Grocery delivery services are a great way for people to shop quickly and conveniently.
It’s no wonder that so many new delivery services have been established over the last five years.
Most recently, the Covid 19 pandemic contributed to a notable upswing in-home delivery services of all types, but especially grocery delivery.
Shoppers wanted the option to get the things they needed with no traveling and minimal contact.
The grocery delivery revolution opened doors for many people who were looking to earn extra income.
Being a shopper for a grocery delivery company is fairly easy; all you need is a valid ID, a way to get around, and some motivation.
Grocery delivery is attractive to many people because it allows for a flexible schedule, and they get to help people daily.
For many people, grocery stores are comforting, familiar, friendly environments, so they enjoy spending their time shopping for others.
Today, we’ll take a look at one of the newer grocery delivery services on the scene: Cornershop.
This service is relatively new to the US but is growing steadily.
If you’re considering being a Cornershop shopper, read on to find out the requirements, pros and cons, and much more.
Table Of Contents
What is Cornershop?
Cornershop is a home grocery delivery service.
It was founded in 2015 in Chile.
The app was launched by a group of friends, including Daniel Undurraga and Oskar Hjertonsson.
They started by offering services in Chile and Mexico, later expanding to cover other areas of Latin America and eventually expanding to Canada.
Cornershop’s big break in the United States came in 2020 when it was acquired by the ridesharing giant Uber.
Uber already led the pack in ride-hailing and had a solid foot in the market in fast food delivery with its popular Uber Eats app.
Naturally, the company wanted to add more food delivery options to the Uber platform.
Today, Cornershop is growing and making its unique mark on the grocery delivery world here in the United States.
It is currently available in 17 states, with Florida being the most active state at this time.
How Does Being a Cornershop Shopper Work?
You sign up to be a Cornershop shopper by giving your personal information as well as your vehicle information.
Once you’re signed up, you’re ready to use the shopper app to allow prospective customers to find you.
Once you’re connected with a customer and accept the errand, you go to the grocery store they chose and shop, as usual, choosing your customers’ preferred products in the same way as you would do for yourself.
At checkout, you go through the procedure of using the app, then you deliver the completed order to your customer’s location of choice.
Once the order is complete, your customer can tip you within six hours of delivery.
You get paid weekly with Cornershop through direct deposit, set up as part of the company onboarding process.
Who Can Be a Cornershop Shopper?
Any adult who is legal to work in the United States and meets the other requirements detailed below can be a Cornershop shopper.
Requirements
To be a Cornershop shopper, you have to meet their requirements.
These requirements are fairly basic and simple.
You need to be 19 years of age or older, be legally able to work in the United States, and have a valid government-issued photo ID.
If you plan to use a car or motorcycle to make your deliveries, you need your ID to be a driver’s license, but if you use a bicycle, you can have a different kind of ID (for example, a passport or non-driver ID).
If you’re using a car, it needs to be a model year 1999 or later and be in good working order.
You will also have to meet some driving history requirements.
Cornershop Shopper Comparisons
Cornershop is a fairly new app in the United States, so there isn’t yet a great deal of data on its merits compared to those of longer-standing apps like Instacart or Shipt.
It takes some digging around the internet to look for testimonials from those who have worked for Cornershop as well as other services.
Some comparisons are taken from comparably.com, while others are from Glassdoor or other employment forums.
They cover topics like company culture, perks, internet mentions, and more.
Cornershop vs Instacart
There is a lot of conflicting information on the rating of Cornershop vs. Instacart.
Some sources have shoppers who have worked for both companies saying they preferred Instacart and others saying that Cornershop was the better option.
Overall, Instacart seems to beat Cornershop as far as ease of use, and since grocery delivery is all about convenience, that alone puts them ahead for the moment.
Cornershop vs Postmates
Postmates is mostly known for delivering fast food, so when people are looking for a grocery delivery service, Postmates might not be their go-to app.
If you live in a large city, you may be able to make money shopping for Postmates.
However, in mid-sized markets, the prospects don’t look as good.
Postmates rates a 3.8 out of 5 on Glassdoor for employee satisfaction.
