Data show online grocery orders jumping
even before some cities and states imposed
“stay at home” orders. During the week of
March 2, Instacart, Amazon, and Walmart
grocery delivery services each saw at least a 65
percent sales increase compared to the same
time last year, according to estimates from
Earnest Research.
Instacart has started offering bonuses of
between $25 and $200 for its hourly employees
dependent on hours worked until April 15.
Instacart also announced a month-long
extension of a temporary policy giving 14 days
of paid leave to workers who are diagnosed
with coronavirus, or have been ordered to
isolate themselves. The strike organizers that
policy extended to workers with a doctor’s note
verifying a pre-existing condition that could
make them more vulnerable to the virus.
They also demanded that Intacart raise the tip
default in its app to 10% from the current 5%.
Instead, Instacart announced it would change
the default to the amount the customer last
tipped, saying tips have increased considerably
during the virus crisis.
Instacart said previously that it has added more
“promotions” — or extra pay for contracted full-
service shoppers to accept certain orders.
That was not enough to lure back Shanna
Foster, a single mother who stopped working
her Instacart gig two weeks ago out of fear of
contracting the virus.
“They need to give us hazard pay right now and
it should be guaranteed,” said Foster, of Simi
Valley, California.