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I fell in love with Instacart - but there's a glaring flaw that will keep me from using it regularly

I fell in love with Instacart - but there's a glaring flaw that will keep me from using it regularly

To build my order, I downloaded the Instacart app and selected a list of 29 items from Whole Foods.

My order total came to $139.99. Instacart tacked on a $5.99 delivery fee (which is waived if you pay $149 annually for a membership) and a 10% "service fee" of more than $12.

The service fee is essentially a donation to Instacart. The company says it's used to help operate Instacart and does not go to the shopper delivering your order. Customers can waive the fee, however. So I chose to waive it and instead give the 10% tip to my shopper. Ultimately, my order total came to $162.98.

I got an alert 30 minutes later notifying me that an Instacart employee named David was shopping for my groceries. The app updated every time David scanned a new item and added it to my basket.

Then I got a text from David asking how I would like my steaks cut. I loved having the ability to chat with David in real time. None of the other grocery delivery services I've tried have offered this feature.

When items were out of stock, the app let me know what David chose to replace them with. (Instacart also gives shoppers the option to prohibit replacements). I had the opportunity to make changes to those replacements while David was still in the store.

The app also adjusted my bill in real time as David shopped.

When David was done shopping, I got an alert saying that he was on his way to me. I could see him approaching my home on a map within the app.

When David arrived, he brought all the groceries to my doorstep.

I brought them inside and inspected all the items. I found nothing was missing from the order, none of the eggs were broken, and almost all of the produce was in good shape.

I likely would have chosen another sweet potato since this one was missing a chunk, but this won't affect my ability to cook with it.

Overall, I loved my experience with Instacart. As a working parent, I'm constantly looking for ways to save time, so I considered signing up for the $149 annual membership with Instacart Express, which comes with free, unlimited same-day deliveries.

But I changed my mind when I did the math to find out how much I would pay annually in tips. I estimated that I would pay more than $1,000 annually if I tipped about 15% on weekly orders of roughly $150.

$But I changed my mind when I did the math to find out how much I would pay annually in tips. I estimated that I would pay more than $1,000 annually if I tipped about 15% on weekly orders of roughly $150.$

Instacart makes it clear that tips are optional. But I wouldn't refuse a tip to someone who is spending upwards of an hour shopping for dozens of items in a store and then bringing them to my doorstep.

This issue hasn't come up for me with other delivery services I've used, like Kroger's ClickList and Fresh Direct. Those services only provide the option to tip delivery drivers, not shoppers, so the tips aren't typically tied to the cost of the order.

When asked about this issue, Instacart spokeswoman Dacyl Armendariz said many customers actually save money by shopping with Instacart "because it allows them to better stick to their list by eliminating the temptation that can lie around every corner in the grocery store."

"That, along with the fact that Instacart is a great tool for meal planning, is the reason Instacart is regularly cited in 'money saving tips' articles," she added. "Additionally, many of our customers save big over time by becoming Instacart Express members and getting access to unlimited, free same-day delivery."

For now, I think I'll stick to shopping for groceries in stores and using services like Instacart sparingly.