Did you know you can get groceries from Target (and quite possibly other merchants available in your geographic area, like Kroger, H-E-B, Meijer, and Harris Teeter) delivered to your door in as little as an hour with Shipt? Don’t worry – I didn’t initially know this either. When I found out, I decided to give Shipt a try, as they offer a two-week trial membership for free.
Get Started: Free Trial or Discount Membership
The Choice Is Yours!
Start by entering your home or office zip code (where you want to receive your deliveries) in the field at the bottom of the Shipt home page. Next, you’ll be presented with stores servicing the entered zip code and a free two-week trial membership.
Shipt’s annual subscription fee of $99 currently beats that of Instacart by $40 and AmazonFresh (Amazon’s grocery delivery service) by $199.88 (AmazonFresh requires Amazon Prime membership at $119/year and is $14.99/month). Shipt also offers a monthly plan at $14/month. Once you subscribe, orders over $35 are shipped free of additional charge. Orders under $35 have an additional $7 delivery fee.
If a smart device app is more convenient to you than ordering on your PC, there are apps available for download in the App Store and Google Play.
You can cancel membership at any time by calling Shipt.
My Shopping Cart
And How It Compared to Current Amazon Prime Pricing
I ordered a few boxes of Pampers diapers for our new little guy, so I would surpass the current “spend $40 get $7” Pampers deal. Here’s what I purchased, using their desktop / web ordering platform (not the available smart device app):
Pampers Cruisers Diapers, Giant Pack, Size 4 (112 count = $0.31/each) – $34.99
Pampers Cruisers Diapers, Giant Pack, Size 5 (96 count = $0.36/each) – $34.99
Pampers Swaddlers Overnight Diapers, Super Pack, Size 5 (52 count = $0.47/each) – $24.29
For comparison, Amazon Prime* (Non Subscribe & Save) comparable prices:
Pampers Cruisers Diapers, Giant Pack, Size 4 (112 count = $0.31/each) – $34.59 ($0.40 less)
Pampers Cruisers Diapers, Giant Pack, Size 5 (96 count = $0.32/each) – $30.95 ($4.04 less)
Pampers Swaddlers Overnight Diapers, Super Pack, Size 5 (52 count = $0.47/each) – $24.27 ($0.02 less)
Would be a savings of $4.46 less.
*On initial search, I was not able to find Pampers Giant or Super Packs available for order on AmazonFresh. So, I compared to Amazon Prime pricing, which by some estimates applies to 31% of the U.S.’s population. Only the much smaller bagged packs of Pampers were available for sale in the AmazonFresh catalog.
Shipt communicates that there is a slight markup (15%) on goods to account for the shopper’s personalized attention to your order. About $5 per every $35 in your shopping cart. Consider it a minor investment to keep more of your time, outsourcing some of your errands. You are paying for the convenience of the speedy delivery service and personalized shopper attention.
Amazon Prime beat Target on Shipt for Pampers Cruisers Diapers, Giant Pack, Size 5 by $4.04. The other two boxes were nominal price differences ($0.42 total). However, since I’m spending over $40 on Pampers diapers, I’m getting back a rebate of $7 to spend on future goods on Shipt.
And, I mentioned in the headline that I got my order in just 60 minutes, not two-days, right?
Sales tax is charged in states where applicable by law.
Checkout and Delivery Process
Once I had my cart filled with goods, I clicked the “Checkout” button. Shipt confirmed my delivery address, payment information, and delivery time window. You may also notice a field to provide notes to your “shopper” as Shipt refers to their delivery employees. And, a place to signify your substitution preferences when the store does not have the exact item that you request.
The nice thing about Shipt is that you can select a delivery window that best meets your needs, including delivery in as little as an hour with no additional charge for the rush delivery. I selected the first available of 6 to 7 pm today. I then clicked the “Get it Shipt!” button at 4:55pm.
Whether or not I was home during the delivery window, we have a Ring Video Doorbell, and I knew I could watch for my exact delivery time.
Within 30 minutes of my order, I received a text message to my Google Voice number confirming that my order was being processed, asking if there was anything else I needed (perhaps an item not available via the Shipt site / app?), and also when the goods were en route. Before it was on its way to me, I still had the luxury of updating my order on Shipt, if I so chose to do so. For orders being delivered in a delivery time window that is greater than an hour, you’ll have up to an hour post-order to update your order within their platform.
No lie: The door bell rang at exactly 5:55pm. That was 5 minutes before my selected delivery window.
While tipping is not required of the service they are greatly appreciated by your driver: either cash at the door or digitally via the app (defaults to custom, 10, 15, and 20 percent cash values) after the delivery has been completed. 100% of the tip goes to the shopper / delivery driver.
Bottom Line
Pun Intended
Prices are comparable. Shipping is fast. Memberships are a deal right now.
Because most grocery delivery services result in subpar produce being selected, Shipt remedies that with the option to change your items after order, send notes to your shopper, and select substitution preferences. You have more control over your final goods.
Until drones start knocking me in the head with packages at the speed of light, I’ll be comparison shopping at Shipt.
Disclaimer: I received this product at a discount in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.
Note: Affiliate off-site links are used in order to help support this blog site.
Resources:
- Clark.com: Target buys same-day grocery delivery service Shipt for $550M
- Clark.com: Shipt 101: 5 things to know about the Target-owned grocery delivery service
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Read about my experience https://t.co/9Rv969jUTQ, and use my unique URL to save $50 off your first year’s @Shipt membership (normally $99): https://t.co/sAMmj2nlKo #shipt #grocerydelivery #target #certifikid pic.twitter.com/fEm2pm1FyC
— Saving Amy (@savingamyblog) April 17, 2018
