Is Shipt Grocery Delivery Worth the Cost?
Picture this:
You’re hosting a get together with a few friends on Friday night. It’s Monday and you likely have your to-do list either written down or in your head of things that need to be done before guests arrive:
- Clean the toothbrush splatters off the bathroom mirror
- Wipe down the kitchen counters with crumbs lingering from the night before
- Throw all of the kid’s toys in the closet or get them out of sight
- Vacuum; seriously, can’t the dog get any better at cleaning this up?
- Prep some awesome food to show your friends how together your life is
You’ve planned a menu and intend to be ready with some delicious cheese dip and other snacks by 7 pm when your guests are planning to arrive.
But then life happens. Work, kids’ activities, and other responsibilities creep into your free time so now its mid-day Friday and you’re not ready for visitors! What are you going to serve them?
When will you have time to go to the store when you have to pick your kid up from daycare in an hour and your house is still a mess?
You can’t be two places at once, until now! Check out my Shipt Grocery Review to see how you could benefit from grocery delivery. It’s more affordable than you think! Only $49 for a YEAR if you use my affiliate link. (Note, I recently noticed that they have redcied the discount to only a $10 discount, so the subscription is $89. Still a great deal, but not as good as it was pre-Covid)
What is Shipt Grocery Delivery?
Shipt is a subscription-based grocery delivery service. You simply sign up, add grocery items to your cart (even alcohol in some areas) and select a delivery time. And voila, your groceries are delivered! It is a convenient, cost-effective way to outsource a task in your life that could easily be done by someone else.
How long does it take you to grocery shop? An hour? two hours?
- Write a list.
- Pack up the kids.
- Drive to the store.
- Battle the crowds.
- Yell at the kids for the third time that they can’t have that.
- Bump into others’ carts.
- Run after the kid who said they wanted to get out of the cart.
- Stand in line.
- Check out.
- Load up the groceries.
- Drive home.
- Unpack the groceries.
- Take a nap- that was exhausting!
How does Shipt it work?
Sign up for Shipt which costs $99 for an annual subscription. You pay the $99 fee upfront (it averages $8.25 per month and is well worth it even if you only use it once per month). The time savings alone is worth it. Use my affiliate link to sign up, and you’ll get your annual subscription for half off or only $49! (Note, due to Covid, the subscription is now $89; $10 off!)
When you sign up you will put in your zip code and will be prompted to choose a store to link your Shipt account up with. Locally for me in Northern Illinois, it was my local Meijer store which I frequent all the time anyway.
Target or Costco is also an option depending on how far away a physical store is to you and if you have a membership.
- Link your Shipt account with your local grocery store’s account. Meaning for me I was able to link Shipt up to my Meijer account so I would earn points and rewards just as if I was shopping in the store. It also works the same for Target.
- Shop! Add items to your cart. There are thousands and thousands of items to choose from!
- Select your delivery time. My local Meijer had delivery times as soon as 1 hour later. Meaning I was placing an order around 6:00 pm and the next available time was between 7:00 pm -8:00 pm.
- Place your order. After you have placed your online order, your Shipt shopper will “claim” your order. I’m not sure exactly how it works but it felt like Uber to me. It seemed like if you’re a Shipt shopper you can grab orders at will and fulfill them on your own schedule (don’t quote me, but that’s what it seemed like).
- Groceries are delivered. Your groceries will be delivered to your house during your chosen window. So convenient and amazing! You also have the option of picking up your groceries if you prefer!
Shipt grocery delivery deals
How much does Shipt Cost?
Shipt is $99 billed per year. Recently they started offering two options for payment. Sign up for a one-time fee billed annually of $99 (only $8.25 per month). Or, you can get in on their recurring membership. It’s billed at $14 per month and you can cancel anytime. So you pay more for the recurring, but then you can cancel.
However, Shipt also offers promos to new members. So use my affiliate link to get Shipt for only $49 per year! Due to Covid, annual subscriptions are $89.
You pay one price to get access to any store Shipt fulfills through. So the cost for Shipt at Meijer and Shipt at Target and Costco are the same price.
Does Shipt offer coupons?
Yes! One benefit I didn’t realize until after I purchased the service was that Shipt offers their own sale prices and promotions! Their app is very user-friendly and allows you to shop by categories, and you can specifically filter on items that are “on sale.”
