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Did you know that Instacart can bundle separate customer orders into one ‘batched’ order?
With batched orders, shoppers can shop for more than one order at the same time and save on back-and-forth trips to the store.
But not all shoppers are excited to do double and triple batches. Some shoppers say they are nothing but trouble, adding extra complexity without extra pay.
Here’s how double batches work for shoppers & customers and how shoppers should decide if multiple batches are worth doing.
Multiple batches on Instacart: Doubles, triples, and multiple store orders
A double batch is two shop and deliver orders from the same store combined into one order. Shoppers shop for both orders at the same time.
Orders can also be bundled into 3 shop and deliver orders (a triple), or even a quadruple (4) or quintuple (5) batch.
Here’s how it works for shoppers: You shop for both orders at the same time, separate the items at checkout, then deliver each order to the customers.
The legendary quintuple (5) batch. It exists! Credit adamrit on Reddit
Multiple store orders
Instacart can also batch orders from two different stores into one combined order. Instead of shopping for two customers who ordered from the same store, you’re shopping for two customers who ordered from different stores.
Multiple store orders have a similar pay structure as double batches and come with similar advantages and disadvantages.
How are shoppers paid for multiple batches?
The total payout for a double batch is displayed upfront on the list of available batches, similar to single batches. Total pay from Instacart + total in-app tips are displayed. Any heavy order pay is also included in the upfront estimate.
Like many gig apps, Instacart uses a private algorithm to determine order pay and doesn’t explain exactly how payments are calculated.
Instacart only says that payouts are determined by “the number of items, type of items, driving distance, and effort involved in shopping and delivering.”
You don’t get double pay for double batches
Shoppers don’t necessarily receive double payment for double batches. If two single batches each pay $5, the two batches combined won’t necessarily pay $10.
Some shoppers complain that Instacart collects double service fees from customers but doesn’t pay double to shoppers.
How much is the pay for each order in the batch? Find out after delivery
The app does not show the pay breakdown for each order until you complete delivering every order in the batch.
There’s no way to tell in advance if both orders have a tip or if one left a large tip and the other left none.
In the example below, Customer A generously tipped $42, but Customer B tipped $0. The shopper had to wait until the order was complete to find out.
Customer A tipped huge. Customer B didn’t tip at all. Credit SixLahue on Reddit
Related:
Tip: You can remove part of a multiple batch without harming your cancellation rate
Let’s say you accept a double batch and discover that there is a major issue with one of the orders. You can contact shopper support and have that one order removed without harming your cancellation rate as long as you cancel before checkout (source).
Remember—you can be deactivated if your cancellation rate is higher than 15%. Protect your rating by removing only one part of a multiple batch.
If you start a multiple batch and start having problems with one of the orders, don’t hesitate to contact support to have it removed.
Benefits of double and triple batches: Efficiency, potential for higher pay
A double batch can be very lucrative and efficient if both orders tip well, don’t have too many items, and the total mileage required isn’t too high.
You can knock out two orders in one trip instead of shopping & delivering one order only to return to the same store to shop & deliver another order. That could mean fewer miles for the same—or potentially more—pay.
The highs and lows of double batches
Drawbacks of multiple batches: Complications, bad ratings, poor pay
Double batches can be two bad options rolled into one. Image credit jayrady on Reddit
Double batches have more room for error and a higher chance of bad ratings.
More orders come more chances to make a mistake or run into difficulties, and more issues mean a higher chance of bad ratings.
And on Instacart, bad ratings can be a job killer. Low ratings can put you lower in the order priority list, so every bad rating hurts.
All of the difficulties of an order are multiplied on a double batch: Communicating about replacements, dealing with heavy items and frozen items, managing the expectations of your customer, and packing up your car.
All those challenges you already face on a single order add up on a double batch.
Do you know the struggle of going back and forth with a customer about replacements? Imagine doing that with two customers at the same time!
And when it comes time to bag it all up and deliver it, you have to be extra careful not to get the orders mixed up.
Another downside of double batches is that a non-tipping order can be batched with a high-tipping order, which can feel unfair for shoppers and customers.
You might see that customer A tipped $25 while customer B tipped $0. It doesn’t seem fair that a non-tipper got the same service as a high tipper, especially when many shoppers try to reject non-tipping orders.
More about Instacart & delivery apps
- Deactivated on Instacart? What to Do
- Need More Batches on Instacart? Here are Tips
- How Earnings Promotions Work on Instacart
- Cart Star tiers on Instacart: How to get priority access
Live order updates: Customers know when their order is part of a batch
“Live order updates” is an app update that lets customers know when you are shopping a multi-order batch.
Customers now know when their order is part of a batch
That’s a big improvement over the previous experience. In the past, customers didn’t know when their order was batched with other orders.
