Fast Five Shorts | Pro Or Con: Instacart Piloting CPG Brand Tasks For Its Workers - Omni Talk Retail

Summary4 min read

Omni Talk Retail Podcast Summary

Episode Title: Fast Five Shorts | Pro Or Con: Instacart Piloting CPG Brand Tasks For Its Workers
Release Date: February 13, 2025
Hosts: Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga

Introduction to Instacart's New Pilot Program

In this episode of Omni Talk Retail, hosts Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga delve into Instacart's latest initiative: a pilot program introducing Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) brand tasks for its independent contractors. As reported by Grocery Dive, Instacart is testing a system where gig workers can opt to perform in-store activities on behalf of CPG brands, such as photographing in-store displays. This pilot is currently limited to select markets and workers, with the option for workers to view payment details before accepting tasks and without any penalties for declining them.

Chris Walton opens the discussion by posing the central question: "Are you pro or con? Instacart adding CPG brand tasks for its gig workers" (00:00).

Anne Mezzenga's Perspective: Leaning Pro with Reservations

Anne Mezzenga expresses a nuanced position on the matter, initially indicating uncertainty with a humorous remark: "Can I say prawn?" (00:40). She clarifies her stance by stating, "I'm probably more pro than I am con, I think... right squarely in the middle. Maybe a slight hedge towards pro" (00:53).

Key Points from Anne:

Enhanced Utilization of Gig Workers: Anne appreciates that Instacart is leveraging its existing gig workforce more effectively. She remarks, "This is a smart extension of what Instacart already does well, which is deploying gig workers into grocery stores" (00:53).
Potential Challenges: She raises concerns about task diversification possibly leading to slower pick times and increased misspicks due to distractions. Anne emphasizes the importance of task separation to mitigate these issues: "If you just have a gig worker staff that does the CPG work and one that goes and does the picking, problem solved" (01:50).
Long-Term Solutions: Anne suggests that while the pilot is a positive step, investing in automation—such as robots for consistent in-store tasks—would be more sustainable in the long run: "I still think that making an investment in something like a robot to do this... is the investment that I would make in the long run" (02:10).

Chris Walton's Insights: Balancing Optimism with Realism

Chris Walton concurs with Anne's positive outlook but introduces additional considerations. He underscores the importance of how Instacart implements the pilot, noting: "If this means that... I could get orders from coming in my way, like, this is a great thing to do when you're killing time" (02:10).

Key Points from Chris:

Operational Efficiency: Chris highlights that the success of the pilot hinges on maintaining operational efficiency without compromising the primary picking tasks. He states, "As long as this stays separate and it does not slow or... impact picks, I think that's the key thing here" (02:10).
Temporary vs. Permanent Solutions: Acknowledging the pilot's potential as an interim measure, Chris reiterates the need for more robust solutions like automation for consistent task execution: "That is the investment that I would make in the long run" (02:10).
Industry Context: Chris briefly touches on broader industry developments, mentioning the rollout of a smart cart at Kohl's and the challenges of engaging with Instacart's communications team amidst other commitments: "That's why we picked it so to tell our audience how the sausage is made" (03:38).

Balanced Conclusion: Proponents and Caveats

Both hosts converge on the idea that while Instacart's pilot program is promising, its ultimate success depends on thoughtful implementation. Anne emphasizes the importance of task separation to prevent workflow disruptions, while Chris underscores the need for sustained investments in automation for long-term efficacy.

Notable Quotes:

Anne Mezzenga: "Net net, I'm actually talking myself into... I'm pretty pro on this, I think" (02:10).
Chris Walton: "That's probably a worthwhile investment" when referring to paying workers to take on CPG tasks (02:10).

Additional Discussions: Smart Cart Rollout at Kohl's

Towards the end of the episode, the conversation shifts to other industry innovations, specifically the introduction of smart carts at Kohl's. Chris mentions that despite attempts by Instacart's communications team to engage them, they prioritized covering the smart cart rollout due to its relevance and impact: "That's why we picked it so to tell our audience how the sausage is made" (03:38).

