10 Items or Less: Never Be Afraid to Ask for Help

The Instacart community is as diverse as the items in the grocery store — every day, tens of thousands of individuals shop, deliver, and become an extension of people’s households. We want to share this community’s stories, highlighting Instacart shoppers, shift leads, and site managers all across North America. 10 Items or Less is a series featuring just some of the amazing members of the Instacart community, sharing their unique experiences and secret sauce with the world.

1. What’s your name and where are you from? My name is Gloria, and I was born and raised in Elizabeth, New Jersey. I’m a Jersey girl through and through!
2. How long have you been shopping with Instacart? I’ve been a full-service shopper since January 2021.
3. Why did you decide to start shopping with Instacart? About three months before I started, a friend who was shopping with Instacart for some spending cash told me about it. I love grocery shopping, so I knew I’d love it!
4. What’s your favorite thing about shopping with Instacart? I love getting introduced to new and interesting foods. I’ve NEVER seen or heard of some things people order before and shopping with Instacart has introduced me to them. I’ve made dishes that my family loves that I’ve learned about from shopping batches.
5. What 3 items are always in your personal shopping cart? Cheese, cereal, and fruit.
6. What’s a shopping tip that a lot of people might not know (your “secret sauce”)? When shopping, ESPECIALLY when shopping for fruits and veggies, pick items you’d pick for yourself. The better and fresher the fruits and veggies, the happier the customer. 
7. Do you have any relationships you’ve made while shopping with Instacart? Yes! I’ve made friendships with the cashiers and managers that work at a store I’m in quite often (one cashier even invited my husband, kids, and me to a cookout at their home!). I’ve also become friendly with a few other shoppers. We’ve helped each other out in the aisles and with items we haven’t shopped for before.
8. What’s your “side dish” — a hobby, a hidden talent, another job you do on the side? I love to bowl and do yoga!
9. What’s one piece of guidance or encouragement you would give to the shopper community? Never be afraid to ask for help. Whether you ask another shopper or store staff, people are willing to help. You just have to ask.
10. Anything else you want to share with the shopper community? Instacart shoppers are a little community amongst ourselves. Be kind to one another — you never know when you may need help or some kind of assistance, with shopping or something else.

Instacart

Instacart is the leading grocery technology company in North America, partnering with more than 1,400 national, regional, and local retail banners to deliver from more than 80,000 stores across more than 14,000 cities in North America. To read more Instacart posts, you can browse the company blog or search by keyword using the search bar at the top of the page.