Customers didn’t understand why their orders were taking longer than expected or why their shopper took so long to deliver their order once it was out for delivery.
It was poor communication by Instacart, sometimes leading to lower ratings and tips for shoppers.
With live order updates, customers know when their shopper is shopping & delivering other batches. It’s no longer up to shoppers to communicate each stage of the delivery process.
Double and triple batch strategies
Some double batches can be worth your time, so here are a few tips to help you decide.
It’s a good idea to accept a double batch when:
- Order payout is high
- You’re very familiar with the store and confident you can get it done quickly
- You’re organized enough to keep the orders separate
- You’re not bothered by communicating with two customers at once
- Customer delivery locations aren’t too far apart
It’s better to reject a double batch when:
- Order payout is low
- You don’t know the store, or it’s difficult/chaotic
- The orders have too many items and might not fit easily in your vehicle
- The customer delivery locations are too far apart
How to manage multiple batches
Here are a few tips to help you efficiently complete doubles and earn high ratings.
Carefully separate the orders in your shopping cart. Place items from one order inside an insulated bag or handled basket, and place items from the other order in the cart. You can also separate the orders by cart level.
Don’t do the double batch if you think it might lead to a bad rating. Your customer rating is important. Just a few poor ratings can affect your income. Skip double batches if you’re not confident you can get 5 stars on each one.
How Instacart can improve multiple batches for shoppers and customers
Instacart should increase pay for multiple batches. Many shoppers think the earnings calculation for multiple batches is unfair, especially considering the real risk of lower ratings and a more complex shopping experience.
Shoppers might not be so quick to decline multiple batches if Instacart sweetened the deal for shoppers and offered higher pay and more flexible ratings.
Instacart did make one big improvement to multiple batches: The app now notifies customers when their order is part of a multiple-order batch.
The ‘live order update’ finally tells customers when their order is batched with another customer. That takes one more thing off of your plate so you can focus on shopping.
Kay says
Shopping for Instacart in Florida and in a wealthy tourist area non the less and the pay is piss poor! $7 per batch and even if it is doubled or tripled the pay is usually $7/ batch. No matter if total trip is 5 miles or $15 mile…$7/batch. The only relief comes from the tip! This is abuse! I refuse most because it is like being robbed of my time, energy and gas. I finally had to research more because Ai can’t understand how so many posters act like they can earn good money on this app!
On the contrary, Shipt in the same area (which I worked happily until they just cancelled me without any explanation, rhyme or reason) paid $15 or more on most batches and the tips were always generous ($6-$20 per order) annnddd I always had the choice to double my batches because it wasn’t automatically bundled. This allowed me to make $40 plus on a 1 hour shop plus tips. I usually could earn $100 buck with 4 shops and little gas used. I suspect they saw that they could get away with less pay as Instacart does and cancelled all seasoned shoppers in my area or cancelled my area all together.
I hate Instacart!!!
Kris says
Hello, I have ordered twice from IC. The first time my shopper was amazing, everything was cold if it was supposed to be and everything was bagged. Now I know some of you are wondering why I mentioned my items were bagged. Well that relates to my second experience with IC. And this was from ordering from the same store.
My second experience with IC was absolutely horrible. My shopper was late on drop off. Nothing was bagged when they delivered. They actually took the items out of the bag to put them Infront of my door on the ground. All my meats were warming or thawing. I mean seriously if it was down to I had to pay for bags then I should have been notified. I was just lucky someone was home when that happens other wise I would have had ants in the fruit and who knows what trying to get into the meat and eggs.
That experience turned me off from using IC as a consumer and instead trying it as a shopper so I could provide a better experience for others.
Still not sure why my groceries were removed from bags at delivery and placed on ground.
K
Anita Cheeks says
I’m a customer although I may not be for long. I just want to say that in my experience double and triple + orders are not safe for the customer regarding perishables. No one informed me and my frozen meat and other items were thawing by the time I got them.
Thanks for listening.
MB says
That’s a poor shopper! They should have freezer and insulated refrigerated bags to prevent food from thawing. I had a multi-order once with a shopper who ordered 2 bags of ice, was my 2nd drop off and was 15 miles from my 1st drop off (20 miles from the store). I brought her bags of ice that were still frozen! How? I put both bags of ice into 2 freezer bags. When I’m shopping in the store I put my cold and frozen items in the insulated bags and shop for those items last.
Sorry you had a bad shopper!
Lauren says
I wasn’t aware Instacart provided insulted bags and free ice! That’s great to know! I will be sure to take advantage of that next time I am shopping! How exactly do I access this perk?
Katherine says
I just started instacarting and you have to pay for bags and there is no free ice.
