Other companies such as Amazon and Walmart
have also announced hiring sprees to meet a
surge for both deliveries and in-store essentials.
Amazon has increased pay for its workers,
including those at its Whole Foods Grocery stores.
While such low-wage jobs put people on the
front lines of the pandemic, many people are
applying as layoffs surge in retail, restaurant,
hospitality and other industries.
Summer Cooper, 39, started working as an
Instacart shopper in the Tampa Bay area recently
after losing her position as a server at a hotel
restaurant. She was unaware of the possible strike.
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“I’m grateful to have some way to make money,”
Cooper said.
Darrin Burdette, an Instacart shopper in
Colorado Springs, said joining a strike would
“not help me in any way.”
An Uber driver, Burdette said he relies entirely on
his Instacart gig since demand for ride-hailing
services plunged. He said he is earning about
$30 an hour as Instacart orders rise. On his app,
he can see that many orders have come from
people using the service for the first time.
Michelle Ellwood, 43, began using the app
shortly after her family returned from a trip
abroad and decided to self-isolate for two
weeks. She said Instacart shoppers have gone
out of their way to fulfill orders. One, she said,
returned with a chicken after previously being
unable to find meat at local stores.
“It’s amazing that they are doing this. I’m
grateful. I’m hopeful they are able to take care
of their families through this,” said Ellwood of
Canandaigua, New York.