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☆ Lonely Instacart and DoorDash gig workers are turning to YouTube influencers to help them feel connected
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Gig workers for Instacart, DoorDash, and other apps tend to have their favorite YouTubers. Two gig workers with followings on YouTube told Insider about how they decide what to talk about. Like many gig workers, Sabo started doing gig work full-time in 2020 as demand for delivery shot up. He also sells tools for new gig workers, such as a spreadsheet to help them calculate their earnings. Some gig workers are quitting the industry, citing falling earning potential on many of the apps and slowing demand for delivery.

Persons: —, hadn't, DashingTrader, DashingTrade, Mike Sabo, Mike, Sabo, he's, it's, I've Organizations: Instacart, YouTube, Service, DoorDash, Uber Locations: DoorDash, California

☆ A baby boomer who's been a delivery driver for 4 years says he values the flexibility — but cautions that the work is becoming harder to get
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A baby boomer who's been a delivery driver for four years may soon call it quits. Barely anyone can get rich off of just doing delivery driving, Scott said, but it's an option for him while he searches for a more stable office position. AdvertisementAdvertisementSince then, he's driven nearly 40,000 miles with personal vehicles for Amazon Flex, which he's had to maintain with his own money. AdvertisementAdvertisement"Amazon Flex delivery partners sign up for delivery blocks that fit their schedule," Steve Kelly, an Amazon spokesperson, told Insider. Amazon Flex delivery partners are encouraged to check the Amazon Flex app throughout the day for available blocks and instant offers."

Persons: —, Scott, it's, he's, He's, Steve Kelly, I've, that's Organizations: Service, Walmart, Amazon Flex, Amazon, Flex Locations: Washington, DC, America

☆ Meet the typical gig driver: A millennial earning up to $40 per hour who doesn't have another job and depends on your tips
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Gig drivers are likely to be dependent on the job for their main income, and need your tips. Omar FordIf the economy takes a turn for the worse and unemployment rises, the number of gig drivers could increase even further. The typical gig driver earns between $20 and $40 an hourSergio Avedian. The typical Uber driver earns $35 per active — or utilized — hour, the company said in February. In September, four ride-hailing drivers told Insider that they earn between $22 to $40 an hour after expenses.

Persons: —, DoorDash, Lyft, Omar Ford, Uber, he'd, Robert Alexander, Gen Zers —, Sergio Avedian, Guy, doesn't, New York City, they've, Nathaniel Hudson, Hartman Nathaniel Hudson, Hartman, Jeff Hoenig, Avedian Organizations: Service, Morning, Pew, New York Daily News, Tribune, Getty, Bank of America, The New York Times Locations: Los Angeles, New York, New York City Ribeiro, New, South Carolina, Portland

☆ Chick-fil-A to shell out $4.4 million in cash and gift cards after customers accused it of inflating delivery prices, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Chick-fil-A reportedly has settled a lawsuit accusing the chain of inflating delivery prices. According to the suit, Chick-fil-A was then "secretly inflating menu prices on delivery orders only." The suit alleged that the chain was inflating base menu prices by as much as 30% on delivery orders compared to in-store prices. "On delivery orders only, Chick-fil-A secretly marks up food prices for delivery orders by a hefty 25-30%," the suit states. "This is one reason – among many – why DoorDash encourages restaurant partners to maintain delivery menu prices that more closely reflect in-store menu prices."

Persons: —, TopClassActions, Nancy Luna, DoorDash Organizations: Service Locations: Georgia

☆ Instacart IPO banks tout e-grocery shopping potential, but challenges loom
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Savyata Mishra | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Cheney Orr/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 16 (Reuters) - Most Wall Street brokerages, including J.P.Morgan and Goldman Sachs, kicked off coverage on Instacart (CART.O) with a bullish view, betting on the grocery delivery app's growth amid a shift to online shopping. The stock — following a lukewarm debut in September — closed at $25.57 on Friday, below its $30 initial public offering (IPO) price. At least half of Instacart's 20 IPO underwriters have initiated coverage with their top ratings after the quiet period ended. Instacart's slow growth compared to rivals is a top concern, as a reduction in food stamp benefits and a shift back to in-store shopping could limit GTV growth, according to Piper Sandler analyst Alexander Potter. As of Friday, the six brokerages that were not involved in the IPO started coverage with an average rating of "hold", LSEG data showed.

