“Instacart recently made a big deal about a payout for the increases in gas prices. Their payout: 40 cents per delivery. It’s a joke.”

Joe A., Instacart worker, Seattle

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I started working on Instacart in 2020, after I was laid off from my previous job. I’m 66 years old, and although I have many years of experience, could not find other work due to age discrimination.

I enjoy the flexibility of gig work — but in the two years since I started on Instacart, I’ve seen the payouts shrink, sometimes to a ridiculous degree. If the customer doesn’t include a large tip, it’s usually not worth the time, effort, and cost of gas to take that job. This isn’t complicated — pay is low, expenses are high. With the payouts on Instacart today, it’s impossible to save money.

Instacart recently made a big deal about a payout for the recent increase in gas prices.

Their payout: 40 cents per delivery. It’s a joke.

Additionally, Instacart has been screwing workers out of the sick days — which was mandated by City Council as an emergency policy in 2020.

We need to get the gig companies to provide a decent wage, transparency in their payout practices, and fairness in how orders are filed out.

Gig companies deserve some degree of scrutiny, and it’s time for City Council to make them Pay Up.