Additionally, Shipt offers spend/get promotions on various categories. For example, spend $35.00 on Pampers, get a $10.00 Shipt credit or spend $10.00 on Hershey’s get a $5.00 Shipt credit.
The very first order I placed with Shipt was using a Pampers offer to buy diapers for my daughter. One box of her diapers was $37.99. That’s a higher retail price than I would normally spend, but I earned a $10.00 Shipt credit on my next purchase which made it worth it.
The next Shipt order I placed, the $10.00 earned was automatically taken off my total. So it worked like a charm!
Related: How to save money on groceries without coupons
Why are Shipt prices higher than the grocery store?
You may notice that prices on the Shipt website vary from what is offered in store. In some cases, they are higher, but in some cases, they are lower. On their website, Shipt explains that you may pay a little more to cover the costs of picking, packing, processing and delivering your order.
But, the small increase is more than outweighed by the value you receive but not having to go to the store yourself. So it’s really a personal preference of ordering online and possibly paying more. Or stepping foot in the store and taking more time, but possibly pay less money.
Can I use coupons with Shipt?
You are not able to use physical coupons with Shipt. That makes sense as you’re not actually at the store to hand them over. I create monthly couponing reports where I breakdown my monthly grocery bills and show where I’ve saved with coupons, so saving money with coupons is important to me, but Shipt is still worth it!
You are not actually at the store checking out at a register so it is not possible to use physical coupons. But by linking up your local grocery store’s account with your Shipt account, you are able to take advantage of digital card savings.
For example, at my local Meijer, if I spend $150, I automatically get a $3.00 digital coupon to clip and use on my next order. My Shipt orders through Meijer qualified, and I earned a digital coupon on my last order as the order put me over the $150 to trigger a coupon.
So while I can’t use any coupons I’ve physically clipped, the digital coupons make up for it, for me.
Does Shipt match store promotions?
No, Shipt does not match specific store promotions or honor in-store sales.
For example, if you see strawberries on sale in your local Target flyer for $.99, they may be more expensive on Shipt. Conversely, though, Shipt offers discounts on items that may be a regular price in store. You are paying for convenience, but you can still be aware of prices and purchase items that are on sale through Shipt.
How quickly will my Shipt order be delivered?
It depends on the time of day and how many Shipt shoppers are available. During peak times you may have to wait a few hours. I’ve never had to wait more than two hours. For example, if it’s 6:00 pm on a Tuesday night and I noticed we are extremely low on milk and my daughter will need some tomorrow morning, you can likely get a delivery between 8:00-9:00 pm or even earlier.
My local Meijer is open 24/7, so when I select a delivery window, I can literally select any time frame all through the night.
Related: 15 money saving apps you should be using right now!
Are all items available in-store available on Shipt?
Shipt has thousands and thousands of items on their app. If you don’t see something in the app but you know you have purchased said item at the store before, simply add a note to your order and your shopper will text you if they can find it. I did this with some specific pita chips I didn’t see on the app and they added them no problem.
Also, you can add a preference to your profile if you want your shopper to offer an alternative if an item is sold out or not available.
Shipt shopping text conversation
Do you tip the Shipt Shopper?
The Shipt website says you do not have to, but I have been tipping to the tune of around 10%. So far I’ve done all my tipping in cash at the time of delivery. Meaning, when the Shipt shopper shows up at my house and delivers the groceries, once the groceries are in the house I hand the shopper cash before they leave.
Alternatively, you are able to add a tip later through the Shipt app. In fact, I will probably start doing that so I have time to unpack my groceries as the quality of the shopping trip and how well the shopper did may impact the tip you want to give. So no tip, tip during delivery, or tip through the app: it’s entirely up to you!
What if the Shipt shopper gets something wrong?
If your Shipt shopper happens to not get something right or you are unsatisfied with your purchase, Shipt stands behind you. You can simply contact Shipt and they will make it right, right away. If it’s an item that was missing from the order, is not to your liking, or something went wrong, Shipt will make it right or credit you back without hassle.
Shipt Pros
Oh so convenient.
Any time you don’t feel like running to the store, you can shop from the luxury of your own home, your bed, the bathtub, where ever! Seriously, how cool is that? If you have company coming over tonight and you haven’t had time to shop, use Shipt!
You are hungover and can’t find the strength to head to the store with a toddler in tow, use Shipt! You forgot that one key ingredient and you don’t want to leave the house, use Shipt!
The total you are spending is visible.