Persons: Eric Cohn, Cheney Orr, Goldman Sachs, —, Baird, Colin Sebastian, Scott Devitt, Justin Post, Piper Sandler, Alexander Potter, Savyata Mishra, Shilpi Majumdar Organizations: Safeway, REUTERS, J.P.Morgan, underwriters, Walmart, Wedbush, BofA Global Research, Thomson Locations: Tucson , Arizona, U.S, Instacart, Bengaluru

☆ Vomit fees are being added to some restaurant brunch bills. Be careful with those bottomless mimosas!
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

California restaurants are charging customers $50 cleaning fees for drunken incidents, reports say. Bottomless brunch specials give customers an hour or so to enjoy as many mimosas as they want. A $50 cleaning fee will automatically include in your [tab] when you throw up in the public areas. San Francisco-area restaurant Home Plate has added the warning of a $50 cleaning fee to their menu. Airbnb hosts charge guests up to $300 in cleaning fees in some cases.

Persons: —, Chaiporn Kitsadaviseksak, SFGate, hasn't, Uber Organizations: Service Locations: California, San Francisco, Francisco

☆ Uber Eats now lets customers order from two stores at the same time
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Jake Piazza | In Jakepiazza | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Uber announced on Wednesday that its Uber Eats app now allows customers to order from two stores at the same time. Uber said it's part of an effort by Uber to be more green and to help save customers money. It may help the company keep customers from using competitors like DoorDash, which has had a similar feature since 2021. Unlike DoorDash's option, Uber Eats allows you to add from a secondary location before checkout. Once you finish choosing food from your first location, you'll see a notification bar that says "Bundle another store" which lets you add goods from somewhere else.

Persons: Uber Organizations: CNBC

The updates include the addition of memory storage to its developer tools for using AI models. The new features are expected to be rolled out at OpenAI’s first-ever developer conference in San Francisco on November 6, sources said. Keeping developers happy has been a major focus for OpenAI, these sources told Reuters. Earlier this year, the company rushed to release ChatGPT plugins, add-on tools that allow developers to create applications within ChatGPT. Earlier this year, Altman admitted to a group of developers in London that plugins have not gained market traction.

Persons: Sam Altman, Elon Musk, Altman, Musk doesn't, OpenAI, Jasper, ChatGPT, Lakshya Bakshi, Krystal Hu, Anna Tong, Kenneth Li, Nick Zieminski Organizations: Reuters, Elon, Google, Thomson Locations: OpenAI’s, San Francisco, London

Instead, he's a co-founder of a $400 million food delivery company. Tsao launched the company, Caviar, with four of his best friends from the University of California, Berkeley in 2012. Building "Groupon for food" didn't work, "so we were like, 'Let's be the Uber for food.'" 'We just blew up'At the time, most of today's food delivery apps didn't exist yet. Five college friends founded Caviar in 2012, at a time when GrubHub and Seamless were the only major online food delivery businesses.

Persons: Shawn Tsao, he's, Tsao, Jack, Uber, Frank Lloyd Wright, Frank Gehry, Abel Lin, Andy Zhang, Richard Din, Jason Wang, —, Munch, Groupon, didn't, Postmates, DoorDash, Andreessen Horowitz, Wang Organizations: University of California, CNBC, Investors, Tiger Global Management Locations: Berkeley, Francisco, U.S, Miami

Shawn Tsao, 34, co-founded food delivery app Caviar in 2012 with four of his college classmates and fraternity brothers from the University of California, Berkeley. Before Caviar, Tsao and his co-founders created on Munch On Me, a daily deals app for food. In the ensuing weeks, they decided to switch to an on-demand food delivery app — a novel concept at the time. In 2014, Jack Dorsey's payments company Square — now known as Block — acquired Caviar in an all-stock deal worth more than $100 million, according to Tsao. Five years later, rival food delivery company DoorDash purchased Caviar from Square in a deal worth $410 million.

Persons: Shawn Tsao, Munch, Jack, Tsao Organizations: University of California Locations: Berkeley

☆ 20 stocks I'm watching in the market, including Emerson, DoorDash, Royal Caribbean
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Jim Cramer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Here are some of the tickers on my radar for Monday, Oct. 9, taken directly from my reporter's notebook:If you like this story, sign up for Jim Cramer's Top 10 Morning Thoughts on the Market email newsletter for free.

