Sandeep K.

I ordered using instacart from Costco. Not sure it was expected but the delivery person left Costco receipt for $287.76. The instacart charged me $380 (after discount $360). Here are the extra charges Instacart makes which are documented and clear
- Delivery Fee ($9)
- Service Fee ($18)
- Tip - Optional
The markup on the prices is NOT documented anywhere. I initially thought Costco charges them markup however I see Costco receipt for $287.76 (around 25.5% markup). I wrote to customer care and received following response:
---------->
Instacart works with our retail partners to offer customers the same prices as those found in the physical store as much as possible. However, some retail partners choose to set their items at a higher price point on the Instacart platform than what they offer in store. That's why you may see a price difference while shopping.
---------------->
However, it doesn't seem like Costco is charging extra (as per receipt), It is Instacart who is charging the extra but is not transparent about these charges. This looks more like fraud because they can randomly change the price and you will never realize unless and until you compare with actual prices.