A TikToker is hopping on the food delivery bandwagon, claiming Instacart has helped some people make enough money to help pay their monthly rent.
In a video from March, which has garnered more than 200,000 views, TikTok user Laken Fitch Hammon (@lakenhammon) chronicles her experience working as an Instacart shopper for the first time.
“I’ve been seeing so many people do Instacart to pay for their rent for the month so that the money they make from their job doesn’t go to rent money,” Hammon said. “So, I got inspired and signed up.”
In the video, Hammon shows herself fulfilling a customer’s grocery order while also buying something for herself. She said she was paid $12 to shop for just four items.
“That was so easy,” Hammon said. “From the time I got the order, from the time I went to Kroger, picked out the items, checked out, delivered, it was maybe like forty minutes. … Yeah, definitely doing that again.
@lakenhammon my goal is to make at least a couple hundred dollars a month from it. #instacartshopper #sidehustle ♬ original sound – Laken Fitch Hammon
In the comments section, viewers largely agreed that Instacart shopping can be a nice option to make extra money. However, some warned Hammon to be mindful that because the delivery service is gig work, her taxes will differ in comparison to a job where employees have a W-2.
“I did this and now I have to pay $1,000 in taxes this year,” one person said.
According to the financial services company Stripe, shoppers who make $600 or more have to fill out a tax form.
Other commenters advised that keeping track of certain deductions you can get on your taxes when you work as an independent contractor is essential.
“Anyone talking about taxes you have a lot to learn. 1099 you can write off a lot and can get taxes owed down to $0,” one viewer noted.
The Daily Dot contacted Hammon via Instagram direct message and Instacart via email.
