Does Instacart bring groceries inside?
I know that many of you readers use Instacart for convenience, and you don’t want to bother going outside the house to pick up your groceries, especially if you live in an apartment building.
I’ve put together this guide to help you understand whether Instacart drivers may bring deliveries into your home.
Read on to find out!
Table Of Contents
Does Instacart Bring Groceries Inside?
Instacart drivers do not have to bring your groceries inside your home.
However, they may do so if they wish.
Do Instacart Shoppers Have To Go Inside Homes?
No.
Instacart requires its shoppers to deliver groceries to your front door and hand them over to you unless you add specific instructions asking them to leave the groceries at your front door, side door, garage door, etc.
If you are not home, they may even leave it with a neighbor if you add a note to your delivery instructing them to do so.
However, a driver may choose to go inside your home if you ask them to.
Should You Let an Instacart Shopper Inside Your House?
There are pros and cons of asking an Instacart shopper to enter your home with your groceries.
If you have mobility issues that prevent you from bringing groceries inside, asking the shopper to do it for you might be your only option.
On the other hand, inviting a stranger into your home can always be risky, especially if you have cash or valuables in the open.
Where Does Instacart Leave Your Groceries?
Instacart usually hands your groceries to you.
If you specify that the driver can leave them at your door, they typically leave them at your front door.
However, customers can add custom delivery instructions in the app.
Will Instacart Go Up Stairs?
Yes.
If you ask the driver to drop your groceries at your front door, and they have to go upstairs to do that, they will go up those stairs for you.
On the other hand, you can also ask them to leave the groceries near your garage.
Will Instacart Leave Groceries on Your Porch?
Instacart has added a “Leave at My Door” option at checkout.
If you select that option, the driver will leave your groceries on your front porch.
If you are afraid that someone might steal your groceries, you can add special delivery instructions asking the driver to leave the groceries on your back porch.
Do You Have To Be Home To Receive the Groceries?
No.
Instacart introduced the “Leave at My Door” option to provide more flexibility to customers.
Customers no longer have to wait at home or come to the door to get their deliveries.
However, if you order alcohol, prescription medications, or over-the-counter medications, you need to be at home, as those orders require ID verification.
What Happens if an Instacart Customer Isn’t Home?
That depends on whether you specified in advance that the driver could leave the groceries at your door.
If you did not specifically give those instructions, drivers cannot leave the order unattended.
You may write to the driver any time to update your instructions, even if you planned to be at home but then had to leave due to an emergency.
Note that if you order alcohol, you must always be on hand to accept the order.
That’s because you must provide a valid ID confirming that you are 21 years of age or older as per the law.
There is no exception to this rule.
The driver must scan your ID (or enter the details manually, in some cases) and confirm that your face matches the one on the ID to deliver alcohol.
For medications, you also need to prove that you are 18 years old using a valid ID.
Should You Tip Instacart More if They Bring Groceries Inside?
Yes.
Instacart never requires you to tip your driver.
However, it also doesn’t require drivers to take your delivery inside your home.
Tip them to show your appreciation.
How Much To Tip Instacart Shoppers
It’s always nice to tip your Instacart shopper, whether they bring groceries inside or not.
A good tip is 15% of the order total or at least $5.
However, if the shopper brings your groceries inside, I recommend upping the tip to 20% of the order total or at least $10.
Since Instacart shoppers don’t have to bring your groceries inside, they are spending time that they could otherwise have spent making money on a new order.
Therefore, be considerate and compensate them for the time they spend.
Furthermore, bringing groceries inside requires physical energy, which can be taxing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are you still confused?
Here are answers to some of the most common questions we see from readers on this topic.
Does Instacart deliver to an apartment door?
Yes.
If you live in an apartment building, Instacart drivers will hand you the groceries directly at your apartment door.
You can also select the “Leave at My Door” option for them to leave them in the hallway in front of your door.
It doesn’t matter which floor you live on; Instacart shoppers can’t just leave your groceries at the building entrance.
However, if you live in a gated community, you will have to provide the Instacart shopper with the code to the gate if you want them to go all the way up to your door.
Otherwise, they will not be able to access the compound.
Does Instacart deliver to hotels?
Yes, your hotel room is like your apartment in this regard.
However, your hotel may require them to stay in the lobby and have you come down and pick them up.
If the hotel allows them, they can go up and deliver the groceries to your room.
That depends on the hotel’s policies, not Instacart.
Final Thoughts
So, does Instacart bring groceries inside?
Instacart drivers don’t have to take groceries into your home, but they can if they decide to.
If they do, you should tip them to compensate for their time.
If you live in an apartment, they need to bring the groceries to your apartment door.
I hope this article has helped, but if you have any questions, leave a comment below!
Hello. I’m an Instacart shopper and deliver. We are Not allowed to enter the home, if we do and company find out were fired, off the platform. Some do have mobility issues, for instance, 1 couple has us unload on a golf cart so they can drive it around to upstairs, and other groceries stay downstairs. One lady like to have hers put in her truck, she always leaves a tip, for a trunk! For a while Ic offered help wh fuel cost, 40 cents a order, not a mile an order. Anyone wanting to do IC I suggest going to good size city wh atleast 3 stores. Look at the mileage for delivery. We get orders for 2shops at a time, could be 80items, could be 5 items between them, but offer $10-$20 drive 14 miles one way then 10 plus miles for 2nd delivery, and then back to store. Please have tank of gas, phone charger, drinks and snacks to help you get more done! If you need or want any screenshots or info please reach out.
I work for Instacart and was told for our safety we should not enter people’s homes. There have been occasions where i have chosen to go against that policy. There are elderly people that just aren’t able to haul all the groceries in themselves. If someone asked that was completely capable of dealing with their groceries i would simply tell them we aren’t allowed to enter people’s homes. They are either really lazy or a Creeper Creepington.
Not a good idea. Leave it up to the driver. But we Instacart suggestion is no. Period
On the front steps far as I go.