Ordering groceries online through Instacart can save you time and effort. However, it’s important to tip your Instacart shopper appropriately as a way to show appreciation for their work. Here is a guide on how to edit and update the tip amount you set for your Instacart grocery orders.
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When Can You Add/Change The Tip Amount?
There are two opportunities to add or modify the tip on your Instacart order:
1. During Checkout
When you place an Instacart order, you can add a tip during checkout. Instacart will automatically set a suggested tip amount of 5% of your order total.
To change this tip amount:
- On the checkout page, scroll down and tap “Delivery Tip”.
- Tap on “Change”.
- Enter the tip amount you want to give. You can tip a percentage of your order total or enter a specific dollar amount.
- Tap “Save Tip” to apply your new tip amount.
2. After Delivery
You can still modify your Instacart tip for up to 24 hours after your order delivery.
To change your tip post-delivery:
- Open the Instacart app and go to “Your Orders”.
- Select your recent order.
- Tap on “Rate and Tip”.
- Choose the new tip amount and tap “Save”.
So whether you want to increase the tip because you received exceptional service, or lower it due to issues with your order, you have 24 hours after delivery to modify your Instacart tip.
How Much Should You Tip Your Instacart Shopper?
Deciding how much to tip your Instacart shopper depends on several factors:
Size of Your Order
For small orders under 10 items, a minimum tip of $5 is reasonable. For larger orders of 10+ items, tip at least 10% of your total order cost.
If your shopper has to carry lots heavy items like cases of water or soda up flights of stairs, tip even more generously – 15-20% or more.
Quality of Service
If your shopper provided excellent service by communicating with you for replacements, following special instructions, and delivering everything on time in good condition, tip 15-20%.
For average service with no major issues, stick to the 10-15% range.
Only reduce your originally set tip amount if there were significant problems like damaged/missing items or extremely late delivery.
Additional Effort or Inconvenience
Did your shopper have to park far away and walk a long distance to your door? Do you live in an apartment building without an elevator? In these cases, make sure to account for the extra effort and hassle by tipping 20% or more.
Repeat Business
If you order from Instacart frequently and there is a shopper you use regularly that provides consistent good service, tip them well to maintain the relationship. Consider giving an extra cash tip on top of the in-app tip as well.
How to Tip Multiple Instacart Shoppers
Some large Instacart orders are fulfilled by multiple shoppers – one does the shopping in-store and another handles the delivery.
In these cases, Instacart automatically splits your tip evenly between the shopper and driver. You don’t have to designate specific tip amounts for each.
However, if you want to tip one shopper additional cash, you can:
- Communicate through the app messaging. For example, let the delivery driver know you’ll have an extra cash tip for them when they arrive.
- Leave the cash tip in an envelope with their name on it where they can easily see it when dropping off your order.
This allows you to adjust tips based on individual effort beyond the automatically split in-app tip.
Why Tipping Appropriately Matters
It’s important to tip your Instacart shopper fairly because:
- Shoppers rely on tips to make a decent income – Instacart pays very little base pay per order. Tips usually make up over half of shoppers’ earnings.
- Good tips maintain good service – Experienced shoppers will prioritize orders for their best-tipping customers, providing faster and more careful service.
- Shoppers use their own vehicles and pay expenses – They pay for their own gas, vehicle wear and tear, parking fees, tolls, etc. Tips help offset these costs.
- No tip = longer wait times – Orders with low or no tips often get rejected by shoppers and can take hours longer to fulfill.
Tipping Etiquette Summary
Here are some final best practices when tipping your Instacart shoppers:
- Set a minimum $5 tip per order before checkout. Higher for large orders.
- Tip based on effort not just order cost. Factor in cases of water, flights of stairs, heavy items, etc.
- Tip more for excellent service like communications, replacements, and delivery.
- Reduce tips primarily for actual issues – damaged items, extreme lateness, etc.
- Tip extra cash directly to shoppers/drivers that provide consistent good service.
Following these Instacart tipping guidelines helps ensure your orders get fulfilled quickly while supporting your shoppers fairly.
