10 Items or Less: Making People Laugh Along the Way

The Instacart community is as diverse as the items in the grocery store — every day, tens of thousands of individuals shop, deliver, and become an extension of people’s households. We want to share this community’s stories, highlighting Instacart shoppers, shift leads, and site managers all across North America. 10 Items or Less is a series featuring just some of the amazing members of the Instacart community, sharing their unique experiences and secret sauce with the world.

1. What’s your name and where are you from? I’m Andrea, from Nashville, Tennessee.
2. How long have you been shopping with Instacart? I’ve been with Instacart for two years as a full-service shopper.
3. When and why did you decide to start shopping with Instacart? I started shopping with Instacart about two years ago. I wanted something flexible and enjoyable. I am a stand up comedian at night and we are known to have many side hustles. I also teach at an elementary school, so I do Instacart when we’re on break.
4. What’s your favorite thing about shopping with Instacart? Meeting new people and learning about the grocery business. I can tell a lot of the customers are very happy to have their groceries delivered.
5. What’s a fun fact that would surprise us about you? I am a Spanish teacher during the day and a comic by night. I have a few Instacart jokes that make the audience go wild.
6. What’s a shopping tip that a lot of people might not know (your “secret sauce”)? My tip is if you don’t know something, always ask and don’t be afraid to ask questions.
7. Do you have any relationships you’ve made while working with Instacart? I’ve met so many great employees at my local Publix. Many of them know me by name.
8. What’s your “side dish” — a hobby, a hidden talent, another job you do on the side? My hobby is stand up comedy. I’ve been making people laugh for 10 years and have been teaching for about the same. I love speaking in front of people.
9. What’s one piece of guidance or encouragement you would give to our shopper community? One piece of guidance I would give to our shopper community is to be patient.
10. Anything else you want to share with the shopper community? I’m grateful for companies like Instacart, because it allows for many creatives to bring in extra income without the compromise of a 9–5. As long as you have fun, practice being patient, and create relationships with customers and store employees, it should be a pretty sweet gig.