Covid Blessings - I Became an Instacart Shopper

So, Las Vegas closes down, and I freak out.  I'm already weary of the week being cooped up at home.  And now I realize... I am stuck here.  I'm not going anywhere!

Nope.

First thing I do is figure out what an "Essential Worker" is.  They are the only people who are allowed to  roam around town.  Now, because my business ships products to others, I am ... kind of....technically.... allowed to go to work.  But who am I talking to???  Everyone else is closed too!

I realize that delivery people are deemed essential workers.  So, I apply for EVERYTHING.  Grub Hub, Postmates, Instacart... Instacart was the one who approved and hired me first.  Within an hour I have finished the training, onboarded, and am ready to shop!  They let me know that my badge and card are in the mail and should get to me in a week.  A week!  Wait... there's some small print here that says there are a few pick-up stores in Southern California.  Boom - found one TWO AND A HALF HOURS AWAY.  Sure did!  I drove five hours round trip to pick up that Instacart card (which is what you use to pay for the groceries).  There was NO WAY I was staying one more day in my house!

I started the next day, and ended up having the time of my life!

Now, if you are not too familiar with Instacart, this is how it works: You go onto the app.  You order your groceries.  Then someone like ME, grabs your order and goes to the grocery store to go shopping for you.

This was a great service because people were so worried about going to the grocery store - rightly so.  They have little ones, parents to protect, or they had pre-existing conditions.  Whatever the reason - there was always 10-15 open orders for me to grab up.

But here's the thing about me.... I'm bossy.  And going to the grocery store was like going to war!  Toilet paper, cleaning supplies, wipes, eggs, milk.  You know what I'm saying.  You would have to make 4-5 trips to find the items you needed.  So people started giving up and just putting in Instacart orders.

So, here's how Instacarting with Hannah worked...You tell me that Fruit, chicken, and Cookies are priority.  Meaning I am supposed to go after those items first before they get taken.  Too bad.  You have toilet paper, creamer, eggs, and Sea Salt chips on your list- and that's where I'm headed first because the store only gets small shipments daily.

So you message me on the app while I am shopping for you.

You: "Do they have my cookies?"

Me:  Getting your creamer.

You:  But I want to make sure you get my cookies.

Me:  No hazelnut creamer.  Vanilla or Creme Brûlée.  Which one?

You: But my cookies

Me:  There are two Vanilla and one Creme Brûlée.  Pick.  Only one of each now.

You:  But I only like Hazelnut.

Me:  Too late - Swiped the Vanilla.  Others just got taken.  Vanilla or nothing. How you want your coffee?

You:  Oh thank you so much for getting that Creamer for me!  I can't drink my coffee without my creamer and my husband...

Me: You ordered 2 -12 pack eggs- getting you 18 pack brown organic. Limit one egg per customer

You: But I don't want to pay for organic.

Me: This or nothing.

You:  Oh then I want that!  Thank you so much!!!!

Me: No avocados - they look horrible

You: I don't want bruised avocados.

Me:  Exactly

See what I mean?  Bossy - you remember how that was! (and sometimes still is).

Other times,  people wanted to have full on conversations with me via text while I was shopping for them.

Me:  Stop distracting me I snuck in the back room and am looking for your bread.  9 grain.

You: But I like 12 grain.

Me: It's 9 grain or wonderbread.  You're getting 9 grain.

You:  Oh yes - I want the 9 grain.

I mean.... listen!  Your gonna get what you get and be lucky you did!  It was war the second you walked in!

.

But I have to tell you I came in contact with the most amazing people.  I remember a woman who had lost all of her hair to cancer.  She answered the door, very feebly. I had left her groceries on the porch and stepped back to wait for her answer.  She came to the door and burst out crying as soon as she saw the groceries.

Bless you girl.  Bless you!  What would I do if you weren't here to shop for me!

Or the mom who was at home with FOUR little ones under six years old.  I knew, as soon as I saw the shopping list, that she had children.  Tons of little kid and baby snacks, juice, ready-made Mac n Cheese.  I messaged her right away and asked her.

Me:  I'm about to go to the store and I already know it's pretty picked through today.  If they don't have what you ordered, do you want me to just go ahead and replace the best I can?

