My 44th Instacart paycheck 💸 🛒

Thanksgiving week was the busiest that I've seen the store all year long. I wasn't sure if that would translate to a lot of Instacart orders for me. Let's find out.

I plan on doing a weekly Instacart Financial Report like this one, so if you enjoy this kind of content be sure to follow me if you aren't already doing so.

I'm going to be breaking down each day of work individually. Luckily, the Instacart Shopper app makes that extremely easy to do. Let's go ahead and get things started.

Monday, November 20th

Monday was a solid start to what will most likely be a busy week due to Thanksgiving. I got one good order early in the morning, but nothing else all day after that. It wasn't until dark that I got my second order of the day and then my last of the night immediately following that one.

I made about $40.51/hr on this day.

I didn't notice the stores being extra busy during the morning, but they sure as hell were during the evening. It was not fun having to wait for idiots who didn't know how to position their carts to move. I got frustrated numerous times. Plus, the customers were of course all asking for Thanksgiving food, and a lot of it was sold out. I spent way more time than usual trying to find a good replacement. That and the busy aisles slowed me down. I somehow didn't have to wait in line for an open register though. I got lucky each time with that.

Tuesday, November 21st

Tuesday made for two solid days of Instacart in a row, which is rare these days. Just before bed on Monday night, I got an email saying there would be a promotion on Tuesday. This meant if I completed a certain number of orders, then I'd get a nice bonus.

I made about $48.88/hr on this day.

The promo asked me to complete 5 orders. I got started early around 10 am and somehow managed to finish five by the time 2 pm rolled around. It didn't take me very long at all. The main reason that I was able to do this was due to the fact that I was accepting every order I could. All of the orders paid under $20 and some of them under $10. By the end, I was awarded an extra $33 and it made it all worth it.

My main criteria for orders on Tuesday were low items and low to medium mileage. The two doubles I took both were simple. I didn't want to have a stressful day, but I did push myself to finish the promo. There weren't any orders after that though, at least none I thought were worth accepting.

Wednesday, November 22nd

Wednesday went just as well as Tuesday. I once again was offered a promo from Instacart. It was just as good as the day prior, except I only had to complete 4 batches instead of 5. I got an early start before 10 am and finished up shortly after 2 pm.

I made about $48.32/hr on this day.

I earned an additional $30 by completing the promo.

After I finished that last order, I called it quits early as I had plans to go over to my parent's house for dinner since my brother was coming in to visit. The stores were extremely busy, so I was lucky to get done early and it also allowed me to get to my parent's house early.

Thursday, November 23rd

I didn't expect to work any on Thanksgiving, but I had a few hours of free time between my morning workout and when I had to be at my family's Thanksgiving gathering. I'm very glad I took the time to turn the app online. I may have not made a ton of money, but I certainly was rewarded for getting out on a holiday.

I made about $45.60/hr on this day.

There wasn't an Instacart promo on Thanksgiving, but I did luck out in a big way. My first order of the morning was supposed to pay me a mere $18. The customer was adding new items to the list the entire time I was shopping, which was very annoying. I'm so quick navigating the store, that the woman couldn't all of her items quickly enough before I went to checkout. 99% of the time people have their order ready when you accept it. People who add stuff like this just don't know how to use the app very well.

By the time I finally had gathered everything and was going through self-checkout, she messaged and said she had to cancel the order, but she didn't tell me why. Again, I assume because she had more items to add and didn't want to pay the Instacart fees again for a second order. As soon as I finished checking out, I got a notification that the batch had been removed. This means that I was stuck with $120 worth of groceries. I got to keep all of it for myself. Some of it is stuff I will certainly use and a few things I gave to my parents. None of it will go to waste. Here is a list of everything that I got for free.

I thought I was finished after that, but as I was loading the ice cream into my freezer I got another order. That one was very simple and actually paid me well. I finished it and then turned the app offline. I was pleased to already be over my weekly goal of $300 and still have three days left to work this weekend.

Friday, November 24th

Friday was dead as can be. I got one single order after I finished my workout at the gym. Then nothing else all day. I guess people decided to get out and do their own shopping on Black Friday.

I made about $48.90/hr on this day.

I was okay with taking the day off for the most part. I got to enjoy some of the new video games I purchased such as Hogwarts Legacy and Evil West. I also was able to meet my parents and brother for dinner.

Saturday, November 25th

Saturday was pretty slow overall. I was able to do three orders before noon, but after that there just wasn't anything else all day long.

I made about $42.10/hr on this day.

I officially turned the app offline around 3:30 pm to give myself time to prepare for one last evening with family while my brother was still in town.

Sunday, November 26th

No orders = No work

End of week hours and pay 🤑

My weekly pay was $385 and I worked 8.5 hours.

I made about $45/hr on average this past week.

Doing it again next week 👀

I worked nearly every single day of this past week. Some days were much better than others, but all in all I was able to get well over my weekly goal of $300.

I hope you have enjoyed this insider look at what kind of pay is possible while working for Instacart.

^{Follow my curation trail}