Grocery delivery services are a growing service people use to simplify their life, especially given current events. With this expansion, the necessity for personal grocery shoppers has also grown. If you need a way to earn extra money, Shipt Shopper is a terrific platform to supplement your income.
Like other on-demand courier jobs, you can work for the platform and work on your own schedule. There are minimal requirements, and as long as you’re at least 18 years old, you can use the app to make money on the side.
If that sounds like you, our review will show you exactly how you can earn up to $22 per hour delivering groceries.
Table of Contents
What is Shipt Shopper?
Shipt is a grocery delivery app for people who need same-day service. The service requires an annual membership, costing users $99 per year. As a Shopper, you receive a membership as a free perk.
Target owns the platform, and working as a Shipt Shopper is similar to working as an Instacart Shopper.
Customers use the app to order groceries and other items from their local grocery store. As the shopper, you use the Shopper app to select shops, do the shopping, and deliver the items to the customer in your car.
Everything happens on the app, so you’ll see which store to stop at, grocery lists, the delivery location, and more.
This is unlike DoorDash where you solely deliver restaurant meals. Read our DoorDash vs. Shipt Shopper analysis to learn which is best for drivers.
The service is available in over 400 cities across the country and is growing.
Shipt has made its way into many larger cities across the country including:
- Boston
- Orlando
- Kansas City
- Philadelphia
- Tampa
- Phoenix
- Portland
- New York
- Los Angeles
If you want to deliver groceries for people, it’s simple to apply and start earning money.
How to Become a Shipt Shopper
If you want to know how to become a Shipt Shopper, you need to complete three simple steps. Those are:
- Apply and interview
- Get approved
- Download the Shipt Shopper app
The interview is not difficult. The company interviews applicants via video. Expect to hear some of the following questions when applying to work for Shipt Shopper:
- What is your typical availability?
- How can you fit working for Shipt in your regular schedule?
- If a customer requests a particular item and the store does not have it, what would you do?
- What are the things you look for when selecting fresh produce?
- Describe a time you had a difficult customer situation; what did you do to resolve it?
The company will usually hire all qualified applicants, assuming they have need in your city. If there is, they will reach out within 24-48 hours.
If there is no need, they may put you on a waiting list until there is availability.
Once your application is approved, you download the app and complete the necessary training there. You can find the training materials in the Shipt Shopper Hub.
The Hub contains numerous tips and training videos you can use to help you learn how to use the app. Once you download the app and complete your training, you can start receiving orders.
Requirements
Like most delivery driver jobs, Shipt Shopper is a platform many can work for as they do not require specialized skills.
As long as you can perform the job, and there is availability, you should be able to work for the service.
There are a few requirements to become a Shopper, including:
- A valid US driver’s license
- Auto insurance
- Knowledge of produce selection
- Have an iPhone (iOS 10 or newer) or Android (5.1 or newer)
- Reliable car that’s a 1997 or newer
- Ability to lift 40 pounds
- Have insulated cooler bags, which the service provides
Assuming you can meet the requirements and your application is approved, you can start accepting orders. Read our guide here of other services that have similar requirements.
What Does Working for the App Look Like?
Shoppers can choose their own schedule by selecting available hours in the app. When orders start coming through, you can decide whether you want to accept them or not.
Each order shows the following information to help you choose if you want to accept it:
- Selected grocery store
- Size of the order
- Estimated pay
- Delivery area for the customer
Shipt is a little different from other grocery delivery platforms because it gives you the option to set your delivery radius. This can limit how far out you have to go, but also limits how many orders you receive.
*Do you want to deliver packages instead of food? Read our guide on how to become an Amazon driver here to learn how you can make $20+ per hour.
Realize that limiting your radius can limit your earnings if there are not enough orders in the areas that you select.
You may just need to play around with this feature and learn the busy times and areas to optimize your time shopping and delivering for Shipt.
Sometimes, Shipt allows you to go online in the app when it’s busy, whether you scheduled time or not. Some shoppers even get offered bonus pay to work during busy times so that orders still get fulfilled.
Shipt prides itself on providing same-day grocery delivery, so the number of orders you receive can vary depending on how the market is in your area.
Accepting Orders
When your scheduled shift begins, you need to login on the app to access your account. This page is where you will locate all available shops.
You don’t need to accept each shop, but the company does measure acceptance rates. If you want to maximize income, you can accept multiple orders at once and do the shops concurrently.
Like Instacart Shopper, with Shipt you perform the shopping and delivery of the groceries.
Here is a typical example of what you will do after accepting a shop for a customer:
- Head to the grocery store to start shopping
- Select the requested items
- Purchase items with a provided, pre-loaded cash card
- Check order notes for specifics on drop off location
- Message the customer when you are on the way
- Drive to customer’s house
- Bring items to the customer’s door
- Take a picture as proof of delivery
- Message or ring doorbell to let the customer know you dropped off items
After completing the selected shops, you select additional orders until the end of your shift.
