I’m physically disabled and have issue shopping due to bone tumors all over my bones (poly ostotic fibrous dysplasia with mccune albright syndrome). It hurts to live, walk, lift, exist, etc.
I’m also on what is essentially a keto diet to help keep my diabetes in the “pre-diabetes” state.
I use Instacart to help me survive and eat. It helps me not burden others and helps my independence.
Groceries are becoming more and more expensive. This is particularly true if you’re on a special diet like me.
Delivering five or so bags of groceries or a few larger (but essential) items can be like $150-200 on Instacart per trip. Then, when I check out, Instacart recommends tipping $40+?
That seems insane to me. Like $20 for that amount seems about right? Maybe throw in an extra $10 if I have some heavy things or items that are large in volume.
Should I be tipping $40+ dollars?
You should know that on Instacart, workers can see your tip before accepting the order. It’s functionally a bid, not a tip. I’m sure they have some algorithm for what value they recommend, but to some extent, this is the workers setting the price of their own labor. If you tip too low, you run the risk of the order not being accepted.
The fundamental situation is that delivery work is not actually that cheap, and especially given that these are lower paid workers, they’re also more sensitive to inflation and so you’d expect their cost to rise more steeply than other things.