You know the feeling of dread when you head to the checkout with a mountain of groceries and aren’t exactly sure how much the total will be?
With Shipt you know exactly how much your total will be, which helps to budget! It’s hard to go over budget when you can see the total right in front of your eyes and can adjust accordingly (keep in mind tax is added and you may want to factor in a tip).
You can view your order history.
You can see what you ordered last time, and easily re-order the same items again. This is very helpful if you regularly purchase from Shipt. It not only is time-efficient to find your regularly purchased items but can help you budget and keep track of where your grocery money goes.
Shipt offers specials and discounts.
Shipt offers its own promotions which can save you money. So while you aren’t able to use your physical coupons, for example, if you cut them from the Sunday paper, you can cash in on digital coupons. An example would be “spend $15.00 get a $5.00 credit on select items.”
Shipt Cons
Lag time.
You don’t get your groceries immediately. While there are typically many time windows to choose from to get your groceries delivered, if the shoppers are busy, you may have to wait a few hours for your items to be delivered.
Shipt may have higher prices.
Sometimes there are differences, sometimes big differences, in the prices the Shipt website offers vs. what you know you can purchase the items for in the store. You’re paying for convenience. That convenience price may or may not be worth the time savings for you.
Items may not be available.
In some cases, you may have chosen an item that is not available at the store or is sold out. you can choose to have your shopper offer a substitute if that happens. For example, if you really needed a chocolate cake mix and Duncan Hines wasn’t available, you may be offered Pillsbury instead. You can choose to accept or decline the substitute.
Is Shipt worth the money?
For me, yes. I’m a couponer at heart and always want to find the best deal. But a busy life sometimes catches up with me, so I use Shipt to supplement when I can’t find time to get to the store myself.
The time savings alone is worth the cost of paying an annual fee. It’s only $8.25 per month averaged out over the year so for me, it’s been well worth it. Use my affiliate link to sign up, and you’ll get an annual subscription for only $49!! Note: Due to Covid, Subscriptions are $89 annually ($10 off using my affiliate link).
Who uses grocery delivery?
Before I started Shipt, I told my daughter’s daycare provider about the service. Tiffy watches kids from 7:00 am-5:30 pm Monday-Friday. She has to go grocery shopping for her family and all of the kids at the daycare in the evening when the store is really busy or go on the weekends which eats into her free time with her family.
Because she feeds the kids breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, as well as her family’s meals, she has a haul and usually spends multiple hours on any grocery shopping trip.
I suggested Tiffy use Shipt as a way to free up some time grocery shopping. She bought an annual subscription and absolutely loves it. Her raving review made me what to try it! She says she can’t imagine her life without it and even though she never thought of herself as the grocery-delivery type, she LOVES It. I had to dive in after that review, and now I too love it!
Conclusion
If you’re not a fan of grocery shopping itself or looking for a way to save some time during the week, I highly recommend you give Shipt a try! It may not replace all of your grocery shopping but I have found it to be extremely convenient, an amazing time savings, and worth every penny so far.
How much time do you estimate you spend grocery shopping each week (including drive, shopping, and putting away)?
Take one small step today – to help your finances tomorrow,
Steph
Related Grocery Shopping articles:
How to save money on groceries without coupons
10 easy couponing tips for normal people
I have checked the prices being charged in the store compared to what is charged using the Shipt service. Every single item I checked cost more using the Shipt service as opposed to purchasing it in the store. Canned goods are $.10 to $.20 higher per can using Shipt. I checked Phillips Colon Health 60 ct. In the store and it was $22.99. The exact item (Phillips Colon Health) Shipt charges $29.99. That’s a $7.00 difference. REALLY!!!! How many other items are priced more on Shipt? Your grocery total is going to be substantially higher when using Shipt. I can’t afford to use Shipt! I don’t know about you but I think Meijer is grossly taking advantage of persons that are house bound due to illness or disability. THAT’S JUST PLAIN WRONG!
Thanks for sharing your perspective, Teressa. I too have found the prices higher on Shipt for most things vs. in-store. You’re paying for the convenience of someone to shop for you. So I understand that comes with a cost. For me personally, I have found it to be convenient when I’m strapped for time. I’m willing to exchange money for time. However, I agree that for those with an illness or disability who cannot leave their house (who don’t have an alternative) it could be frustrating to have to pay more. Have you tried grocery pick up instead? Are the prices any better there?
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