Persons: Jim Cramer's

☆ Walmart Spark Drivers Spend Over an Hour Waiting for Orders in Lots
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Drivers for Walmart's Spark delivery service are waiting an hour or more in parking lots for orders. According to conversations with four Spark drivers, wait times have become an issue for the drivers as the service has grown. The same Walmart associates responsible for Spark orders also bring items out to customers waiting in parking lots. Spark drivers told Insider that the wait times at Walmart make it hard to know which orders are worth taking. In August, Walmart started asking Spark drivers to deliver orders in batches of up to three orders each.

Persons: —, he's, Walmart's, Doug McMillon, Jeff Greenberg, I've, I'm, gabriellew13 Organizations: Service, Walmart, Getty, Costco Locations: Alabama, Nevada, Indiana

☆ SoftBank-backed gifting startup Sendoso just completed its fourth round of layoffs in the last 16 months
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Samantha Stokes | Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

SoftBank-backed gifting startup Sendoso laid off an undisclosed number of employees in its latest round of job cuts on Tuesday. This is the fourth time in the last 16 months that Sendoso has axed its headcount: the marketing startup in June 2022 laid off around 100 employees from its then 700-employee workforce, Insider previously reported . Sendoso most recently raised $100 million in a Series C funding round led by SoftBank Vision Fund. Better, which went public in August via a long-delayed SPAC deal, conducted another round of layoffs last month . Do you have information about job cuts at tech startups?

Persons: Sendoso, SoftBank, it's, —, Samantha Stokes, Madeline Stone Organizations: LinkedIn, U.S, Sendoso, SoftBank Vision, Greensill, Stock Locations: Ireland, sstokes@insider.com, mstone@insider.com

☆ Final Trades: CrowdStrike, DoorDash & more
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

In this videoShare Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailFinal Trades: CrowdStrike, DoorDash & moreThe "Halftime Report" traders give their top picks to watch for the second half.

☆ Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card Review
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( Ben Luthi | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +9 min

By Ben LuthiThe Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card is a competitive airline credit card that could be a useful spending tool if you’re one the quirky airline’s legion of fans. The Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card’s annual fee is roughly $50 higher than some of the other top airline credit cards. Unlike other airline credit cards, the Southwest Priority card doesn’t offer priority boarding on all flights. No foreign transaction feesWho benefits most from the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card? The Southwest Priority credit card is best for frequent fliers who prefer Southwest Airlines over other domestic airlines.

Persons: Ben Luthi, you’ll, cardholders, You’ll Organizations: Southwest, Rapid, Southwest Airlines, Chase Locations: U.S, Southwest, Mexico, Central America

☆ How Much to Tip at a Restaurant, Hotel, Bar, and Other Places
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( Sarah Jackson | Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

AdvertisementAdvertisementIt's not a big question about whether you should tip a server in a sit-down restaurant: That's pretty well-established. But what about all the other places where tip jars — virtual or otherwise — are popping up, especially since the pandemic upended tipping norms? AdvertisementAdvertisementHotel staff: It variesWhen you're traveling, budget an extra $2 to $5 per night to tip your housekeeper at a hotel, Johnson said. AdvertisementAdvertisementBeauty services: Around 20%Tipping for beauty services at places like nail and hair salons should fall in the range of 15% to 20%, Johnson said. Taxis and ride-hailing services: 15% to 20%If you're taking a taxi or using a ride-hailing service like Uber or Lyft, you'll want to go for a 15 to 20% tip, Leighton said.

Persons: Uber, —, Michael Lynn, Thomas Farley, Mister Manners, Farley, Avery Johnson, Johnson, Nick Leighton, Leighton Organizations: Service, Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, New York State Department of Labor, The Southern Academy of, American, & Lodging Association Locations: New York, Phoenix

REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann//File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 28 (Reuters) - A New York state judge on Thursday rejected a bid by Uber Technologies Inc (UBER.N), DoorDash Inc and Grubhub Inc to block New York City's novel law setting a minimum wage for app-based delivery workers. The law will require companies to pay delivery workers $17.96 an hour, which will rise to nearly $20 in April 2025. App-based delivery workers are usually treated as independent contractors rather than company employees, so general minimum wage laws do not apply to them. They say city officials based the minimum wage law based on flawed studies and statistics. The companies allege the city's surveys of delivery workers were biased and designed to elicit responses that would justify a minimum wage.

