I am an independent consultant who in many ways is no different than other gig economy workers like those who work for Instacart, Shipt, etc. Because my wife and I are both self employed and work from home, we cook most of our meals, and because it allows us a chance to get out of the house, we love to go grocery shopping. That is why we never signed up for these services.
With the shelter-in-place and social distancing measures put in place in the state of Massachusetts, as a couple in their 50s (though with no pre-existing conditions), we have been trying our best to avoid getting infected. During the early stages of the pandemic, we noticed that stores were crowded and many people simply did not follow the social distancing guidelines.
That is when we decided to explore the idea of using Instacart, and immediately, the ethical dilemma came. This decision was to be taken right after we and others in our family decided to contribute a small amount each month to so that another family member could stop working at a supermarket, because her husband is obese and has smoked his whole life.
My wife and I just did not feel right that while we get to protect ourselves, a fellow American working for an overvalued tech company, will be risking her/his life for minimum wages. That is when I decided to research what the ethicists have to say, and here is what I learned:
With the shelter-in-place and social distancing measures put in place in the state of Massachusetts, as a couple in their 50s (though with no pre-existing conditions), we have been trying our best to avoid getting infected. During the early stages of the pandemic, we noticed that stores were crowded and many people simply did not follow the social distancing guidelines.
That is when we decided to explore the idea of using Instacart, and immediately, the ethical dilemma came. This decision was to be taken right after we and others in our family decided to contribute a small amount each month to so that another family member could stop working at a supermarket, because her husband is obese and has smoked his whole life.
My wife and I just did not feel right that while we get to protect ourselves, a fellow American working for an overvalued tech company, will be risking her/his life for minimum wages. That is when I decided to research what the ethicists have to say, and here is what I learned:
- These workers need these jobs more than ever. With the economy in free fall and a recession that will last for a year or two, for many Americans this is the only way for them to put food on the table.
- Human societies have always asked some of its members to do difficult and unpleasant tasks. This is just how the world works. There are people who sort our trash, prepare our meat for us, or service our sewage systems. We should accept this reality but make sure that through our political system, we support politicians who take care of everyone.
- Not just now, but at all points of time, we should support these workers by being generous to them. The lady who delivered our order purchased what we wanted, found a replacement for what was not on the shelves, and placed it on our front door -- quite a walk from my driveway. We tipped her extremely well.
- As the lockdown continues, we will continue to use Instacart. I was also advised that these are difficult times -- there are long lines to get into a store, not all items are on the shelf, and shoppers must be very careful while shopping. This calls for flexibility on our part by approving all substitutes and tipping very generously.