The app also has an active shoppers minimum of one order completed every 90 days. If you don’t complete an order within that timeframe, you will not see available gigs within the app.
How Much Do Shipt Shoppers Make Per Order?
As with any side gig app, the pay is an important consideration when looking at Shipt Shopper as an opportunity.
Shoppers receive payment per order that they complete, and there is no minimum order amount for customers.
For each order that you accept, you receive a commission. The base commission is $5 plus 7.50 percent of the order amount.
As an example, if you accept a shop that costs $50, you will receive $8.75 for your time. If you’re a fast shopper, you can maximize earning potential, but if you’re a slower shopper, this will impact earnings.
That is only part of the Shipt Shopper salary you can expect. Shoppers can also receive tips from customers after completing a delivery.
You keep 100 percent of the tips you receive.
The company claims contractors can earn up to $22 per hour. That’s a good income for a side hustle, but remember your timeliness will impact earnings.
Working on Sundays and Mondays is another terrific way to increase earnings as their tend to be more orders.
*Related: Are you considering delivering for Instacart Shopper? Read our guide here on the recommended times to do so to help maximize your earnings.
As an independent contractor, remember to hold aside part of your earnings for taxes. The service does not withhold taxes, so you don’t want to be surprised come tax season.
Payments arrive via direct deposit, and shoppers get paid every Friday. Shoppers have to pay for their own gas and data usage but do have the option to write them off on taxes at the end of the year.
Does Shipt Give Bonuses?
Shipt often gives bonuses to drivers that are able to meet or exceed certain goals. This usually requires meeting a specific number of deliveries in a set timeframe.
These are often in increments of 25 deliveries, and the more you complete the higher the bonus. Shipt also gives holiday bonuses and sign-on bonuses when there is increased demand for drivers.
Pros and Cons
Like every money-making opportunity, there are benefits and drawbacks. Here are some things to keep in mind before you deliver for Shipt.
Pros
- Weekly pay
- Get paid via direct deposit
- Can make $22 per hour on average
- Occasional promotion bonuses
- Shoppers keep 100 percent of their tips
- Payment per completed trip
- Flexible hours
- ASL friendly
Cons
- Limited orders if you don’t live in busy areas/cities
- Have to pay for own mileage, car maintenance, and other expenses
- Includes limited physical activity like carrying and loading grocery bags
The negatives aside, working for Shipt Shopper is an excellent way to make extra money on the side. If you have a flexible schedule and don’t hate shopping, it’s a good way to increase your income.
Shipt Shopper FAQs
If you want to know how to be a Shipt Shopper, it’s not difficult. However, there are some things you can do to increase earnings or know before applying.
How does a Shipt Shopper pay for groceries?
You receive a prepaid cash card to pay for each order. The card has enough to buy the items for the customer, plus a little more to cover additional items upon request in case you need to contact them while shopping.
How do the tips work?
Tips are a significant part of your Shipt Shopper pay. The customer can pay you in cash when you drop off the items, or they can pay you within the app.
Is a background check required?
Yes, Shipt does perform a background check on potential contractors.
How does Shipt make money?
Shipt makes its money from subscription costs of $99 per year or $14 per month. They also charge a delivery fee of $7 if your order is under $35
Should I accept small orders?
Smaller orders do result in lower commissions. However, it increases your ability to earn more tips.
It also makes it easier to perform multiple shops at once. Generally speaking, this means more cash in your pocket.
Which is better to work for Shipt or Instacart?
Both grocery delivery jobs work similarly. The average pay for Shipt Shoppers is a little higher than Instacart, but it doesn’t have the same availability. Both companies offer promotions, and pay is weekly, so it comes down to your preference.
Read our Instacart Shopper or Shipt Shopper guide to learn how the two apps compare.
Shipt Shopper Review
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Earning potential
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Sign up
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Ease of Use
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Job Availability
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Payment Speed
Summary
If you live in a larger city with lots of delivery requests, you can earn up to $22 per hour delivering for Shipt. The ability to earn tips and perform jobs quickly will increase your potential earnings.
Overall
4.1Pros
✔️ Weekly pay
✔️ Can earn up to $22 per hour
✔️ You keep 100 percent of tips
✔️ There are no passengers involved
✔️ Periodic promotion bonuses
Cons
❌ Not as widely available as Instacart Shopper
❌ Can’t see exact items in order before accepting
Summary
While you won’t replace your day job working for Shipt Shopper, the on-demand app is a fantastic option for people who want to make extra income.
It lets you earn good money doing relatively easy work, all on your own schedule.
Regardless if you’re a stay-at-home parent or just want a flexible side hustle, the on-demand app offers ample opportunities to make money.
What other questions do you have about working for the delivery service? What are your favorite ways to make money on the side?
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