Instacart is easily one of the largest delivery companies in America. This feat wasn’t achieved by only delivering the same goods and products that all other delivery companies across America were already delivering.
The company’s ingenious founder, Apoorva Mehta, decided to revolutionize the package delivery industry by introducing the delivery of a basic human necessity required for survival in every home across the world; Groceries!
The company further fortified its presence by providing its workers a viable means of making money on the side, that is through shopping, either as a full service worker or as an In-store worker.
Instacart shoppers can make money just by shopping and delivering goods to customers at their doorsteps. They are given a commission of a substantial amount of money which makes them come asking for more.
Instacart being a promising means of making money generates a lot of job entries from people who would like to earn by just shopping.
Why Did Instacart Put Me On A Waitlist?
The Instacart company receives quite a large number of applications from applicants who would like to work for the company as shoppers. Problems arise when the number of applications received exceeds the number of jobs available. However, instead of the company discarding their applications, applicants’ names are added to a waitlist.
This waitlist system was adopted so as to make sure there is an even distribution of job slots to applicants. Applicants who are not opportuned to be offered immediate jobs are included on the waitlist and then called up to come fill suitable positions when entries are open.
Creating a waitlist is actually a great idea because it grants everyone an equal opportunity regardless of how early an application comes. It can only cause a problem when a person gets impatient after being waitlisted for a really long period of time.

Did Instacart Forget My Application?
Instacart is known for their staunch approach to customers and job applications alike. While some applicants may get pissed off at the mere thought that their application has been forgotten or probably discarded, due to the fact that they have not heard back from the company for quite some time, that is not often the case.
The Instacart company maintains a clear record of the sequence of shopping job applications which they follow to the book. Instacart, being an organized enterprise, follows the job application sequence and calls applicants up for open job slots unless an application was never made.
So you can rest assured that your application is never forgotten, it’s simply not your turn to be called up yet on the waitlist.
How Do I Get Off The Waitlist?
Eager applicants get impatient after being waitlisted for a long period of time. Being waitlisted can be of great disadvantage to the applicants who have no idea when there will be open jobs slots.
Such applicants may eventually end up being called up, but what happens when the applicant does not have the will to work at the time he’s called or maybe he just isn’t available that time.
This problem of having to wait can be totally avoided by just playing a little trick. You can check up a waitlist-free location and make a change of zip codes.
This means you just have to make a change of zip codes to be assigned another location where there is an available shopping job to offer.
Read: What Time Do Instacart Batches Start?
How Do I Check The Instacart Waitlist?
After being waitlisted for a long period of time, impatient shoppers might want to check up when there might be an open job slot for them by trying to check up the waitlist.
The sad news is, Instacart’s waitlist cannot be checked out by applicants. The waitlist data is only available to the Instacart shoppers in charge of recruitments.
Shoppers can however be rest assured that the more job offers pops up, the shorter the waitlist becomes.
Even after being waitlisted for a really long time, shoppers are never forgotten as long as they have been included on the waitlist.

How Long Is The Waitlist For Instacart?
The duration of the Instacart waitlist is not determined by an individual. The waitlist is determined by the number of available jobs.
Therefore, if you are lucky to be in a location where there is a high demand for shoppers, you can be rest assured that you won’t be on the waitlist for long.
The waitlist gets reduced as more shopping offers come in.
Why Is The Instacart Waitlist So Long?
As mentioned before, the instacart waitlist might get really long for eager shoppers who really can’t wait to get job offers. It gets more annoying when one has been placed on a waitlist for a duration spanning several months.
To give you higher chances of not staying on the Instacart waitlist for too long, ensure that all the information you submitted to the company on your application is accurate and also checks out completely.
The amount of time an applicant may spend on the waitlist is mainly contingent on the demand for Instacart services in a particular area.
As an applicant, applying as a shopper in an area where even the available shoppers do not get enough orders, or there already exists more than enough shoppers, getting off the waitlist might be a tad difficult.
If your zip code location gets flooded with more available shoppers than orders made by customers, applicants get waitlisted.
Read: Does Instacart Take EBT?
Is Waiting For The Instacart Waitlist Worth It?
Just imagine getting paid an amount, somewhere in the range of 20$ an hour just for shopping. This of course does not include the tips of about 20% you receive for each successful shopping spree.
That is a huge sum of money compared to the work required right? Therefore, I can really assure you that it’s entirely worth it.
Having to wait should not be much of a big deal compared to writing off a job that really pays.
Here’s the deal; how about putting up with having to wait instead of pulling out your application. It definitely won’t hurt to have your name on the waitlist and be called up later instead of losing chances of being called at all.
Being left on the waitlist does not also mean you can not apply for work at other places, it only means you’d get paid your money no matter the time you get called up. It’s a win-win right? Therefore, before you pull out your shopping application with instacart, I suggest you have a rethink.

Instacart Background Check
Being a reputable company, instacart just like any other reputation cherishing companies conduct a background check on their workers, full-time and part-time alike. They check up applicants’ background status and important information relating to the job you made an entry for.
For example, a person who made a shopping entry has to have a clean ethical record and of course, a clear driving record. While Instacart cares less about little traffic default records, a lot of importance is placed on issues like bad driving habits which could mar their overall reputation.
They care a lot about their image and little complaints about a shopper might jeopardize further chances of the shopper getting more jobs with them.
You have to note that all instacart affiliated jobs are taken with legitimate caution and none can be overemphasized when it comes to background checking.
Therefore, before making a shopping application on Instacart, make sure your records are entirely clean to avoid getting disappointed in the long run.
Want to learn more about Instacart? Check out our related posts to learn if Instacart delivers cigarettes, does Instacart deliver alcohol, and can you work for Shipt and Instacart?
Conclusion…
Instacart serves as a viable way of meaningful money while getting stuck on the waitlist is really nerve wrecking. You can smarten up by making a change of zip codes or wait patiently to be called up.
All in all, working for instacart can be a really great experience if you keep an open mind. Also, make sure you keep a clean general record so as to have a hitch free journey with Instacart.
Before concluding this article, here’s a quick list of things to note about instacart waitlist as an applicant:
- The waitlist is as a result of job offers being less than the available shopping entries.
- The duration of the waitlist can’t be predetermined.
- The more the job offers, the shorter the waitlist gets.
- The waitlist can’t be checked by shoppers.
- The waitlist is entirely worth it.