There are days when you just don’t want to leave the house because you’re feeling lazy or you’re too busy to do your groceries. This is a completely normal occurrence, and thankfully, grocery delivery services exist to help us out during these times. One of the services you’ve probably heard about is Shipt. In this review, we’ll discuss some of the important things you need to know about this service before trying it out for the first time.
What Is Shipt?
Shipt is an app and website that allows you to go grocery shopping without actually having to leave your home. In other words, with a few taps of a finger or clicks of a button, you can have these necessities delivered straight to your home. However, there’s a catch to using Shipt: while you don’t need to pay anything for just downloading the app and registering an account, you do need to buy a membership if you want to place an order.
By using Shipt, you have the option to choose from various stores within your area. After checking out your order, you’ll have a personal shopper who will buy the items from your order for you. The shopper will also alert you if any products are out of order as well as update you and deliver the order within the time slot you chose. Depending on where you live, Shipt also offers pickup services.
How Does It Work?
As mentioned, your grocery list or order will be given to a personal shopper. That shopper will then go to the store for you, pick up the products in your order, and then deliver them straight to you. After confirming that Shipt is available in your area, these are the steps leading up to your first Shipt order:
Create an Account
The first step is to either create an account through the online site or download the app and create an account from there. As mentioned, creating a Shipt account is free of charge, but you’ll have to subscribe to be a member in order for you to actually order anything. When creating an account, you just have to provide your basic information: your name, email address, and password.
Enter Your Delivery Address
After successfully signing in, you should type in your address or the location where you want your personal shopper to deliver your order. After doing so, you’ll see a list of partner stores you can choose from. If the store you want to buy groceries from has a rewards card or the like, you can also enter that information. Head over to the “Account” section and then tap on “Rewards.” If that’s too much trouble, you can also enter the card or membership information upon checkout.
Start Shopping
Now that your account is ready, you can go ahead and start shopping. You can narrow down your search by browsing by category, but you can also save more by checking what’s on sale. If you want to avoid overspending or impulsive buying, it’s recommended if you create a shopping list ahead of time to stay on track.
Choose a Membership Plan
Before you can finalize your order, Shipt will require you to either pay for an annual membership priced at $8.25 a month, or purchase a $10 Shipt Pass. If you want to shop using Shipt frequently, then paying for a membership may be worth it. Either way, weigh the pros and cons first before deciding.
Choose the Delivery Time and Any Preferred Substitutes
Once you’ve made your decision, you can finally place your Shipt order. When you’ve reached the checkout screen, you just need to type in your phone number, choose which payment method you want to use, and verify the delivery address. You can also set the delivery time, in case you want to order your groceries in advance.
On the checkout screen, you can also choose your substitution preferences in case the product you want is out of stock or unavailable. You can either ask your personal shopper to call you, ask them to choose the substitute for you, or don’t let them substitute at all.
Receive Your Order
At this point, all you can do is wait for your personal shopper to finish picking up your items. You’ll receive text updates from them, informing you once they’ve started shopping and when they’re on your way to your house.
Which Stores Support Shipt?
Target actually owns Shipt, but there are several other stores near you that support the service too. According to the official website, some of the partner stores include Meijer, LIDL, HEB, Costco, Lowes Foods, Winn Dixie, and a lot more.
Pros
- Using Shipt offers convenience and saves you time when it comes to shopping groceries and any other household essentials. You can place an order from anywhere and on any device, which means you don’t have to leave the comfort of your home.
- You can receive your order as soon as an hour after placing it, but you also have the option of scheduling your order in advance.
- You have a variety of store options, although this depends on your geographical location.
Cons
- Unfortunately, Shipt requires you to be a member first before you can place any orders on the platform. While you can purchase Shipt Passes, these cost $10 and is only good for one delivery.
- The prices offered by Shipt are higher than the actual in-store prices, but this is meant to cover the delivery costs and other processes involved.
Conclusion
Shipt definitely has its fair share of pros and cons, so consider these carefully before diving in. While the platform is convenient and easy to navigate, there are other grocery delivery services out there that don’t require you to become a member first in order to use the service. But if you specifically like Shipt and plan to use it frequently, then perhaps paying the membership fee would be worth it.
