Instacart has announced plans to hire an additional 300,000 full-service shoppers for its grocery delivery platform.
The decision to boost the company’s current number of grocery shoppers was made in anticipation of a significant increase in demand for Instacart bookings for deliveries, mostly due to the impact of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The announcement was made via a message published on the company’s website by Apoorva Mehta, the founder and CEO of Instacart. The company also posted the same announcement through its official Twitter page:
To better serve the growing consumer demand for grocery delivery, we’re expanding our shopper community. Over the next 3 months, Instacart plans to bring on an additional 300,000 full-service shoppers to act as household heroes for consumers nationwide. https://t.co/JjKX2Q8eBY
— Instacart (@Instacart) March 23, 2020
Expanding over the next three months
According to Mehta’s message, the overall plan is to hire an additional 300,000 full-service shoppers over the next three months. The added shoppers should be able to reinforce the current number of grocery shoppers being deployed by Instacart across the United States.
“Today, we have more shoppers on the Instacart platform than ever before,” Mehta said. “Given the continued customer demand we expect over the coming months, we’ll be bringing on an additional 300,000 full-service shoppers to support cities nationwide.”
He further added: “As more people look for immediate, flexible earnings opportunities during this time, we hope that Instacart can be an additional source of income for those looking to earn while also delivering for the communities in which they live.”
Meeting the expected rise in demand nationwide
According to a separate press release, Instacart already has operations in over 5,500 cities across the United States. But with current fears over the threat of the coronavirus outbreak, the demand for grocery deliveries in those cities will likely stretch the company’s current capabilities.
Instacart disclosed that it has seen the number of orders increase by over 150% year-over-year in the last several weeks alone. Furthermore, the average basket size per customer has also risen by 15%.
Of course, Instacart is far from the only company with plans to hire additional employees in order to meet the increasing demand in orders. Last week, Amazon also announced plans to hire an additional 100,000 workers.
The company has already identified the key states that will need the most reinforcements in the months to come. They include California, New York, Texas, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Virginia, New Jersey, Georgia, and Ohio.
Doing its part in flattening the curve
Instacart also took the opportunity to detail its plans for helping combat the spread of COVID-19. It has released new health and safety guidelines that every shopper should follow in order to shop as safely as possible. This is a move that is pretty much akin to what Uber has done for its drivers and delivery personnel.
The company also said that it will grant sick pay to in-store shoppers as well as extended pay to part-time employees and full-service shoppers who get infected.
As for its customers, Instacart is urging everybody to opt for the “Leave at My Door Delivery” drop-off option in order to minimize exposure.
Featured image courtesy of Instacart.