With the popularity of grocery delivery services flourishing over the last few years, folks are trying to find ways to improve their experience with these apps.
One such favorite app is Instacart, and users have been wondering how to customize the experience.
Some would like to choose particular shoppers and drivers for their orders to ensure quality deliveries.
But, what is the process for choosing your shopper or driver?
Are there any tips or tricks out there for making this process easier?
Let’s look at how Instacart might not be as customizable as you would think.
Table Of Contents
Can You Choose Your Instacart Shopper?
Many people have great experiences with their Instacart shoppers.
Whether it comes down to preferences, practices, or timeliness, Instacart shoppers distinguish themselves from one another in how they approach their work.
However, some Instacart shoppers don’t deliver to their customers how they would hope.
It makes sense that if you have a bad experience with a specific shopper, you would want to avoid using that store shopper.
The problem is that, for the foreseeable future, you cannot block specific shoppers from taking your order on Instacart.
This decision is a deliberate one made by Instacart to keep some separation between the shopper and buyer.
The company may be open to changing this policy in the future.
For now, you’ll be stuck with whichever Instacart shopper takes up your delivery order.
Can You Choose Your Instacart Driver?
Much like with your Instacart shopper, you cannot choose your Instacart driver.
The Instacart platform tries to keep a healthy separation between the customer, shoppers, and drivers, making the process as smooth as possible.
So, no, you can’t choose your Instacart driver.
Difference Between Instacart Shoppers and Drivers
An Instacart shopper will be the person shopping for and purchasing the groceries from the grocery store.
However, the Instacart delivery driver is the one who drives and delivers the groceries to your home.
These delivery drivers are the same folks you end up tipping and paying the delivery fee to in the Instacart app.
Some Instacart workers are listed as an Instacart full-service shopper.
A full-service shopper does both the shopping and the grocery delivery, rather than sharing these tasks with another person.
A full service shopper works as an independent contractor rather than a part-time Instacart employee.
Related: What it’s like working for Instacart
Can You Report an Instacart Shopper?
Sometimes, Instacart work doesn’t go as planned.
If a shopper constantly cancels your orders or delivers the groceries in a damaged condition, you might want to report the shopper to Instacart.
The problem is that there is no way to do this easily from the Instacart platform.
Instead, the best way to make the report is to reach out to Instacart’s customer service number.
You’ll have to explain to the representative why the grocery delivery service you receive from this shopper hasn’t gone well, giving the company a chance to set things right.
Can You Block an Instacart Shopper?
Much like how you cannot choose your Instacart shopper, you also cannot block any Instacart shoppers from taking your delivery order from the Instacart app.
Your in-store shopper depends on which service shopper picks up the order from the Instacart Shopper app and the time of day.
However, that doesn’t mean that you have no control over your shopper.
If you figure out the schedule for your preferred shopper, you can try to place your grocery delivery orders during that time.
That will give you a chance to get your preferred personal shopper, though it won’t guarantee it.
It’s also worth remembering that your service shopper may not be the reason you have a bad experience.
A grocery store can run out of stock of an item in your delivery order, or the shopper can make a mistake.
A one-time error can be annoying but isn’t a reason to block or bar yourself from an Instacart shopper.
Can You Choose Which Store Your Instacart Order Goes to?
You can choose which store your Instacart orders go to using the Instacart app or Instacart website.
For both of these platforms, the process works the same:
- Open the app or website.
- Select the retailer that you want to buy groceries from.
- Choose the store nearest to you.
- Place the order.
If you still have questions, we recommend reading more about how Instacart works.
How to Set an Instacart Preferred Store
Unfortunately, you cannot choose a specific or preferred location when you place your Instacart order.
Instead, the app will have the driver go to the nearest location to place your order after accepting the order.
While this can be frustrating for some buyers, there is a reason you can’t choose any location you want.
Not all stores can handle Instacart orders, which might be the closest location to you.
If the grocery shop cannot handle the transactions through Instacart, then there’s nothing you can do.
Alternative: Choose a Shopper on Shipt
When it comes to grocery delivery, there are more options out there than just Instacart.
Recently, Shipt has been making moves to up its game in the face of competition from Instacart.
The significant change that happened recently is that users can choose a Shipt shopper by creating a list of their preferred workers.
By doing this, Shipt allows people to customize their delivery experience and ensure that someone they trust handles their groceries.
Otherwise, Shipt works the same way as Instacart in how you place the order and choose your grocery store.
Not all locations can accept Shipt orders, so review your order when you place it to ensure the order will come from a store that sells what you want.
Wrapping Up
As of right now, you cannot choose your Instacart shopper or driver at all.
Instead, you’ll receive whatever shopper, driver, or full-service driver accepts your order.
While you can try to line up your orders with a driver’s schedule, there is no guarantee that your preferred drivers will take the order.
For that sort of customization, you would be looking for alternatives to Instacart, like Shipt.
You can select Shipt shoppers from a preferred list curated by you, the customer.
