Shipt Shopper Review: Earn Up to $22 Per Hour Delivering Groceries

Grocery delivery services are more popular today than ever before, so the demand for grocery shoppers has increased.

If you’re looking for a way to make some extra money, working for a service like Shipt can be a good option.

You can become a Shipt Shopper and get paid to shop on your own time and deliver groceries for people who’d like to take grocery shopping off their to-do lists.

Shipt Shopper Review at a Glance

As a Shipt Shopper, you shop for and deliver groceries to Shipt’s customers within a specific time frame. You can use the Shipt app to accept or reject orders and work as much or as little as you want.

Pros of Working for Shipt

Make your own schedule. You can work any time you’d like since Shipt will give you the freedom to set your own schedule. This is great if you have a full-time job, kids, or other responsibilities.

Free Shipt membership. If you work for Shipt, you can enjoy a free membership and hire someone to shop for you when you don’t want to.

Get paid per order. Each order will include an estimated pay rate based on how long it will take to complete it. You can earn up to $22 per order.

Can accept tips. On top of your hourly rate, you can make extra money in tips since customers can leave tips after you deliver their groceries.

Cons of Working for Shipt

Pay for your own gas. Shipt won’t reimburse you for mileage, so you’re responsible for your own gas. You can deduct mileage on your taxes as a business deduction.

Pay for your own phone and data usage. You’ll also pay for your own phone and data usage as Shipt doesn’t reimburse for these either.

Can’t see the exact items of an order. Shipt won’t show you the exact items on an order before you accept or reject it, just its price. This means, you may get stuck with an order where you have to pick up 15 heavy cases of water.

May take longer than expected. If there’s a traffic jam or a sudden thunderstorm, completing a Shipt order can take you longer than you thought it would and become less profitable.

Must shop alone. You can’t bring your kids or friends along with you on a Shipt shopping trip as the company requires that you complete orders on your own.

If you don’t mind driving or grocery shopping and are searching for a flexible side hustle, you may enjoy shopping for Shipt.

What Is Shipt and How Does It Work?

Shipt is an app-based grocery delivery service that was founded in 2014 in Birmingham, Alabama. Customers can use the app to select groceries and other products from their local store and get them delivered to their door.

Shipt is intended to make life easier for people who simply don’t have the time, ability, or desire to drive to the store and shop.

Pay Expectations

As a Shipt Shopper, you’ll be an independent contractor, meaning you’ll be on the hook for paying your own taxes based on your earnings. In most cases, Shipt orders take about an hour to complete and pay up to $22.

You should set aside between 20% to 25% of your earnings for taxes. Be sure to track how much you drive for Shipt so you can deduct your mileage.

You can expect to receive payment through direct deposit every Friday for work you completed the previous Monday through Sunday.

Shopper Requirements

To become a Shipt Shopper, you must:

Be at least 18 years old.
Hold a valid U.S. driver’s license and car insurance policy.
Have a dependable vehicle that’s a 1997 model year or newer.
Be knowledgeable on produce selection.
Have insulated cooler bags.
Be able to lift 40 pounds.
Have an iPhone (iOS 10 or newer) or Android (5.1 or newer) smartphone.

Shipt Locations

Shipt has expanded its reach since Target acquired it in late 2017. Their service is now available in more than 100 markets nationwide. Check the Shipt site to see if it’s available in your area.

Shopper Safety Precautions

Shipt will encourage you to get to know its customers, but it doesn’t ask that you let anyone enter your car. Once you land a Shipt Shopper gig, the company will give you clear safety guidelines so that you can do your job without worrying.

Interview Questions and Tips to Get Hired

To become a Shipt Shopper, you’ll need to fill out an application and complete a video interview via Skype. According to Glassdoor, some of the questions you can expect to answer during the interview include:_[1]

What’s your availability like?
How can you fit Shipt into your schedule?
Describe a time you provided an exceptional customer experience.
If a customer requested raspberries and the grocery store is out of them, what would you do?
What are three skills you have that will benefit you as a Shipt shopper?
What are three things you look for when choosing a fresh apple?
Describe a time when you had a difficult customer situation and how you handled it.
The store is out of sirloin steak. What do you text the customer?
What would you do if you arrive at a customer’s home with their groceries and they aren’t home?
An order of X items has a delivery time of X p.m., what time should you start shopping?

Familiarize yourself with these types of questions and show that you can provide great customer service. You should prove that you can live up to the Shipt Shopper mantra: “Be accurate. Be awesome. Be on time.”

Shipt Shopper Training

Once you get hired as a Shipt Shopper, you’ll get an invite to join the Shipt Shopper Hub, which is an online resource full of tips and training videos. You can also take an optional online course that’ll teach you how to use the Shipt Shopper app.

Shopper Bonuses

You can claim a free membership if you shop for Shipt. This is a great perk since it costs $99 per year or $14 per month to join Shipt. This gives you the chance to use Shipt for your own grocery shopping.

You can also get invited to exclusive launch and expansion parties so you can meet fellow shoppers and get free swag like lanyards and t-shirts. If you go above and beyond as a Shipt Shopper, you may get invited to be a paid Shipt representative at certain events and conferences.

Shipt Shopper FAQs

Becoming a Shipt Shopper is easy in most areas, but you’ll want to know all the basics of the position before applying.

How will I purchase the groceries at checkout?

Shipt will provide a prepaid card to pay for each order. It will contain the amount of money you need for your order plus a bit more for extras.

What happens if I refer someone to Shipt?

Once the person you refer has been a member for 30 days and makes their first order, Shipt will add a $50 credit to your account. Referring friends and family is a great way to earn even more and save on groceries.

How do tips work?

A customer will have the chance to tip after the order has been completed. They can tip in cash or within the app, and you’ll be able to keep the entire amount.

Is a background check required to be a Shipt shopper?

Yes. Shipt uses a third-party company called Checkr to complete background checks on prospective Shipt Shoppers. This allows them to be compliant with state and federal employment laws.

Shipt vs. Instacart: How do they compare?

Instacart is another popular grocery delivery service. Compared to Instacart, Shipt has a more generous referral program as Instacart only offers referrals with $10 credits. Shipt has a wider reach than Instacart and can serve customers in more cities.

How does Shipt make money?

Shipt makes money through its membership fee of either $99 per year or $14 per month. The company also charges delivery fees of $7 on smaller orders under $35. Service fees are also applied at checkout at select retailers.

Will I deliver orders to businesses?

While most Shipt orders are delivered to residential properties, you may come across a few orders for businesses.

Should You Become a Shipt Shopper?

If you like the idea of getting paid to help others shop for groceries, a gig as a Shipt Shopper may be right for you. It can give you the chance to make money whenever your schedule permits and earn a free Shipt membership.