Cornershop vs Shipt
In a head-to-head comparison of Cornershop vs. Shipt, Shipt comes out ahead in terms of shoppers’ experience with the company pay rate and team culture, as well as on a search of internet mentions.
Shipt is a long-standing company, but it serves fewer stores than Cornershop.
It may offer fewer options for shoppers.
Cornershop vs Peapod
Peapod has been in existence for over 30 years.
It was one of the first professional grocery shopper services.
The company initially aimed its services at major cities on the East Coast of the United States – mainly New York and Boston- and stayed within those areas.
It has recently reduced its service area even further in the last couple of years.
Due to its limited geographic area, Peapod doesn’t have opportunities for many shoppers.
It also only received a 3 out of 5 rating on Glassdoor for shopper experience.
What Stores Use Cornershop?
The stores Cornershop serves depends on the city where you work.
Many major retail grocery chains and big-box stores use Cornershop in the cities where the service is available.
Cornershop can also be used to shop at smaller mom-and-pop stores, specialty shops, bakeries, and delis.
Customers can use their Cornershop app to see which stores are available to them in their specific location.
How Much Do Cornershop Shoppers Earn?
According to Glassdoor, the earnings range for a Cornershop shopper is between 13 and 16 dollars an hour, with 15 dollars per hour being the typical salary.
As with any service of this type, a shopper’s actual earnings will be based on many factors, including the population density of the area they serve, the number of nearby grocery stores, the price of gas, and the gas economy of the vehicle they use to make deliveries.
It also depends on their rapport with their customers.
Shoppers who are friendly, attentive, and competent will likely earn more tips than those who are not.
Rates
Cornershop app lists its pay rates as “50 cents per product and 65 cents per mile,” which is in addition to any tips you might receive on delivery.
This rate is comparable to other similar grocery delivery services.
Shoppers also have opportunities to earn special bonus commissions.
Do Cornershop Shoppers Get Tips?
Yes, you can earn tips as a Cornershop Shopper.
Tipping is completely voluntary and up to the customer, but many customers will choose to include a tip, just as they do with rideshares and other delivery services.
Customers can tip their shopper directly through the Cornershop app.
Is it Worth it to be a Cornershop Shopper?
While it is unlikely that you’d be able to pay all your bills working as a Cornershop shopper, you can make extra money with it.
Many Cornershop shoppers drive for other apps as well.
So Cornershop is a decent source of supplemental income if you enjoy shopping and delivering groceries.
Pros:
- Make your own hours
- Work independently
- Help people get what they need
- Positive atmosphere/friendly people
Cons:
- Earnings depend largely on the area worked
- Dealing with traffic
- Relatively low wages
When deciding whether you want to be a Cornershop shopper, it’s smart to weigh the pros and cons.
These are just basic pros and cons, but you should measure other factors that relate to you personally as well.
For example, are you knowledgeable about grocery products?
Do you enjoy driving?
Also, you will need to think of what type of working schedule would benefit you.
Cornershop Shopper FAQs
Here are a few of the frequently asked questions about Cornershop.
Do You Need to Have a Car?
No.
You can make your deliveries by motorcycle or bicycle.
Just make sure you have the proper licensing to operate a motorcycle, or, if you’re delivering by bike, you have a valid government-issued photo ID.
Keep in mind that delivering by vehicles other than a car will limit how much groceries you can carry at one time and could possibly affect your tips because of that.
Sometimes a small order can equal a small tip.
How Do You Pay for the Items?
The customer pays for the items through the app.
As a shopper, all you have to do is follow the directions on your app to go through the checkout process.
A small reserve is held on the customer’s card for any changes or extras that might end up being made to the order, but that amount will be returned to them if unused, and they will only be charged for what they actually purchase.
As the shopper, you will upload a picture of the receipt to your app to show that everything is right with that order.
Wrap-Up
Cornershop has just begun to make its mark in the North American grocery delivery arena.
It serves many types of stores, offers pay that’s similar to that of other delivery services, and allows you to set your own hours.
If you enjoy grocery shopping, live in an area where Cornershop is available, and you’re looking for a local gig work opportunity, being a Cornershop shopper might just be a good option for you.
