Instacart rolls out an Instant Cashout feature for shoppers

Instacart is today launching a new feature aimed at allowing shoppers to access their earnings more quickly, the company announced this morning. Instant Cashout, as the option is called, was built in partnership with payments platform Stripe and is being made available to shoppers in-app for instant transfers to a debit card. Previously, workers would […]

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Instacart’s alcohol delivery is now available in 14 states

Instacart has expanded its alcohol delivery to now be available in 14 states and Washington D.C. from nearly 100 different retailers. With the roll-out, Instacart alcohol delivery is currently available to 40 million homes in the U.S. and the number of alcohol deliveries on the platform has more than doubled since the same time last […]

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Amazon, DoorDash will keep the controversial tipping policy Instacart just ditched

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Instacart heard the cries of an angered internet and took action. Amazon and DoorDash, on the other hand, seem content to dig in.

It was online anger that led Instacart to change its policy on tips, which were previously used to pay the base wages of the company’s gig-economy delivery workers. As anyone who has ever worked in a service industry will tell you, tips are additive; it’s money you’re paid on top of your base wage.

“Tips should always be separate from Instacart’s contribution to shopper compensation,” Instacart CEO Apoorva Mehta wrote in an email to employees.  Read more…

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Startups Weekly: Spotify gets acquisitive and Instacart screws up

This week in startups: Turvo takes center stage, a mental health unicorn emerges and Reddit rakes in cash.

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Mixtape podcast: Instacart’s apologetic week

It’s that time of the week again when Megan Rose Dickey and I talk about the good and could-be-better tech companies. This week, we talked about Instacart getting caught shorting its shoppers out of dough they rightfully deserved. Of course the company apologized for its “misguided” approach. Which at least sounds better than apologizing for getting caught […]

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Instacart ends its shady tipping policy, thanks to internet backlash

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Internet outrage might feel tiresome sometimes, but it can also be a force for good. 

The grocery and food delivery company Instacart has changed the way it pays its gig-economy workers, according to BuzzFeed. Following the outrage and worker organizing that occurred after several reports detailed the company’s payment structure — in which it used tips, not company revenue, to cover base wages — Instacart CEO Apoorva Mehta told delivery workers in an email that the company would reverse its policy.

“Based on your feedback, today we’re launching new measures to more fairly and competitively compensate all our shoppers,” Mehta wrote. “Tips should always be separate from Instacart’s contribution to shopper compensation.” Read more…

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Instacart faces class-action lawsuit regarding wages and tips

Instacart is facing another class-action lawsuit pertaining to the way it pays its independent contractors, NBC News reports. Instacart guarantees its workers at least $10 per job, but workers are alleging Instacart offsets wages with tips from customers. The suit alleges Instacart “intentionally and maliciously misappropriated gratuities in order to pay plaintiff’s wages even though […]

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How Jyve secretly raised $35M & built a $400M retail gig economy

What if instead of just accepting Uber rides, gig workers could pick from higher paying skilled tasks around town like stocking shelves, checking inventory, or driving a forklift at a local grocer? When they work quickly and accurately or learn new trades, they get to choose between more complex jobs. That’s the idea that’s racked […]

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