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Walmart tests same-day delivery with Instacart
The partnership makes both Walmart and Instacart stronger in opposition to Amazon and Whole Foods.
Instacart sues Uber's Cornershop over IP theft
Uber is once again in trouble for the actions of one of its acquisitions.
Instacart takes steps to discourage 'tip baiting'
Instacart is implementing multiple measures to deter 'tip baiting,' including banning repeat offenders.
Senators ask FTC to investigate Instacart over 'tip baiting'
A group of US senators has called on the FTC to investigate Instacart and other grocery delivery services for allowing 'tip baiting' that stiffs couriers.
Instacart is hiring another 250,000 grocery shoppers
Instacart is hiring another 250,000 shoppers and says it's doing more to protect all of its workers.
Many Instacart shoppers still don't have their COVID-19 safety gear
Many of Instacart's shoppers still don't have promised gear to protect against COVID-19, but that's partly intentional.
Instacart is expanding Costco pharmacy deliveries nationwide
Instacart is now delivering medication from almost 200 Costco locations in seven states and Washington DC.
Instacart hopes to expedite deliveries with 'first available shopper' option
Instacart is adapting to the pandemic with a flexible delivery option focused on speed over fixed schedules.
Instacart will provide shoppers with free masks and hand sanitizers
Instacart will start distributing free health and safety kit to its full-service shoppers next week. The move likely comes as a response to the walkout workers staged a few days ago to protest the company's inadequate safety measures against the coronavirus pandemic. One of their demands was the distribution of items like hand sanitizers.
Online grocery deliveries are facing an unprecedented stress test
In the past few weeks, cities and states across the country have instructed people to stay home in order to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Going out for essentials like food is allowed, but that can be a risky proposition. Not only can grocery stores get crowded, social distancing protocol often means long lines just to get inside. The obvious alternative to all this is to shop online, but as several shoppers can attest, that experience can sometimes be even more frustrating. The state of online grocery deliveries is apparently a lot more fragile than anyone had anticipated.
Instacart workers go on strike after rejecting mild concessions
Instacart hasn't had success trying to avert a strike over a lack of COVID-19 protections. The Gig Workers Collective has declared that a shopper strike is "still on" after asserting that Instacart's concessions were inadequate. A change that sets the tip default to a customer's previous amount will likely offer "no meaningful benefit," the shoppers said, as that previous amount will frequently come from the pre-outbreak era. There's still no sick pay for workers who have to stay home due to health conditions that put them at high risk. The company also left hazard pay "completely unaddressed," according to the objectors -- an average pay per order of less than $10 still leaves shoppers "risking their lives for pocket change."
Instacart workers will strike over lack of COVID-19 protections
Fed up with the company's response to the coronavirus, Instacart workers announced today that they'll go on strike beginning Monday. They will not return to work until their demands are met, Instacart Shoppers and the Gig Workers Collective wrote in a blog post. Their dissent is not uncommon. It's reflective of growing dissatisfaction among employees, especially gig workers, who must continue working in public settings while corporate employees work from the safety of their homes.
Instacart is hiring 300,000 grocery shoppers (updated)
Instacart plans to hire an additional 300,000 "full-service" contractors to help it deliver groceries to people during the coronavirus pandemic. With so many individuals and families stuck inside as a result of social distancing measures and shelter in place orders in states like California, Instacart says order volume has increased by 150 percent over the last few weeks, with people buying more per cart as well.
Uber, Lyft will compensate drivers affected by coronavirus outbreak
The coronavirus outbreak is affecting many workers, but it could hit those in the gig economy particularly hard when many of them don't get sick leave or other benefits. Those companies may help soften the blow for some of their workers, though. To start, Uber said in a statement to Engadget that it would compensate drivers worldwide for both Uber and Uber Eats if they're either infected by the coronavirus or quarantined by a public health agency for "a period of up to 14 days." Drivers have already received compensation in "some markets," Uber said, alluding to a Bloomberg report that it had compensated quarantined drivers in Mexico and the UK.
Postmates and Instacart introduce 'no contact' deliveries
First it was Uber's Quiet Cars, and now the socially avoidant can get their Postmates without actually seeing anyone. The company added "Dropoff Options" to its delivery service without mentioning the growing coronavirus outbreak by name, but clearly looking to service folks who, for one reason or another, would prefer to have as little contact with others as possible. As it is, the options include meeting at curbside, front door, or no-contact where they're left at the door. On Friday Instacart also launched "Leave at my door" delivery for its grocery dropoffs, mimicking changes seen in China as the virus continued to spread, albeit without the temperature readings of everyone who was involved in preparation or delivery.
Judge says Instacart likely misclassified California workers
California's recently enacted AB5 was aimed at improving working conditions at gig economy companies like Instacart, and it appears to be one of the first firms in the crosshairs. A San Diego county judge has granted a preliminary injunction barring Instacart from misclassifying its grocery shoppers as contractors instead of employees, finding that the state had a "probability of success" in its case against the company's parent Maplebear. The "handwriting is on the wall," the judge said. Whether or not AB5 was the right policy, it was based on a state Supreme Court decision from two years ago and became law -- Instacart couldn't pretend that it was unaware of (or couldn't adjust to) the new rules.
Activists form nonprofit to fight gig worker exploitation
Gig workers are often at odds with the companies through which they find work, whether it's over how well they're paid or how they're treated. A gig worker and activist duo are attempting to help improve working conditions for contractors across the board. Vanessa Bain and Sarah Clarke created the Gig Workers Collective, which has a pending application to become a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization.
Instacart employees in Chicago are the first to unionize in the US
Gig economy workers may have won an important, if conditional, battle in their push for better conditions. Instacart employees in the Chicago suburb of Skokie have voted to unionize through their local branch of United Food and Commercial Workers, giving them more collective bargaining power than they had before. The move only covers 15 staffers who operate at the Mariano's grocery store, but it's the first time Instacart employees have unionized in the US and could affect issues like turnover rates, work pacing and mysterious employee rating algorithms.
Instacart pickups now include alcohol and let stores know you're nearby
Online grocery company Instacart has added a bunch of new features to its Pickup service, designed to make it even easier to click-and-collect your stuff. Customers can now shop via smart storefronts -- a single digital storefront for each of your favorite grocers on the platform -- and enable location-based notifications to let the store know when you're nearby, so handover is quick and seamless.
Instacart cuts quality bonuses for couriers
Instacart is still embroiled in pay disputes despite past dramas. Motherboard has learned that Instacart is scrapping a $3 quality bonus it provides to shoppers who receive five-star ratings. The incentive "did not meaningfully improve quality," according to email sent to workers, and will disappear on November 11th. There's no mention of a replacement. The timing is definitely raising concerns among workers, however.
