On-demand grocery, package, and food delivery services have taken our world by storm, especially since the beginning of the pandemic.
Services like Instacart and DoorDash make day-to-day life much easier for consumers by taking the hassle out of tasks like grocery shopping or preparing dinner.
A delivery service that isn’t as widely known but is equally as efficient is Shipt.
Shipt delivery service is growing every day, now available in over 5,000 cities across the United States.
This article will tell you everything you need to know about using Shipt, and by the end, you’ll know why it’s one of the fastest-growing delivery services available today.
Table Of Contents
What Is Shipt Delivery?
Shipt is a national grocery and food delivery service that first launched in 2014 in Birmingham, Alabama.
It was later picked up by Target in 2017, where the company more than tripled in growth.
Shipt’s primary mission is to simplify the lives of its customers while providing an excellent customer service experience.
Shipt allows customers to stock up on groceries and other essentials like pet foods, household items, and toiletries with ease from their smartphone or computer.
Shipt goes a step further than a curbside pickup, they can actually leave them at your door if you request it.
Shipt sends shoppers into stores to pick up items from your lists and deliver them directly to your doorstep.
Shipt is known for its competitive same-day service, offering delivery as soon as one hour from when you place your order with no minimum purchase requirement.
Shipt has built partnerships with some of the largest brands in the country.
Even though Target owns Shipt, you can also get same-day delivery through the Shipt app from a large variety of stores, like Kroger, Costco, CVS, H-E-B, and many more.
Shipt matches you with Shipt Shoppers who will be responsible for carrying out your order from shopping to delivery.
You can even make last-minute changes and requests as long as the shopper is still in the store.
Did you know?
Shipt tracking allows customers who have placed an order to identify where their package is at all times.
Stop wondering about the arrival time and see it in real-time with this cool feature!
What Does Shipt Deliver?
A better question would be: what doesn’t Shipt deliver?
You can even order alcohol!
With Shipt, you can have groceries and household essentials delivered from categories like:
- Snacks
- Dairy
- Alcohol
- Pet essentials
- Home and kitchen
- Deli
- Electronics
- Toys
- School and office supplies
- Sporting goods
- Lawn and garden
- Entertainment
- Party
- International goods
Basically, if you can find it in a store, Shipt will make sure you have it delivered.
They offer alcohol delivery for a small $7 fee.
Visit the Shipt cities page to see if they are operating in your city.
How Does Shipt Delivery Work?
Shipt is incredibly easy to use.
You will need to download the Shipt app onto your Android or iOS device and log in, or you can log in at shop.shipt.com/login on your laptop or computer.
From there, you can start browsing the current sales and available items.
If you already know what you are looking for, you can search the items or filter based on category to make your list faster and easier.
You will add your items to a list that will be provided to a Shipt shopper to follow.
Once you’ve added all of the items you need or want to your list, you will need to checkout and pay for the items, as well as select a delivery window.
Delivery times range from as soon as one hour from when Shipt receives your order to up to one week.
In checkout, it’s important to add specific delivery requests in the notes section so that Shipt shoppers will be able to deliver your order as efficiently as possible.
A personal shopper will then go to the retailer of your choice to select and purchase the items from your list.
Once the shopper has checked out, they bring your groceries and can either drop them off at your doorstep or hand them directly to you.
Shipt is known for its customer service, and Shipt personal shoppers will contact you if the item you’ve requested is out of stock or unavailable.
You can also contact your Shipt shopper in real-time to make a request or add a new item to your list.
You can even add notes to specific items, like adding preferred weights or quantity of produce, so that you’re sure to get what you’re requesting.
You can also use these notes to add substitution preferences to save time in case an item is unavailable.
Shipt delivery is available any time of the day as long as the store you’re buying from is open, meaning that Shipt services are available up to 24 hours a day.
You must pay for your order using a credit card or debit card.
The only gift cards that Shipt is currently compatible with are visa or comparable reloadable gift cards.
What Stores Does Shipt Deliver From?
Although Target owns Shipt, they offer delivery from a wide variety of retailers, including large grocery store chains and smaller, local stores.
The following is a list of stores that Shipt can deliver orders from:
- H-E-B
- CVS
- Kroger
- Central Market
- Walmart
- Target
- PetCo
- Office Depot/Office Max
- Meijer
- Costco
- Bed, Bath & Beyond
- Piggly Wiggly
- Lowes Foods
- Winn Dixie
- LIDL
- ABC Fine Wine and Spirits
- Safeway
- King Sooper’s
- Publix
There are other stores that Shipt can deliver from, so you will need to enter your zip code to establish which stores are available in your area.
