Instacart to deliver vaccine stipend to its shoppers

Instacart is offering its employees a financial incentive to get vaccinated for COVID-19.   
 
The on-demand delivery service will pay shoppers and shift leads a $25 stipend for time spent getting a COVID-19 vaccine and is also extending its offer of free PPE for workers. The stipend will be available to Instagram’s shift leads, in-store shoppers and full-service shoppers in the U.S. and Canada, beginning Feb. 1, 2020. (Dollar General and Trader Joe’s also plan to pay workers extra if they get vaccinated.)

In addition, Instagram is also redistributing free personal protective equipment (PPE) to any of its shoppers in need throughout the remainder of the COVID-19 pandemic. The shoppers can request a free health and safety kit, including a face mask and hand sanitizer, directly from their shopper app or website.  

The kits include a multi-layer face mask that is washable and reusable, and a bottle of alcohol-based hand sanitizer that will ship directly to shoppers with a leak-proof seal. To date, Instacart says it has distributed more than 620,000 free health and safety kits to shoppers, with more kits shipping every week.

Instacart provided end-of-year shopper bonuses of up to $500 in December 2020 to thank shoppers and shift leads who were active throughout the year, and says it spent more than $20 million between April and August 2020 to support shopper health and safety by supporting new policies, guidelines, product features resources, increased bonuses, and personal protective equipment for shoppers.

“Since the start of the pandemic, the health and safety of the entire Instacart community has been our top priority,” said Apoorva Mehta, founder and CEO of Instacart. “Our goal with the introduction of our new Vaccine Support Stipend is to ensure that, when the time comes, Instacart shoppers don’t have to choose between earning income as an essential service provider or getting vaccinated.”