In a time when smartphones and on-demand delivery services are becoming a big part of consumers’ lives, there’s no question that grocery delivery services fit right in.

Services like Kroger Delivery, DoorDash, and Amazon’s delivery services make it easy for you to shop from your mobile device and pay for a local to head to the grocery store for you.

But one of the fastest-growing services of all of these is Shipt.

By signing up for Shipt, you can try the concept out for yourself. So what is Shipt exactly?

For busy families that are always on the lookout for ways to save time, Shipt can be a great asset that helps you cross grocery shopping off your massive to-do list.

First launched in 2014 in Birmingham, Alabama, it’s now one of the fastest-growing grocery delivery apps in the U.S. and has even overtaken Amazon Fresh in growth and share of revenue.

This comprehensive guide will explain what Shipt is, how it works, and how you can sign up for the service today.

What Is Shipt?

Shipt is a national grocery delivery service that was acquired by Target in 2017.

The company allows you to shop for what you need just by scrolling through your smartphone or computer, and matches you with Shipt drivers (known as Shipt Shoppers) who bring your selected items straight to your door.

On Shipt, customers can stock up on everything from food and drinks to pet food and toiletries.

You can find thousands of grocery items and supplies every single week, even including alcohol in select markets.

These items are sourced from Target and a variety of national chains — such as Kroger, Meijer, H-E-B, Costco, CVS, Petco, and Publix — as well as other local grocery stores.

After Target’s acquisition, Shipt actually tripled in growth, making it the growing national service it is today.

How Shipt Works

Shopping on Shipt is incredibly simple. Members simply need to log in to the Shipt app (available on iOS 10.0, Android 5.0, or later) or head to shop.shipt.com/login to start browsing through available items and current sales.

If you have a general idea of what you need to purchase, you can also sort by category or make a search to speed up your shopping process.

Then, tap the green plus sign next to each item you want to add to your cart.

Once you’ve added all your desired items — no minimum order necessary — you can head to checkout and select your preferred delivery window.

This delivery time can be as little as one hour in advance, or up to a week ahead.

In some markets, deliveries may be available throughout all 24 hours of the day, as Shipt’s services can be requested as long as there’s a grocery store in your area that’s open.

The main requirement is that you must be home at the time of delivery.

Before completing the checkout process, make sure to add any delivery notes that will help your Shipt Shopper deliver your items.

You can also tap “Add Note” next to any item if you have any preferences (for example, a preferred weight for a head of broccoli) or other special instructions.

While your Shipt Shopper is grabbing items at the store, they may contact you if they find that an item is out of stock.

This way, they’ll be able to coordinate a substitute item or confirm that you’d prefer to skip the item.

You can also add notes about substitution preferences in the “Add Note” area before checkout if you want to save time or avoid missing a call.

Related: Shipt vs Instacart: Which one is better for drivers?

How Much Does Shipt Cost?

Shipt is a membership-based grocery delivery service, unlike its primary competitor Instacart.

As such, the platform is only available to members who pay a $14 monthly membership fee or a $99 annual membership fee.

Having this fee in place allows the company to offer considerably fast delivery — even during peak hours — at no extra charge.

Same-day delivery will never cost you any more than next-day or next-week delivery.

Instead of varying prices based on your ordered items, location, and delivery window, you can consistently expect free delivery for all orders over $35.

A $7 delivery fee will only be charged for small orders that are $35 or under.

Service fees only apply at select retailers, but you’ll know about them before you check out.

While Shipt doesn’t require tips, tipping is common etiquette that is expected of customers.

We recommend tipping your Shopper at least 15% for every order, as this helps these independent contractors make a comfortable living wage.

Shipt shoppers get paid just enough to make shopping worth their time, so show them some love and throw a tip their way.

If your Shipt Shopper puts in a particularly noticeable amount of effort — for example, if you’ve ordered heavy items for them to deliver or they’re just extra friendly — you may consider tipping 20%.

In terms of the cost of the grocery items you buy, the average Shipt customer pays about $5 more on the platform than they would in store for every $35 spent.

This isn’t a drastically higher price, given the convenience factor. Plus, Shipt does offer deals just like a normal grocery store.

Using the Shipt app can also help you stick to a budget, as you’ll see exactly what you’re paying and be able to adjust your cart before checking out.

Shipt Fees Compared to the Other Apps

As we mentioned, there are a few different grocery shipping companies out there.

Shipt is a relatively new company, and it is not in as many areas as its competitors.

Its main competitor is Instacart.

Even though Target owns Shipt, you can get delivery from many different stores just as you can with Instacart.

The manner in which orders are placed is similar on the two apps, and the prices are approximately the same.

Shipt vs. Instacart

Instacart also offers a membership option to its customers for $99 a year.

If you want to get a one-time order, you can.

Instacart charges $7.99 for individual delivery orders.

If you are a member and do not order $35.00 worth of groceries, you will pay $7.99 for delivery, just as you would if you were not a member.

