Instacart runs a tight ship, with many rules and regulations put in place to keep customers and shoppers alike safe and happy.
As a customer, you may have noticed that you never receive a store receipt – only a digital one from Instacart in the app or via email.
So what is Instacart’s receipt policy? And how seriously do they take it? Here is the answer, and it’s an interesting one.
What Is Instacart’s Receipt Policy In [currentyear]?
Instacart policy does not allow its shoppers to include store receipts with customers’ deliveries. Instead, customers should see the Instacart app, under each individual order, for a full itemized receipt. Shoppers who are discovered to have included the store receipt with a delivery may be subject to an account deactivation.
Surprised? You might be wonder why Instacart doesn’t want the store receipt included, as well as where exactly you can find your order receipts and what shoppers do with the store ones. Keep reading, it only gets more interesting!
Do You Give The Instacart Customer The Receipt?
Shoppers take note: accidentally handing off the in-store receipt to the customer is a huge no-no and can be grounds for account deactivation if you’re found out.
I’ll cover the reason why in the next section, but let’s cover another related issue – what do shoppers do with the in-store receipts then?
According to The Money Ninja, at check-out you’re supposed to snap a photo of the store receipt for Instacart, so they have a cross-reference with the app receipt, if needed.
After that, it appears you can just throw the receipts away, because they do not go to the customer.
Some enterprising Shoppers have found a really cool way to use the receipts to make even more money: By using them with money-back apps like iBotta, Checkout51, Receipt Hog, etc.
According to a savvy shopper on this Reddit board, iBotta accumulates money the fastest, and you can add receipts for other non-grocery retailers, too.
Why Does Instacart Not Provide Store Receipt?
Instacart hasn’t made a formal statement regarding their receipt policy, but employees have their theories.
The main one is that Instacart doesn’t want customers seeing, written in plain sight, the markups they’re paying at some retailers.
Instacart doesn’t recognize some in-store sales and deals, too, so customers could become irate after seeing they paid more for something that was discounted.
I can speak from experience.
I once saw that a family pack of bratwursts my shopper had selected was close to its expiry date and was discounted.
However, because I bought them through Instacart, I paid full price.
Shoppers are actually supposed to try and remove any stickers of that sort, which indicate an item might be priced lower in-store.
It is kind of distressing knowing that you paid even more than might be usual with Instacart’s mark-ups.
Another issue with giving store receipts is that someone could try to return an item with the in-store receipt.
If it is listed on the store receipt for less than they paid on Instacart, then the customer won’t get the full amount back.
Is The Instacart Receipt Different From The Store Receipt?
The Instacart receipt is indeed different from the store receipt, as in the case of many retailers, the prices are different (the more expensive charges are from Instacart).
If you need to make a return or are taking something back for a refund, and you purchased it via Instacart, it’s always best to use your Instacart receipt.
As I stated above, if you were to use the store receipt, you might not get the full amount back.
Where Do You Find Your Receipt On Instacart?
So where do you find your Instacart receipts? They’re very conveniently located. Simply open your app and navigate to Orders.
This is a list of all your previous orders, and from here you can do things like report an issue.
But if you press on the order you’re looking for a receipt from and scroll down, you will see buttons for the Chat log, an option to add all items to the cart again and View receipt.
There you will find your itemized order, including – if you scroll all the way to the bottom – any extra charges or service fees that might have applied, like a bag fee or heavy fee.
If you have to return an item you purchased via Instacart, this is the receipt you will use to do so.
You also receive a digital receipt to your inbox, whatever email address you have linked to your account.
Do Instacart Shoppers Need To Keep Receipts?
Instacart shoppers do not need to keep receipts, either the in-store ones or the Instacart ones.
The in-store receipts can be photographed at check-out and then, as far as my research shows, tossed.
The Instacart receipts are digital – the customer receives one in their email, as well as a copy in the Orders section of their app.
Shoppers don’t have to do anything about that, and will have an order overview in the Shopper app for their own records.
To find out more, you can also read our posts on Instacart complaints, Instacart pay stub, and how much do Instacart shoppers make.
Conclusion
Instacart has a very strict policy regarding receipts: Shoppers are not permitted to include in-store receipts with a delivery, and they may face account deactivation if they do.
Instead, customers are instructed to rely on Instacart receipts for Instacart orders, which are conveniently located in the app, under Orders.
Customers also receive receipts via email.