How Much Does Shipt Delivery Cost?
To use Shipt, you can pay an annual membership fee of $99, or you can use a Shipt pass for $10.
A Shipt pass is a one-time delivery fee.
If you don’t have a Shipt membership and use a Shipt pass, the Shipt pass covers the cost of delivery no matter how much you spend on the order.
For Shipt members, while there is no minimum order requirement to use Shipt, orders less than $35 have a $7 delivery fee attached. Delivery for orders over $35 is free.
Shipt’s prices may differ a little bit from in-store prices.
Shipt says that its shoppers can expect to pay about $5 extra on orders over $35 compared to in-store costs.
Alcohol delivery is available in certain areas, and this service comes with an additional $7 delivery fee.
You also have the option to tip your Shipt shopper for their service.
You can do this either at checkout or after your order has been completed and delivered.
Overall Cost of a Typical Delivery
Typically, you will pay the price for the groceries or supplies you’re ordering, plus a small amount more on some items, plus applicable sales tax.
There’s also a $7 delivery fee if the total is less than $35 or a $7 extra if you order alcohol.
The overall cost of a Shipt delivery varies depending on how much you order.
If you pay the annual membership fee, deliveries on orders more than $35 are free, and deliveries on orders less than $35 cost $7.
Shipt deliveries do cost a little more on average than in-store pricing, but it’s usually less than a $5 difference on your total order.
Fees That Apply To Shipt Delivery Prices
Fees associated with an annual Shipt membership:
- $7 delivery fee on orders less than $35
- $7 alcohol delivery fee
- Small product markup on some items, varying from store to store (usually only a matter of a few cents per item)
- $99 annual membership fee
Fees associated with Shipt passes (no membership):
- $10 usage fee each time you order with Shipt
- No delivery fees or minimum purchase required for free delivery
- $7 alcohol delivery fee
- Small product markup on some items
How To Save on Shipt Delivery
There are several ways to save using Shipt delivery, including the following:
- Use a promo code. Using a Shipt promo code during your initial signup can save you money by granting you free account credit you can use towards your first order.
- Buy an annual membership. If you don’t have an annual Shipt membership, you will be paying a $10 fee every time you place an order using Shipt. To save money, you can purchase the $99 annual membership.
- Get a free trial with Target. If you order from Target using Shipt, you will have the option to start a 4-week free trial, after which you will be charged a $99 annual membership fee.
- Order at least $35 worth of stuff to get free delivery.
- Browse the sale area. Use the “On Sale” tab on the Shipt app to see discount items in your area.
- Refer a friend. Shipt rewards you with a $10 credit when a friend or family member signs up for Shipt using your referral link, and they will also get $10 off their annual membership.
- Add rewards to your Shipt account. You can add certain rewards cards to your Shipt account, which will save you money when you shop at those stores.
What Are Shipt’s Delivery Hours?
Shipt’s delivery hours are flexible. Shipt offers delivery as long as the store you’re shopping with is open.
If the store you’re purchasing from is open 24 hours, that means that Shipt completes delivery orders from that store 24 hours a day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Target’s Shipt Delivery Service Worth the $99 Annual Fee?
Target’s Shipt delivery service is definitely worth $99 if you plan to use Shipt regularly as your primary grocery delivery service.
If you order groceries using Shipt a Shipt pass with no membership, you will be paying $10 per delivery.
If you order groceries once a week, it will only take a couple of months to pass up the $99 mark.
Purchasing the annual membership is the best way to save money overall on your Shipt deliveries.
Which Food Delivery Service is Better: Uber Eats or Shipt?
If you are looking to order food delivery from a restaurant, Uber Eats or a similar service will be your way to go.
Shipt currently does not offer restaurant deliveries, but they can deliver any grocery or general merchandise item from major retail stores in your area.
Can Shipt Leave Groceries at the Door?
Yes! Shipt can drop off your groceries at the door.
However, if you have ordered a prescription or alcohol via Shipt, then you will need to be present to provide identification to complete the delivery.
Wrapping Up
When compared side by side to other popular delivery services, Shipt is the fastest-growing service available in the United States today.
It has more than tripled its growth since its partnership with Target in 2017. Since then, it has even outsold Amazon’s grocery delivery service.
With just a $99 annual membership fee, Shipt’s prices are hard to beat.
But you’re not just paying for the grocery delivery service.
You’re also paying for the excellent customer service experience that Shipt shoppers provide.
