Instacart Break Policy: Can Shoppers Take Breaks?

Most people are abandoning traditional 9-5 office jobs in favor of more flexible and practical freelance methods to make a living.

If you have any information regarding Instacart customers, you know that the platform allows its contractors to be independent and that no one micromanages them.

However, you may wonder how the contractors get rests between the shifts or if there is a clear Instacart break policy.

Let’s dive right in and learn more about the Instacart break policy.

Can You Take Breaks While Working for Instacart?

Working with Instacart can be stressful at times, and you may have a hard time concentrating, affecting your productivity.

Therefore, it is essential to take breaks when you feel exhausted.

They will help you steam off and return when your mind is fresh, improving your productivity.

For instance, you can get up after every one hour and walk around your house or stretch for a few minutes.

The best thing about this platform is that contractors are entirely in charge of the breaks.

However, you need to be extra careful.

If you take long breaks, your productivity will decrease.

What Is Instacart’s Break Policy

Instacart has two different types of shoppers, full-service and in-store.

In-store shoppers make product selections for customers in stores, while full-service shoppers select items and deliver them to their respective addresses.

The platform offers different break policies for these shoppers, who should observe these rules strictly.

Breaks for Full-service Shoppers

Full-service shoppers on Instacart can work three or four shifts in a day.

Each of these shifts last about two hours.

At the end of every shift, the shoppers can take 20-minute breaks to grab a snack or stretch a little before returning to work.

Breaks for In-Store Shoppers

In-store shifts typically last four hours.

Once you finish your shift, you can take a 10-minute break before you continue with the next one.

The best thing about in-store breaks is that they are paid.

Does Instacart Punish You for Not Accepting Batches?

According to anecdotal evidence, Instacart penalizes customers for refusing to accept batches when they were still active.

For instance, if shoppers reject a batch, Instacart may remove their delivery chances for the rest of the day.

Additionally, their reliability score also reduces drastically.

A low-reliability score affects shoppers’ delivery opportunities.

As a result, their ability to earn more money reduces.

If you get four subsequent reliability incidents, you may get fewer available hours, significantly limiting your capacity to use the scheduling tool.

Therefore, if you urgently need a break but have already taken one, you can do it quickly before Instacart managers notice that you are not around.

Otherwise, you risk encountering a reliability incident.

Why Does Instacart Track Shoppers’ Productivity So Closely?

Instacart closely tracks shoppers’ productivity for various reasons.

Enhance Management

Knowing shoppers’ productivity can help Instacart managers know how well their company is doing.

As a result, they can easily manage their customers’ expectations.

The managers will also quickly pinpoint problem areas and look for ways to improve them.

Workforce Optimization

By measuring productivity, Instacart may better understand the effectiveness of the current personnel and make adjustments.

For instance, they may consider adjusting working schedules.

This way, their efficiency may improve.

Enhance Workers’ Productivity

When Instacart measures their workers’ productivity, the managers will easily identify shoppers that are not performing well.

They can use this data to find ways to push them to give better results.

At times, they may decide to let the shoppers go if they are not helping the company grow.

Identify Problems Early Enough

When Instacart closely monitors their shoppers’ productivity, they can easily identify the problematic area and their root cause.

Therefore, they can look for ways to handle the issue before it becomes too serious.

Do Instacart Shoppers Have a Time Limit?

Instacart operates 24/7.

The duration of time managers allow shoppers to work depends on whether you are an in-shopper or a full-time shopper.

If you are an in-store shopper, you are allowed to work for a maximum of 29 hours a week.

On the other hand, Instacart allows full-time shoppers to work for the time they wish to, provided they plan their schedule properly.

Instacart has an app that shoppers can use to plan their schedules.

The app also allows shoppers to search for the orders available at a particular time.

Customers can choose to check an order anytime it becomes available nearby.

As a result, they can’t lose out on important opportunities.

Is It Easy To Get Fired From Instacart?

If you don’t follow the guidelines as a shopper on Instacart, you can lose your job at any time.

However, if your performance is good, there is no need to worry.

You can know if Instacart has fired you in two ways.

First, you will receive an email.

If you don’t get a chance to read the email, you may discover you’re fired when you are unable to log into your account.

If you feel the decision to deactivate your account was unfair, you can talk to the customer service department.

They will review your account and decide whether they will activate your account or not.

Common Ways To Lose an Instacart Gig

Here are some of the common ways to lose an Instacart gig.

Low Ratings

Excellent client reviews are always advantageous for freelance workers.

If your account receives low ratings from several customers, there are high chances that Instacart will deactivate your account.

You’re Acting Unprofessionally

Although Instacart doesn’t track you everywhere to know what you are up to, the company expects you to act professionally at all times.

Instacart considers theft or any form of discrimination unprofessional.

You’re Co-shopping

According to Instacart policies, shoppers shouldn’t co-shop.

Co-shopping refers to bringing along another person when delivering an order to your customer, whether it is your loved one, friend, or child.

Since these people don’t have an account with the company, it is considered an offense.

How Do You Go Online/Offline With Instacart?

If you want to go online on Instacart, first log into the app.

After logging in, you’ll click a go online button, which is usually green in color.

Immediately you go online, you will receive batch notifications.

If you want to go offline, click on the same button you used to go online, and you will stop receiving notifications.

Final Words

Becoming an Instacart shopper can be one of the best ways to earn income.

The best thing about the store is that it allows shoppers to choose the number of hours they wish to work.

However, adhere to the Instacart break policy and be careful when shopping since Instacart continually tracks their shoppers’ productivity, and they may deactivate your account if it has low ratings.