Instacart

Reasons to avoid

1. Instacart agreed to a $60 million FTC settlement in December 2025 for deceiving customers with fake "free delivery" promotions while secretly charging mandatory service fees, auto-enrolling users into paid subscriptions without clear consent, and offering a "100% satisfaction guarantee" that typically resulted in only small app credits instead of real refunds.techrepublic.com2025-12-22
2. A Consumer Reports investigation found Instacart's AI pricing tool (Eversight) showed different customers prices up to 23% higher for identical items at the same store at the same time — affecting nearly three-quarters of products tested. The New York Attorney General opened a formal investigation, and multiple U.S. senators called on the FTC to investigate.consumerreports.org2025-12-22
3. A 2025 Human Rights Watch report found Instacart shoppers are misclassified as independent contractors, paid below minimum wage, and subject to opaque algorithmic pay decisions. Workers must cover their own vehicle, fuel, insurance, and self-employment taxes — meaning many earn far less than the advertised rate.hrw.org2025-05-12
4. Instacart slashed shopper pay by 63% in major markets including San Francisco and Los Angeles, cutting the per-drop-off rate from $4 to $1.50.techcrunch.com2016-03-11
5. When New York City passed a minimum wage bill for grocery delivery workers ($21.44/hour), Instacart waged an active campaign against it — funding a fake grassroots group called "New Yorkers For Affordable Groceries" to pressure the mayor to veto the legislation.nyc.streetsblog.org2025-09-02