Thank You, Shoppers: Highlights From Shopper Appreciation Week 2025

Each year, we shine a spotlight on the incredible Instacart shoppers who deliver for customers day in and day out. Shopper Appreciation Week is our annual opportunity to recognize the hard work, heart, and dedication they bring to their communities. This year, we celebrated from December 1–5, 2025, honoring the moments shoppers create through quality service, meaningful customer interactions, and a commitment to continuous improvement.

Throughout the week, we showed our gratitude through giveaways and surprises, spotlighted shoppers who exemplify excellence, and invited shoppers to help shape the future of the Instacart experience.

Rewarding Shoppers With Giveaways and Surprises

To show our appreciation, we spent the week giving back in big and small ways. Shoppers had the chance to participate in daily giveaways, enjoy special perks, and receive meaningful surprises to support them during the busy holiday season.

• Daily Giveaways: All week long, shoppers could win a selection of exclusive branded items designed with their needs in mind, including ceramic mugs, North Face backpacks, and portable power banks.

• Essential Savings With Our Partners: We partnered with Upside and CarAdvise to help shoppers save on everyday essentials, including double cash back on gas with Upside and enhanced discounts on car maintenance with CarAdvise. We also had additional gift card giveaways from both partners, helping shoppers stay on the road safely and affordably during the peak holiday season.

• A Special Holiday Surprise: To spread a little extra cheer, 25,000 shoppers received surprise Starbucks cards, offering them a warm cup of coffee or tea as a thank you for all they do.

Shopper Spotlights: Celebrating Excellence in Service and Learning

This year, we were honored to recognize exceptional shoppers whose dedication and impact stood out. Some featured shoppers included:

• Leslie — Excellence in Quality and Care: For the past four years, Leslie has built meaningful, lasting relationships with her customers. Her commitment to quality, reliability, and compassion shines through in every order she completes.

• Ricardo — Dedication to Learning and Service: Ricardo embodies continuous improvement. He has completed 65 Carrot Academy lessons, demonstrating his drive to sharpen his skills and deliver exceptional service. His commitment to learning is matched only by his dedication to creating great customer experiences.

• Kenric — Culinary Expertise and Community Leadership: Kenric brings his professional chef background to every order, delivering thoughtful, high-quality service to customers across Georgia. A frequent contributor in Shop Talk, he’s known for helping fellow shoppers, sharing tips, and fostering community across markets.

Shaping the Future of Instacart Together

Shopper Appreciation Week also provided an opportunity for shoppers to share their voices. Throughout the week, shoppers weighed in on core aspects of the shopping experience — from perks and incentives to in-store improvements they’d like to see. With our new Voting feature in Shop Talk, shoppers could vote on their favorite ideas for ways the app could improve in the future. 

Shoppers’ insights help guide our investments and decision-making as we continue building a platform that supports their needs, elevates the shopping experience, and strengthens the Instacart community as a whole.

Thank You, Shoppers

To every shopper across North America — thank you. Your service, care, and dedication help bring groceries, essentials, and joy to customers every day. Shopper Appreciation Week may come once a year, but our gratitude for you is year-round.

Instacart is not affiliated with Upside, CarAdvise, or any of the companies providing services through their platforms.