Persons: Arnd, Nicholas Moyne, Moyne, Uber, Daniel Wiessner, Chris Reese, Aurora Ellis Organizations: REUTERS, Uber Technologies, DoorDash Inc, Grubhub Inc, New York, Companies, New York City Department of Consumer and Worker, Thomson Locations: Davos, Switzerland, York, Moyne, United States, Albany , New York

☆ Insider Today: A Google loophole exposed
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

This post originally appeared in the Insider Today newsletter. In today's big story, we're looking at how a Google loophole brings advertisements for illegal drugs hosted on defaced government websites to the top of search results. Previously, that wasn't an issue since these web pages never appeared in Google searches because website owners restricted Google from indexing them. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe result is people using internal search functions to create webpages advertising drugs on websites viewed as trustworthy by Google. The Insider Today team: Dan DeFrancesco, senior editor and anchor, in New York City.

Persons: —, Jamie Dimon, Tom Brady, Kendall Jenner, Arantza Pena, Insider's Katherine Long, hasn't, Katherine, Paul Sancya, Glenn Kelman, Meta, Dwyane Wade, Victor, Jenny Chang, Rodriguez, ThredUp, Nancy Pelosi, Karlie Kloss, Spike Lee, Nattakorn, Dan DeFrancesco, Naga Siu, Hallam Bullock, Lisa Ryan Organizations: Service, Costco, Tech, Business, Google, Alcohol and Drug Foundation, Conference Board, JPMorgan, NBA, Amazon, Big Tech, Atlantic, ABC, Nike, Accenture Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Washington ,, New York City, San Diego, London, New York

☆ DoorDash, Instacart, and GrubHub drivers say they're being booted from their delivery jobs without notice — and the services won't tell them why
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Alex Bitter | Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Unexplained deactivations are commonplace for some gig workers, according to accounts from drivers. The agent on the other end approved it, he told Insider, and assured him that it wouldn't negatively affect him. Sudden, unexplained deactivations have become commonplace for workers on gig delivery apps, according to accounts from these workers. Grubhub and DoorDash told Insider that employees determined the deactivations of drivers. Do you work for Instacart, DoorDash, Uber Eats, or another delivery service and have a story idea to share?

Persons: —, Uber, would've, they'd, Steve, Jason Picon, Jason, Grubhub, Michael Loccisano, Instacart, Rikki Nudelman, I've, DoorDash, Nudelman, we're, New York City, Sergio Avedian, Guy, Avedian, Carsten Koall, Uber hadn't Organizations: Service, Grubhub, Santa Barbara, DoorDash, New York Daily News, Tribune, Getty, Walmart Locations: Oregon, Virginia, Texas, California, Central California, Los Angeles, Santa, New York, New York City Ribeiro, New, Seattle, deactivations, Berlin

☆ Walmart now lets customers set up repeat purchases by subscription – just 16 years after Amazon
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The move comes 16 years after Amazon unveiled a similar subscription offering. Walmart has spent years adding to its online and delivery options to compete with Amazon and other retailers. AdvertisementAdvertisementWalmart now lets you order items through a subscription — something that Amazon has offered for years. It launched Walmart+, a subscription service that provides free delivery and other benefits, in 2020. Amazon launched Prime, its own subscription service, in 2005.

Persons: —, Kevin Coupe, DoorDash Organizations: Walmart, Amazon, Service

☆ Here are the 13 stocks Jim Cramer is watching, including Amazon, Oracle and Nike
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Jim Cramer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Charles River Laboratories InternationalRaymond James likes Ralph LaurenSusquehanna starts coverage on semiconductor designer and recent IPO Arm Holdings (ARM) with a neutral (hold) rating and a $48-per-share price target. BTIG starts recent IPO Instacart DoorDash UberKiss of Death: JPMorgan upgraded global energy stocks overweight (buy). SUPERCYCLE ALERT (remember I hate supercycle calls): Dear generalists, put your seatbelts on. Higher for longer energy prices. Deutsche Bank cuts price target on T-Mobile

Persons: Baird, Jim Cramer's, River Laboratories International Raymond James, Ralph Lauren Susquehanna, DoorDash Organizations: CNBC, Amazon, Garden, LongHorn, Darden, Dow, Nike Exxon Mobil FedEx Citi, Dell, River Laboratories International, Arm Holdings, JPMorgan, Deutsche Bank, Mobile

