Instacart is a grocery delivery service that was founded in San Francisco in 2012. The company provides delivery of groceries to customers’ homes in exchange for a fee. In July of 2018, Trader Joe’s announced that it was banning the service from its stores. Trader Joe’s cited concerns about the quality of Instacart’s deliveries as the reason for the ban.
Instacart has faced criticism for its poor delivery service in the past. In a study conducted by the company in 2017, it was found that only 47% of Instacart’s deliveries arrived on time, compared to the 85% standard that Trader Joe’s sets for its own deliveries. Additionally, Instacart has been accused of using poor quality food in its deliveries, which has led to food-borne illnesses in some cases. These allegations led to Trader Joe’s decision to ban the service from its stores.