Unlike Shipt, Insacart does have a minimum delivery amount.

You must order at least $10 of items to get delivery, whether you are a member or not.

Shipt offers in-app coupons that are distributed to customers when they make orders.

They also send coupons to customers when they have not ordered for a while.

Instacart will send you special promos for discounts on your entire order.

In some cases, they may give you a discount on a particular category of food such as vegetables or home supplies.

Both apps give you the opportunity to tip, and they both have suggested tip amounts.

Instacart’s suggested tip amount defaults to $2.00 for member orders, but you can change that amount.

Shipt defaults to a $5 tip.

Both Shipt and Instacart allow you to pay for membership once a year or break your membership up into $10 a month payments.

Shipt vs. Walmart

Walmart runs its own grocery delivery service.

You can order anything that Walmart sells with this service.

They guarantee two-hour delivery.

Although the popular store once had a $35 minimum on delivery orders, they have since dropped this requirement.

Instead, you can get a one-time delivery for a $10 fee.

Membership in the store’s express delivery services is $12.95 a month or $98 a year.

Deliveries of over $35 are free to members.

Walmart does not mark up its delivery prices for its customers as they are not reselling the products.

Shipt vs. Amazon Prime

Amazon Prime also offers a grocery delivery service.

You must be a Prime member to use it.

Although they do offer same-day delivery, you may not be able to get it unless you order very early in the morning.

You will be limited to items from Whole Foods or the Amazon warehouse.

Shipt vs. UberEats and Grubhub

Uber Eats and Grubhub are slowly but surely offering grocery delivery services.

The price you will pay for an individual delivery will depend on the store you order from.

Both services offer monthly membership fees with free delivery on orders of over a certain amount.

Monthly membership in Grubhub or UberEats is around $10.00 a month.

Pros and Cons of Shipt

Just as there would be with any other service, there are good and bad things about using Shipt.

Pros of Shipt Grocery Delivery

Here is a list of the most notable pros for using Script.

It Is Convenient

When you think about how long it takes you to create your grocery list, drive to the grocery store, select your groceries, stand in line to pay for those groceries, and drive back home, you have to admit that delivery can save you a lot of time.

Although you have to pay for this service, remember that time is money.

You can log more hours at your job when you have a personal assistant doing your shopping for you.

You Have Many Stores to Choose From

You may not have enough time to drive to your favorite store.

If you love the specialty items they sell at your favorite health food store, but you never get around to getting there, Shipt can solve that problem.

If you want to buy an electronic item at a store clear across town, Shipt can bring it right to your door.

You will not have to wait forever to get a sales associate to finish answering a million questions from another customer and take a long time retrieving your item from the back.

Target Owns Shipt

Walmart can charge the same price for delivery items as it charges in-store because it handles its own delivery.

Although Shipt delivers from a wide variety of different stores, it is owned by Target.

Hence, you will not pay a mark-up on Target products.

It Is New and Wants to Please Customers

Shipt has not been around as long as Instacart has.

When a company is new, it will bend over backward to make its customers happy.

Therefore, you are likely to get better customer service from the new company as they want to make sure that you keep coming back.

They Have Great Promos

Shipt has some of the best promos in the grocery delivery business.

For example, they are currently offering $20 off a $50 order.

You can expect to get other promo offers after you sign up.

Cons of Shipt Grocery Delivery

While there are not as many, you should still know about these cons for using Shipt.

Grocery Delivery is Expensive

As with all grocery delivery services, Shipt is expensive.

They will mark up the price of your groceries, but you also have to pay for the delivery itself and a tip, which can add up over the course of the average month.

They Are Not Available Everywhere

If Shipt is not available where you are, there is no point in getting it.

If you travel a lot and rely on grocery delivery, Shipt may not be the best option for you as they are not in many different places yet.

How to Sign Up for Shipt

When you’re ready to sign up for your Shipt membership, you can start by heading to the Shipt homepage, entering your ZIP code, and tapping “Get started.”

Review the retailers available in your area and tap “Get started” again.

On the following page, sign up with your Google or Facebook account.

Alternatively, you can enter your full name, email address, and preferred password before tapping “Create account.”

Opt into the annual or monthly membership plan.

Enter your payment information and submit when complete.

Once you’ve taken these steps, you should be ready to make your first grocery order.

The credit card or debit card you submitted in the last step will be the card that’s charged for your future orders on the platform.

Frequently Asked Questions

Now that you know the answer to our initial question — “What is Shipt?” — you can decide whether or not it’s the service for you.

Here are some frequently asked questions to help you figure out if the grocery delivery service can fulfill your needs.

Get Groceries Delivered to Your Door

Shipt is a convenient grocery delivery service that helps customers throughout the U.S. save time and gas.

The fast-growing, Target-owned company is helping plenty of busy families stay healthy and stocked up with easy access to fresh produce, meat, and other necessities.

With Shipt, you can escape the hassle of heading to the grocery store just by connecting with locals who can act as your personal shopper for the day.