls orders, batches).

Each batch includes:

• Store location
• Item count
• Batch payment

If you want to accept the batch just swipe right and get to work!

There can be more than one order in a batch where you will have to deliver them to different houses (up to 3 orders per batch) and the best way to deal with these is to stay organized.

You can either use two baskets or one large basket and use individual hand baskets to separate the orders to stay organized so you don’t get things confused.

Shoppers are offered batches based on their

• Average customer star rating
• Distance
• Delivery time
• Alcohol and prescription certification

You can take the quick quiz on alcohol and prescription deliveries through the app and it will give you access to more batches and sometimes bigger tips.

Each quiz takes about 10 minutes and you can find this under “how am I doing” and select “improve my skills with lessons”. *Make sure you check your state’s law before applying to deliver alcohol because it’s illegal in some states.

Now let’s talk about how the shopping process works

Once you accept the order, you’ll head to the store to fulfill the order.

The app will display your shopping list and you’ll mark off each item as you get it through the app. The customers see all activity through the app in real-time so they can track the order with you.

You’ll note if something isn’t available and it’s always a good idea to send photos of replacement items to see if the customer is ok with the replacement.

You’ll use your Instacart payment card to purchase the items and then you’ll simply deliver the items to the customer’s home and that’s it!

But I want to make sure you are aware of the good and the bad before you proceed, so let’s talk about the bad first.

Cons:

• Customers – You can have some of the most pleasant people to work with and then you can have some of the most difficult. Dealing with different kinds of people you never know what you’ll get. This is something to be aware of because they can affect your customer rating which could affect how many batches you’ll have access to.
• Auto insurance – If your insurance company doesn’t include “Instacart services” this could cost you extra. I’ve seen where this has added an extra $10-$15/mo. to people’s insurance.
• Independent contractor/1099 employee – There are no reimbursements for things like gas or wear and tear on your vehicle. But it’s important to know that you can write things off on your taxes like Maintenance and repairs, including tire and oil changes, gas, car insurance and so many other things. Be sure to track everything using the hurdlr app to claim maximum tax deductions.
• Competition – there may be a lot of people in your area doing this and it won’t leave you with a lot of options to make extra money. So I wouldn’t depend on this as a consistent source of income but just as a way to make extra money

Pros

• Instacart has this thing called Instant Cashout, where you can cash out anytime you want but you have to complete five batches before you can use this. The money you cash out is just the Instacart payment, not the tips. Tips can be pending up to 3 days and are sent via direct deposit.
• Good exercise
• You work on your own schedule
• You earn more than some of the other apps like Ubereats and Postmates (Strongly dependent on location)
• Instacart also offers bonuses

Tips to Maximize your Earnings for Beginners

• Start by taking small batches for at least a few days. These batches are easier to complete and they will help you learn the app without getting overwhelmed.
• Once you are more comfortable with the app you can take on larger batches. Really analyze each batch to see if the earnings, tips, and distance are worth your time.
• Shop stores you are familiar with. It’s easier to shop in the same stores because you learn the layout and this makes you shop faster and increases your hourly rate.
• When you’re shopping always think about yourself, if you won’t buy an item for yourself then you shouldn’t buy it for the customer (in regards to fresh produce), don’t be afraid to refund an item if its poor quality, just take pictures and let the customer know why.
• Communicate as much as you can through words and pictures. If they don’t reply, call and pay attention to expiration dates!
• When you deliver the groceries be sure to smile and act like you are enjoying what you’re doing. Doing these things could result in getting you a bigger tip and keeping a high rating.
• You can also use other apps simultaneously like shipt, Doordash even Amazon Flex to increase your earnings. Find the highest paying order and take that one.
• By referring others to join Instacart you can earn up to $600 in referrals. What I would do, is start doing this, and then show your impressive earnings on my social media networks and encourage others to sign up and try it using my referral link.
• You also want to join the Facebook group Instacart shoppers by Steph it’s a great group to learn all the tricks and tips from people who do this every day
• Save around 25% of your income because you are responsible for reporting and filing your own taxes

If you find that you really like this and you want to do this often, definitely consider getting these items along the way

1. Insulated bags

Instacart is now requiring you to have insulated bags and they are not providing these. The ones in the picture are what Instacart recommends and they are $25, but I have a more inexpensive option that costs only $5 at Walmart here and these will be accepted by Instacart.

If you’ve signed up for Doordash they send you insulated bags that zip and you can use those for Instacart as well.

2. Phone Mount

A phone mount will help keep you safe while navigating

3. Portable Charger

A portable charger will come in handy because the app drains your battery quickly.

4. Lanyard phone holder

A lanyard phone holder will keep you from dropping your phone while shopping, you’ll definitely see the need for this once you get started

5. Stair Climbing Cart or Wagon

These are for big orders that that will make delivering groceries to a house or apartment with stairs so much easier! It is very likely that you will get orders with cases of water or other heavy items and you’ll need to bring them from your car to the owner’s house.

If you plan on doing this a lot definitely consider investing in these and they are all tax write-offs!

If you like Instacart, you’ll definitely love Shipt. It’s pretty much the same thing with an average pay of $22 per hour. Click here to sign up!

Is it safe?

Yes.  Safety should always be first in whatever job you choose.  You do not go inside the house to drop the groceries off, this is all given to the person at the door like any delivery service.

Final Thoughts

I love the idea of being able to work when you want and if you want. There is no long-term obligation to this kind of job, and it’s easy.

This can be a great way to pick up some extra money while the kids are in school or whatever your life circumstance is.

Click here to Start Making Money with Instacart

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Is this something you would consider?  We wanna hear about it. Let us know.