Hard facts on the differences between Instacart and Prime Now here in central Arizona right now as a consumer:
| Prime Now | Instacart |
|------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------|
| 2-4h Delivery | 5-6h Delivery |
| $5 mandatory fees | $10 mandatory fees |
| $5 tip suggested | $2 tip suggested |
| Extremely rare to not get what I ordered | Every order _at least_ 2 items cancelled |
| Consistent service level, professionals | Inconsistent service, literal kids helping parents deliver my groceries WTF |
Let's pretend both of these services screw over the driver, which one are you going to order from?
Now let's compare them from the perspective of working for them:
| Prime Now | Instacart |
|-----------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------|
| Accept 2-4hr work window on demand | Accept individual orders on demand |
| Guaranteed hourly wage $18 (good for Phoenix) | Paid per order only. $11/hr is reported average. |
| Tips contribute to base wage | "Tips are now totally separate" after public outcry |
| Almost always work windows available | Lack of orders makes most shoppers also Uber/Lyft |
Which one of these would you sign up to work for?
I get it -- service jobs suck, and putting tips towards base wage is stupid. But to say that both of these companies are doing the same thing is like saying "because you can't leave, prison in the U.S. and Norway are the same".
Outside major California cities and perhaps NY, Instacart _sucks_, badly, and does everything in its power to fuck over the employees that literally are operating its business.
