Delivery Companies add Gas Surcharge to Help Drivers Fund the Rising Cost of Gas

(Photo Illustration by Thiago Prudencio/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

In the year 2022, gas prices reaching an all time high was the last thing consumers thought would be happening. Gas prices have increased to now over $4/gallon causing many to decrease the amount of driving they do in a weeks time to preserve their gas as much as possible. Gas prices are following the lead with inflation, causing many people to decide what is a necessary trip and what is unfortunately not worth the drive. The recent gas surcharge comes after the horrific war going on between Russia and Ukraine.

After conducting research, it was decided that there are many contributing factors to the inflation of groceries prices. Factors including, supply and demand causing shortages, farmers throwing out crops due to not being able to sell them, and business owners adjusting to the higher markets due to the effects of the covid-19 pandemic. During these findings, Christopher Allen, an Oakland Community student provided insight on how he was adjusting to such increases. "We've been realizing that ever since the price increase, what saves us the most money is buying groceries in bulk from our local Sam's Club or Costco to save the amount we have to buy weekly," said Allen. "When you think about it, this price increase affects college students especially since our funds are really limited to begin with.” Allen went on to note that being a part of the younger generation is a learning process. "My girlfriend and I are a part of the younger generation still learning all of the tips and tricks that the older folks do to keep their grocery bills fairly cheap," said Christopher Allen. Inflation not only hurt consumer who shop in stores, but it affected those who utilize delivery services to get their groceries delivered to their homes.

“It’s sad that customers aren’t able to get their full list of groceries because they have to cut down in order to afford the price of living nowadays,” said Fairchild a Shipt shopper for over two years now. “I knew prices would go up due to the shortages because of the pandemic, but I did not think it would affect so many people. I will continue to deliver to those in the Clare/Mount Pleasant area to help in any way I can.”

In recent weeks, Russia and Ukraine have been in an ugly war after the news of Russia deciding to invade the Ukraine. Many are wondering how this affects Americans since it is so far away. According to the Wall Street Journal, 8% of the US imports of crude oil came from Russia in 2021. Due to the invasion, the US instilled a ban on Russian imports which includes crude oil, natural gas and coal.

How does this affect Americans? With the rising cost of gas, delivery services such as, Shipt, Lyft, Uber Eats, and Instacart have drivers that rely on the use of their personal vehicle in order to make living. Instacart is a dual food delivery and grocery delivery service. On March 18, Instacart announced a temporary surcharge to assist drivers in covering gas costs that once were not an issue. Instacart said in a statement, "We’re implementing a temporary surcharge on customer orders to help offset the increased cost of gas over the next month. This surcharge will add an additional $.40 on customer orders across our marketplace, with a clear indication of the fuel surcharge on the batch before you accept it. Every cent of the new, temporary fuel surcharge will be passed directly onto the shopper.”

The recent changes come after people were trying to find a solution to coping with the increasing prices of groceries and specifically items deemed as necessities. Gas prices increases is yet another issue that consumers are forced to suffer with. With both going hand in hand, there is no real answer as to where delivery service will be within the next six months, or if it will even be popular and many people will not be able to afford both big changes.