Julie says
I was surprised/confused why my frozen items were thawing, knowing I live about 7 minutes from the store. Now I know why. Hmmmmm.
Bill R. says
Howdy IC Community,
I’m retired and was looking for something to do, get paid some and not have to punch a time clock, so IC worked, plus it came in the form of a referral from a family member with high praise for IC.
With as much training as I could get under my belt, I went to do my first batch this past Mother’s Day, at Costco. Did I mention it was a double batch?
Well the fist item was out of stock, so I did the scan for replacement and no problems there. Then I found the next two items fairly easily, but they were flowers (might as well have been alien plant life). So, with all three items in my cart, not knowing or having done a batch of any kind before, I went on up to the checkout. They were very nice and said they’d done this before, but somehow, someway, during checkout the the checkout person put it all on one order, or receipt. When I questioned them (there were a few of them around at this point) they said we just needed to rescan everything. Simple right?
Nope, the app stopped working and not ever having done one before, I just took the items (after all, they were right, at least) and left the store.
Well, I quickly realized that without the app running, I had no address to go to. I was able to IM the customer, who was a sweet and understanding as could be and she gave me her address. Now, when I wrote her, I assumed that both orders were going to the same place. Nope!
I drove to the customer’s home and they were very wonderful and understanding of my situation, but said nothing about the three bouquets of flowers (there were only two for them and the other was for the second customer). I don’t think they thought anything of it and I probably would not either.
Well, as I stated earlier, the app was not allowing me to get to certain areas of the batch; the orig order, the customer’s address, contact info, etc, so I assumed all I had to do was contact IC and tell them the batch had successfully been delivered, so I got that info to them and they said Okie=Dokie.
About an hour after the delivery, IC calls me and asks where is the second customer’s order. I said I didn’t know there was any second customer.
Short story long, IC made it right and the second customer eventually got their flowers (it was not late, mid afternoon) and I even got paid.
Here’s the rub, I’m not getting any batches offered, since.
I write this in hopes that no one makes the mistake I made. The info in this article has been very helpful and did not completely turn me away from IC.
I’m going to give it a bit longer.
Cheers,
LilaM says
Thank you for publishing this article.
I hate shopping and have embraced Instacart with enthusiasm. Also, I’m self employed and work from home, so being able to shop from my computer then get back to work has been great.
I had an issue with a delivery that I felt compelled to call Instacart about. The person I spoke with said shoppers only shop one order at a time, but clearly that’s not the case. I suspected as much.
It explains why it can take ages to shop for 8-10 items, why the time between checking out and ‘out for delivery’ often takes far longer than necessary to walk across the parking lot, and why, when I live 1/2 hour from the store, my order can take an hour or more to show up.
So far (knock on wood) my frozen and refrigerated goods have always arrived in their intended state.
I’ve never based a rating on this. I’m just so grateful I didn’t have to do the shopping that 5 stars is my norm. I have rated 4 stars for missing items, wrong items and WTF replacements.
WTF Replacements: So FYI for all the shoppers out there, a 2-1/2 lb package of cooked and sliced lunch meat is not an appropriate substitution for a 4 lb. raw beef roast.
DougH says
Thanks for the comment. If it’s ever possible, make yourself available to communicate with your shopper about replacements. Sometimes shoppers make bad replacements, and other times the app itself makes terrible replacement recommendations to the shoppers.
Jimbo says
I actually signed up with Instacart last year, and only about a month ago did my first batch. As Rainbo said, the batches were being snatched up so fast I couldn’t even look one over before losing it to someone else. So I quit trying for a few months. After trying another gig that didn’t work out, I went back and tried IC again. Still haven’t done a double batch yet, and I’m not sure I want to unless it’s high paying. FYI – in my city (a medium-sized city in flyover country), a good single batch pays in the low $20’s, most batches I take pay between $15 and $20 for a single batch. Unless a double were to pay over $25, and preferably more, I probably wouldn’t even touch it. (I know in some cities you probably wouldn’t consider a single batch under, say, $40, but your cost of living is probably a lot higher than mine.) I also avoid Costco and Sam’s Club like the plague – I can’t fit a large number of large items in my car, so I won’t even try.
Rainbo says
I’ve been with Instacart for a few months and I must say,my first batch well. Then I noticed that as soon as the batches pop up, they would be snatched by others..became frustrating but as I did my research, I found out that faster shoppers get first priority..ok. Now, I’m noticing the batches are starting to SIT for awhile, some actually sit for a lengthy while. I’m not comfortable doing the double batches with high items on it because I don’t want a mix up or take too long finding an item. I mainly stick to the one shop orders or the delivery orders that have less than 35 items. I’m retired and I do this just to get out the house fro time to time.