Her:  What do you mean?

Me:  I mean - are we just trying to keep the kids happy and not destroy your house?  is that how I am shopping today?  Any allergies?

Her:  LOL!  YES PLEASE.  no nuts.

I bought every sugar free snack and ready made meal, frozen corn dogs, chicken nuggets, fruit snacks, cuties, and baby carrots I could get my hands on, within her budget.  She could see what I was putting in my cart for her and she kept messaging me - yay!  yes!

As I walked up to her door two of the kids were in the big window cheering me, dressed up in costumes, yelling:  SNACKEEEEEEEESS!!!!!!  She answered the door, one baby in one arm, holding back a giant dog in the other.  Practically in tears while she thanked me for saving her.

Last story - favorite story!  One day I got a strange order for only two pints of the same exact ice cream.  Nothing else.  I grabbed the ice cream and delivered it just a few blocks from the store.  The lady of the house, probably about 80 years old, answered the door she was talking to someone on speaker. She looked at me very confused as to why I was there.

Me:  Hi!  I'm here with your delivery.

Her: What delivery?

Me:  I have your ice cream.

Her:  What? (her 80 year old husband comes behind her)

Him:  Who are you?

Me:  I'm delivering your ice cream.  Are you Sarah?

Her:  No.  Sarah is my daughter - I am on the phone with her right now.

Sarah yelling on speaker phone:  Mom - I ordered ice cream for you.

Me:  Sarah ordered this for you.  

Her: But how did you know that this is my favorite ice cream?

Him:  Hey!  You're like an ice cream fairy!  This is our favorite ice cream!

Sarah still on the phone:  Mom! I told you about...

Her: We need to give you money!

HIm:  And we each got our own pint!

Sarah:  (yelling) Mom! I already paid...

Me:  No, Sarah already paid me - you just enjoy your ice cream.

Him: (already half way down the hall) I'm getting you a tip!  Where are my pants!

Her:  You left your pants on the dryer!

Sarah: (yelling) Mom!  I already paid her!

Her:  But did you give her a tip? It seems to me that she knew what our favorite ice cream was and brought it to our house.  She deserves a tip.

Him: (from somewhere down the hall) I found my pants!

Me:  No, no - Sarah already gave me a big tip.  Thank you, though.

Him: Get her phone number!

Her:  Oh yes, let me get my pen so I can get your phone number so that we can order more ice cream from you later.

Sarah: (yelling on speaker phone). Mom! That's not how it works!

Me:  Oh that's ok.  Sarah will call me next time you want ice cream.

Her:  Well ok then.  What a good day!  Bye dear!

I could go on and on!  all of the people who would message me to leave the groceries on their door steps and ring the bell.  But they would tape a ziplock back with a mask and gloves to help protect me.  So, so many good humans - it filled my soul and lifted me up at a time when I needed it most!

And you know how I am... I live my COVID life, the same as my PRE-Covid life.  I was always trying to get the best deliveries, so I started at 7am every day to grab up the big ones.  I would do about 3-4 deliveries.  Have lunch.  Check my emails.  Mail out the little orders I actually had.  Then start again around 3pm, and go all the way until the stores closed at 10.  7am - 10pm every day.  I took Thursdays off.

Then a couple of weeks in -  me and some of my other vendor friends decided to start putting on webinars to help our Spa Partners.  I was also blessed enough to be invited to speak during several Zoom Calls hosted by Spa Associations.  It was a great way to keep up with everyone and figure out what to do next.  But I would attend and present at these webinars in between Instacart deliveries!

I would go do three runs.

Attend webinar.

Two more orders.

Present webinar.

Three more orders before the stores kicked me out.

Every...single...day.  I would even keep the same black top in my office so that I could just throw it on in time for the webinar.  And I would keep three different necklaces that I would just rotate between the webinars so no one would know!

I was having the time of my life! Funny delivery experiences, I became friends with all the grocery store employees, and had a blast working in partnership with my vendor friends!  Despite the uncertainty and stress in my real life - it was a great distraction, no stress, and none of the Employer responsibilities I usually have to deal with.

Covid Blessings.

I could have done this for several weeks longer!

...If I hadn't gotten hit by that car.