Final Thoughts

The episode concludes with hosts recognizing the potential of Instacart's pilot while advocating for strategic planning to address inherent challenges. They agree that while the initiative offers valuable insights and preliminary benefits, scalable and sustainable solutions will be crucial for long-term success in the evolving retail landscape.

Listen to the full episode of Omni Talk Retail to gain deeper insights into the dynamic intersection of gig economy strategies and retail innovations.

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Transcript8 lines

[00:00]
A
Instacart is piloting adding CPG brand tasks for its workers Chris According to Grocery Dive, again, Instacart is piloting a program in which its independent contractors can accept in store work on behalf of CPGs, say, for example, taking photos of in store displays. The pilot is currently running in select markets with select workers, Instacart said. Without providing further information, workers involved in the pilot can opt into brand tasks and will see how much the task pays before deciding whether or not to accept it. Instacart said workers are also not penalized for for not accepting a task. Chris, are you pro or con? Instacart adding CPG brand tasks for its.
[00:41]
B
Gig workers oh, can I say that I'm prawn? Ann, can I say prawn? Is that, is that an effective answer for this? I'm kind of mixed. I'm okay, I think I'm prawn, but.
[00:51]
A
I'm thinking that that's okay. Probably more.
[00:54]
B
I'm probably more pro than I am condo, I think. Okay, you know, but I would say I'm prawn. I'm like right squarely in the middle. Maybe a slight hedge towards pro. Okay, here's the reason I like the idea. I like the idea because in general I think this is a much better idea than Instacart's claims of telling the industry that it knows how to run a grocery store, which I think is just absolutely laughable because it's a smart extension of what Instacart already does well, which is deploying gig workers into grocery stores. So there should be some scale there. The one caveat I have about it though is, is that you're asking your workforce to do an entirely different task. And like everything we talk about on the show, everything you do has a cost, which is going to mean slower pick times, more misspicks because of distractions. I don't think Instacart knows that yet, which is why they're piloting. Now. The important thing for me, though, is as I was thinking about this, I think all of that can be avoided if the tasks are routed separately. So for that reason, I think on the whole I really like this idea. Like, if you just have a gig worker staff that does goes and does the CPG work and one that goes and does the picking, problem solved. In my opinion. It doesn't sound like that's how they're routing things yet when I read the headline, but who knows? And they're going to learn from it. And that's why it's a Test. So I think net net, I'm actually talking myself into. I'm pretty pro on this, I think.
[02:11]
A
Yeah, yeah, I agree with you. I mean, I think the key thing is how is this rolled out? Like, we. There's no information on that. I think, to your point, if this means that, you know, as a gig worker who I kind of set up my day and I have to stay in and around the grocery stores that I know that I could get orders from coming in my way, like, this is a great thing to do when you're killing time. If it's a totally separate task, like, hey, I can get paid X number of dollars for going in this grocery store, walking around, taking a few photos. I think anything that is, like you said, as long as this stays separate and it does not slow or. Or impact picks. I think that's the. That's the key thing here. I still think, though, that this is maybe a temporary solution for all the reasons that Caitlin just identified in that five insightful minute segments. Like, I still think that making an investment in something like a robot to do this that's repeated, that you get consistent information the same way you don't have people taking a shot from one side versus the other. Like, that is right. That is the investment that I would make in the long run. But, you know, that is an investment and there's some retailers out there who can't do that. So some information is better than none. And if they can pay somebody 25 to go take a picture, like, that's probably a worthwhile investment. So I'm probably. If those caveats apply, I guess.
[03:38]
B
Yeah, now you're bringing me back down. I think you're right. It's. It. It's not the best way to do this.
[03:43]
A
No.
[03:44]
B
But it is a decent stopgap measure for many of the retailers. The other point I make too is I thought was interesting the Instacart Communications team was, you know, lighting me up this week, but I unfortunately wasn't able to get back to them because I've been busy, busy at Manifest this whole week about their rollout of the smart card at Kohl's, wanting us to cover that. And I was like, this, this to me is so much more interesting in the smart card at Kohl's. So that, you know, that's why we. We picked it so to tell our audience how the sausage is made.