When Vitacost, a fulfillment center in Lexington, North Carolina, doubled its volume in one year, the staffing challenge was immediate. Its facility, which ships vitamins, supplements, and beauty products to health-conscious online customers, was navigating a major transformation. A recent acquisition consolidated operations from three buildings into one, with warehouse staffing jumping from 200 workers to nearly 400 in one year. The Vitacost team needed a staffing solution that could flex with unpredictable demand spikes, protect employee morale during the transition, and maintain service levels through high-stakes peak periods.
The challenge
Peak seasons in health and wellness e-commerce are intense. A typical cycle lasts six weeks, with two weeks of heavy inventory intake, two weeks of active sales, and three to four weeks of fulfillment. Volume spikes dramatically in January, when health-focused resolutions drive order surges.
The facility's previous approach, hiring permanent employees ahead of busy seasons, created problems when volume dropped. Reduced hours meant financial strain for workers and high turnover for the business. Overtime created a different set of problems. The center's time-and-a-half rate was too expensive to scale, and repeated long hours burned out the team. The facility risked losing its most experienced workers.
“It's been hard for our associates to kind of go through those ebbs and flows of the business throughout the year,” said Nikki Piccolo, HR Manager.
Vitacost tried traditional alternative labor partners, but attendance was unreliable, performance varied, and coordination required significant oversight. During peak periods, when the facility needs to meet strict service level agreements (SLAs) promising delivery within specific windows, inconsistency isn’t an option. Missing SLAs means delayed shipments and potential damage to the brand's reputation.
The solution
The fulfillment center turned to Instawork for on-demand staffing that could scale with volume, ramping up during peaks and down when demand normalized.
Managers posted shifts in seconds and first offered them to preferred workers who had already proven themselves at the facility. If those workers didn't fill all slots, shifts opened to new Pros. The platform also automated worker communication, making coordination easy. “The quickness of which you can get new staff in the building is really what was surprising to me," Piccolo said. "I can do all of those things in seconds, which would traditionally take me so much more time.”
The center also brought in Instawork shift captains, experienced Pros who could oversee teams, maintain quality standards, and provide on-the-ground leadership. This was especially valuable during peak periods when the facility needed to onboard and manage dozens of new workers quickly.
Pros were rated and reviewed after each shift, creating accountability and helping the facility identify top performers. The ability to build a preferred worker pool meant the center could rely on familiar faces during critical periods, which reduced training time and improved consistency.
The result
Since partnering with Instawork, the fulfillment center doubled its workforce and improved operational performance during a high-stakes transition:
Scaled from 200 to 400 workers without overcommitting to permanent headcount. The facility absorbed volume from two closed locations while maintaining staffing flexibility. Instawork provided the flexibility needed to handle growth without locking into headcount that might not match future demand.
Met customer SLAs during peak season for the first time. During the January "New Year, New You" sale, the center met its service level agreement for the first time during that event. "We were able to meet our SLA much better by having that extra workforce in here," Piccolo said. The facility no longer posts delay warnings on its website.
Cut overtime costs and protected employee morale. Instawork's bill rate was lower than the center's time-and-a-half overtime rate. Scaling up with flexible workers during peaks reduced costs and prevented employee burnout, improving retention of experienced staff.
Improved worker quality and reliability. Instawork Pros showed up more consistently and performed better than workers from alternative labor partners. “We've seen better success with the quality of worker that's coming in during those peak time periods,” Piccolo noted.
Built a new recruitment pipeline. Several Instawork Pros transitioned to full-time roles after proving themselves on the floor, giving both parties a low-risk way to test fit. "It's like being able to try out the job," Piccolo said. "It was a great way for them to be able to try out the job and us try them out."
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