☆ Here are Friday's biggest analyst calls: Netflix, Apple, Walmart, Arm, Ralph Lauren, Wells Fargo and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Deutsche Bank reiterates Wells Fargo as buy Deutsche Bank said it's standing by its buy rating on the stock. " BTIG initiates Instacart as neutral BTIG initiated the stock with a neutral rating mainly on valuation. Raymond James initiates Ralph Lauren as outperform Raymond James said in its initiation of Ralph Lauren that it has "strengthening direct-to-consumer." Oppenheimer reiterates Netflix as outperform Oppenheimer lowered its price target on the stock but said it's standing by its outperform rating on shares of Netflix. "Following CFO comments at competitor conference, we are lowering '24E/'25E margins and reducing target to $470 from $515, but maintaining Outperform rating on revenue outlook."

Persons: Goldman Sachs, it's, Meta's, Raymond James, Ralph Lauren, Wells, Wells Fargo, Oppenheimer, Morgan Stanley, XOM, Jefferies, Chris Rolland, downgrades Deere, Canaccord, Bernstein, underperform Bernstein Organizations: Constellation Brands, Deutsche Bank, WFC, Citi, Meta Citi, Meta's, Meta, CART, Bank of America, Apple, of America, Boeing, Communications, Cable, UBS, Netflix, Jefferies, Susquehanna, Semiconductor, Deere, HSBC, Walmart, Procter, Gamble, Procter & Gamble Locations: China, EBITDA

☆ Arm and Instacart add to losses after lukewarm analyst reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Noel Randewich | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Arm surged on its first day on Wall Street and has fallen every day since then. That followed a Bernstein "underperform" rating with a $46 price target earlier this week, and a "hold" assigned to Arm by Needham and Company on Sept. 16. Neutral and negative stock ratings are much less common on Wall Street than "buy" recommendations or other positive ratings. Still, the marketing automation firm's stock remains above the $30 IPO price. The declines in Arm, Instacart and Klaviyo on Friday were in contrast to a 0.3% gain in the Nasdaq (.IXIC).

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Jake Fuller, Instacart, Bernstein, Klaviyo, Noel Randewich, Lance Tupper, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: REUTERS, Arm Holdings, Uber Technologies, Susquehanna, Needham, Company, Nasdaq, Thomson Locations: Klaviyo

REUTERS/Angus Mordant/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEW YORK, Sept 19 (Reuters) - A federal judge on Tuesday said DoorDash (DASH.N), Grubhub (TKWY.AS) and Uber Eats (UBER.N) can sue New York City over a law capping how much they can charge restaurants for delivering meals. "Good news from New York City," CEO of Grubhub's parent company Just Eat Takeaway, Jitse Groen, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. Woods said the plaintiffs adequately alleged that the law unconstitutionally interfered with their ability to collect higher commissions under their contracts with restaurants. The plaintiffs have said commission caps would necessitate higher delivery fees, resulting in higher prices for consumers and less revenue for restaurants. The case is DoorDash Inc et al v City of New York, U.S. District Court, District of New York, No 21-07564.

Persons: Angus Mordant, DoorDash, Gregory Woods, Nicholas Paolucci, Grubhub, Jitse Groen, Woods, Jonathan Stempel, Diana Mandiá, Mark Potter, Timothy Gardner Organizations: REUTERS, New, Constitution, New York, City Council, Council, Twitter, Thomson Locations: Manhattan , New York, U.S, New York City, Manhattan, New York, Amsterdam, San Francisco, City of New York, Gdansk

☆ Needham says don't chase Instacart, it's in for a tough next few years
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

It may be too early for investors to start checking out shares of Instacart , according to Needham. Analyst Bernie McTernan initiated coverage of the grocery delivery company with a hold rating, citing concerns over rising competition and slowing penetration in a Tuesday note to clients. The commentary from Needham follows Instacart's closely watched Nasdaq debut . CART 1D mountain Share performance since IPO Instacart triumphed during Covid-19 pandemic shutdowns, which pushed more consumers toward online grocery delivery. The trend boosted the company's compound annual growth rate nearly 130% between 2019 and 2022, with Instacart expected to post more than $1 billion in adjusted EBITDA in 2023, according to Needham.

Persons: Needham, Bernie McTernan, Instacart's, Instacart, McTernan, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Nasdaq, Walmart Locations: Instacart, Needham, Amazon

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