Need a TV With Your Groceries? Instacart Adds 'Big & Bulky' Delivery Option
Online grocery platform Instacart is launching a "Big & Bulky" option for same-day and scheduled delivery of—you guessed it—big and bulky items.
Big Lots, Container Store, Mastermind Toys, Office Depot, Spirit Halloween, and Staples are among the first retailers to use the new fulfillment solution(Opens in a new window), which will task Instacart shoppers with wrangling your large outdoor furniture, home office supplies, and electronics orders alongside supermarket standards.
"With football season just around the corner, Instacart's Big & Bulky solution can provide customers with items like portable grills and tents for a tailgate or a 55-inch TV in case they're watching from home—all in as fast as an hour," says Instacart Chief Product Officer Daniel Danker.
Lest you think an Instacart shopper will have to stuff a huge TV into a hatchback, Instacart says "Big & Bulky" orders will have to be handled by "Instacart shoppers who drive large vehicles."
Current employees driving trucks or vans can opt in to receive "Bulky Batches" by tapping "Access More Batches" in the Shopper app. The company told TechCrunch(Opens in a new window) it will base batch payments on the number and weight of items in the order, and "will include heavy pay when applicable."
In a pilot that ran from May to July, Instacart says 97% of shoppers with eligible vehicles opted in to shop bulky batches.
For those who'd rather not haul a file cabinet or bookcase to someone's abode, Instacart also introduced a short-and-light delivery option, which is available in select regions for folks who choose to transport orders using an electric bike or moped.
Instacart will start testing these delivery options in select US and Canadian cities in the coming weeks,
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